Live Clutter Free: Tips to get and keep your home organized

By RACHEL STRICKLAND | Photos by BECKY STINEHOUR and courtesy of CENTRAL TEXAS PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZERS

It’s that time of year again — spring is blooming, and people are dusting off the winter cobwebs and feeling the need to get rid of clutter. But sometimes, it’s not as easy as throwing old clothes into a bin and taking it to Goodwill. Sometimes, you need a little professional help to get those organizational juices flowing, and Gwen French, owner of Central Texas Professional Organizers, is the one to call.

French was a teacher for 11 years, and one thing that she loved abouat the job was the challenge of keeping her classroom tidy. When she became a stay-at-home mom, she realized how important it was to stay organized at home too. Over time, she developed a passion for helping family and friends organize their spaces, manage their paperwork and create routines. When she started seeing what a huge difference it made in their lives, she decided to turn her organizational skills into a business. She opened Central Texas Professional Organizers (CTPO) in July 2019, and her business partner, Shara Lane, joined the team in 2023.

“(Shara) has a natural gift of organizing and an amazing eye for detail,” French says.

French says that CTPO helps a variety of people, from families who need help developing a schedule, to parents-to-be who are setting up nurseries and older folks who are downsizing. Overall, they aim to help clients make their spaces more functional, whether that’s their bedroom, garage, office, or closet. Many of French’s clients have ADHD or suffer from chronic disorganization, and so she’s helped many people create routines and systems to help with everyday stresses.

“Sometimes we are invited into a home to simply purge items with the client,” she said. “This is often the case when a loved one has passed or before someone moves to a new home. Those clients have a hard time letting go and need a little guidance as to what would be worth keeping and what could be donated/trashed. We don’t force anything on the client but offer tips and suggestions.”

Along with organizational services, CTPO also offers a digital monthly meal plan subscription service for $5 a month. French emphasizes the importance of having a meal plan because it can help to save money and reduce decision fatigue. She says that each month’s plan includes weekly shopping lists, complete recipes, and nutrition information. The plans are also customizable and can be modified to be dairy-free, gluten-free, or low-carb. But if a meal plan is still too daunting, CTPO also offers plans for frozen meals to give people easy and delicious options that just need to be popped into the microwave.

French loves her job, especially the look on her clients’ faces when they see the results of the organizing project.

“We desire to help our clients create a home environment that is in order and easy to maintain, not overwhelming and dysfunctional,” she says. “We don’t just organize the space; we help the client tackle clutter that has built up over time. So many (people) just don’t know where to start. I like to dig in deep with my clients to find out how we can make their lives better. Yes, I love to make spaces beautiful, but it’s so much more important to me that they are functional and help reduce daily stress.”

French says her favorite type of room to organize are kids’ spaces, such as bedrooms and playrooms.

“Not only do I get the opportunity to help the child be in an environment where they can learn and play without a lot of distractions,” she says. “But I get to bring joy to parents when they find how easy it is for their child to maintain the space. I act as a ‘Clutter Coach’ to help teach kids to be responsible and learn what it means to respect and take care of the items they own — a lifelong skill.”

It’s easy to get started on your organizational journey with CTPO. French says when people first contact her, she asks what their needs and desired outcomes are. Then, they discuss what’s currently working and not working in the space they’d like to organize. She sometimes sends a link to an Amazon list full of CTPO-recommended products to help organize the space, but she will usually just use containers that the client already has on hand.

“Then on the day of the session, we jump right in,” French says. “We have found that it’s most effective for the client to be home for the session, but there are certain spaces we can tackle alone with some guidance from the client.”

She says each session is three hours long. While organizing, they talk with the client about what they’re doing and how they can maintain the organizational methods over time. French then follows up later with the client to see if any tweaks need to be made. Clients who need help creating routines or schedules often do not require a physical visit, so those are typically done virtually.

“It can be intimidating to hire a professional organizer,” French says. “A lot of people are concerned about being judged, but Shara and I are completely judgment-free. We are on your team and want to help you, not to make you feel bad for the way you have or haven’t maintained your spaces in the past. We have a passion for showing people a new way to live with less stress and more productivity.”

How to organize your space

Here are seven of Gwen French’s tips:

1. Sort items into three groups: keep, donate, and trash. Have a plan set up for what to do with the trash and donation piles, and make sure you follow that plan within 24 hours. Don’t let them sit in your space after you’ve started working on the room. Make sure to keep only things that you want, need, or use regularly, and rid your home of items that are just taking up space.

2. When trying to decide on a place to put an item, think about how you use the item verses where you think it should go. For example: if you use a certain pair of scissors and a certain type of tape when wrapping presents, keep those items with your wrapping paper. While they are office items, if you never use them in the office, there’s no need to put them there. This way, you know exactly where they are next time you’re wrapping presents, and you don’t have to waste time searching.

3. “Zone” your closets by designating what items will go in each one. This way, as you go through each room, you will know where to put items. This might look like a closet specifically for items like photos and sentimental paraphernalia. Putting too many types of items in a closet will make it very hard to everyone in the family to know where to put things.

4. Don’t purchase containers until you organize your space. While there are some adorable containers out there, having them and not using them is just adding to the clutter.

5. Keep maintenance in mind as you organize. Ask yourself: “Will this system be manageable when things get busy?”

6. To avoid burnout, don’t try to tackle the entire room. Instead, work in sections: start from the left side of the room and work your way around. You may only get one small portion done in a day, but it will keep you from getting overwhelmed.

7. Plan a 10-minute tidy-up at the end of every day. You’ll be surprised how much fun this can be for everyone in the family!