My mother tells me that as soon as I learned to crawl, I had a cleaning rag in my hand scrubbing floors. I was trained very early on to Spring Clean our homes by my grandmother from Slovenia. We would take everything out, wipe down the walls, dust the ceilings and scrub the floors. Before we put anything back, it had to be cleaned. Gramma would say, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” If it wasn’t something we had used that year, we stored it or gave it away. If it was worn out, we replaced it. We lived in very clean and clutter free homes.

Gramma always said you could tell the value of a person by how well they kept their home. She was teaching me about the standards I should set for myself that is reflected in the way I care for my personal space. These annual Spring Cleanings were more that just getting rid of the dirt and clutter, it was a way to review my life and decide what was really important to me. What did I really need and what should I release? Eventually, I became a compulsive clean-a-holic, or so my friends tell me! But I took from my grandmother the importance of an orderly living place for a productive life.

I used this lesson often in my life. First, when I ran my own cleaning business to pay my way through college, and then in my 26-year career in information services with an insurance company. I went from Data Entry Operator to Director of Information Services supervising 46 people. This very simple wisdom from my grandmother was proven over and over throughout my corporate career. You can certainly tell how productive and organized an employee will be by how well they keep their workspace organized. You can also tell how efficient a department will be by how much clutter is allowed to get in the way of the work.

After my department was out-sourced overseas and my position eliminated, I took a year to reflect on what kind of new life I wanted to make for myself. Many people ask if I am bitter about this life transition after devoting so much of my career to this corporation. Truthfully, it was the best thing that could have happened to me. It set me free to find a new direction.

I consulted a life coach. I spent time at an ashram and visited centers for spiritual growth. I took workshops. I traveled to India with Dr. Deepak Chopra for a 30-day study intensive. I knew that I wanted to find a calling, a passion and a way to use my skills to really make a difference in the lives of others.

I remembered all of the friends and family I have helped over the years de-clutter and organize their space as they transitioned from one phase of their life to another. I thought of my own transition from a 3,000 square foot home to an 865 square foot apartment. I realized just how many emotions are attached to the things we keep. Releasing the clutter to make room for a new phase of our life is a deeply personal and emotionally freeing experience. I was honored to help my friends make this transition.

My friends referred their friends to me to help them transform their homes. I used my multi-tasking ability and my organizational skills to help them sort through the things they have kept. I used my deep cleaning skills my grandmother taught me to make a fresh start. During the process we decided what is a true life treasure to be preserved and what is something that is best released. It is only when we are ready to let go of the clutter that we can make room for new life experiences. Clutter is a metaphor for life and less is so much more. The less clutter we carry with us, the more room we make for new life experiences.

Before I knew it was happening, my calling found me in the de-clutter and deep clean service and Clutter Free Yourself was born. As I have helped people move in and move out of their living places, each transition had excitement for the future possibilities and sadness for what was being left behind. Our homes are the refuge we seek from the world. It’s where we keep the things we most value. It’s where we go to re-charge and get ready to face the world again. We make love and memories in our living places with those we hold dearest to our hearts. We watch our children grow-up and leave to make homes of their own.

What we save and stuff away in our closets says a lot about who we are. It tells us what we treasure and what was un-finished in our lives. I love watching the look on a client’s face when years of stuff has been sorted and organized. The clutter that had taken over their life is now safely stored or removed. What is left is a beautiful, clean living place, ready for new possibilities.

What convinced me that I had found my new direction for my life was a call I received from my mother. My grandmother, now in her late 90′s was no longer able to keep up with her home. The clutter has taken over her life as she clings to everything as if she were clinging to life itself. My mother lived in fear of Gramma falling and one day it happened. Mom asked me to come and do one of my clutter interventions and I removed 36 bags of trash from my grandmother’s house. I sorted and organized. I stored and removed. I prepared her home for a new phase of her life, so she could remain in it a little longer with some support.

I knew I found my calling when my grandmother needed help reclaiming her home from the clutter. I cried as I deep cleaned the mold and dirt she could no longer reach. If my grandmother needed this kind of help, I realized that anyone could find themselves at a place in their life where the clutter and all it represents, can overwhelm them. This was the service I needed to offer.

I like cleaning and organizing things. I like helping people make these transitions from cluttered spaces to beautiful living places. I like finding the best way to organize a room so it meets the living requirements of the family. I love seeing the amazed look on the faces of the homeowners as they walk in and see their living place, sparkling clean with a place for everything and everything in its place.

I can’t imagine a better job than the one I have right now as a clutter intervention specialist. It is one I created for myself and it suits me perfectly. This is exactly how a living place should be — totally unique and a perfect fit.

Kathy Coupland

—Kathy Coupland

Call 404-803-4547 today for a free clutter intervention phone consultation. We can help you plan and budget for your Clutter Free project.