20th anniversary reflection: You don't have to do it alone

7 July 2025

As I celebrate 20 years of Peace of Mind Organizing® this year, I keep coming back to this fundamental truth I wrote about in 2010. This message feels even more relevant today—both for the clients we serve and for the team approach that has become the heart of the business. Sometimes the most important lessons are worth repeating and that’s what I’ll be doing each month as part of this anniversary series.

Before I became an organizer, I struggled with creating systems for getting my messy self to stay organized. I bought, read and learned from many books on organizing. (My friend, the Mississippi garden writer Felder Rushing once looked at my bookshelf and said with his distinctive Southern drawl, “Janine, you’d have a lot less clutter if you’d just get rid of these books on clutter.”)

When I decided to become a professional organizer, I started taking classes so I could bring expertise to the table. I learned, however, that I bring more than expertise to my client sessions. I bring support. If all you need is expertise, then reading about a topic might be sufficient.

But when it comes to organizing and dealing with clutter it can be really hard to get started on your own. That’s where finding a buddy or a professional to help can make a big difference.

By hiring a professional organizer you:

Make a time commitment to working on your organizing goals
Make a financial commitment, which can be very motivating
Become accountable to someone
Benefit from the organizer’s expertise
Have some fun with it, because you have company

If your clutter or organizing challenges feel like more than you can handle alone, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. If you can afford one-on-one help with an organizer (or the help of an organizing team), believe me it will be worth the investment. If you can’t, look around the internet…there are some great lower cost options that can still give you the support you need.