❄️FMS 5: Let it go

When I was a kid, the clutter and the things I had were my way of making my room feel cozy. Now, in motherhood (and adulthood), I get overwhelmed being in a space that is mine and it being chaotic. Less is more. Having a few things I love leaves room to create a space that I love and actually want to be in. A lot goes into organizing and maintaining being organized. Jenna Nelson and her team at Top Shelf Organizing are doing the work that goes into helping us get there.

After lockdowns and quarantines people are more aware than ever of the items in their home and how they feel while they’re (stuck) at home. Most people don’t like the awareness that it brings and they want to do something about the claustrophobic-feel their homes create.

That’s where I come in. I’m a professional organizer and your overwhelming and cluttered space is my favorite place to be and, once I’m done, you’ll love it too. I’m the therapist who helps you let go of items you’ve been hanging on to for way too long. I’m the guide who helps you figure out what your organization-style is. And I’m the friend who encourages you to keep going and helps get you back on track when you fall off the wagon.

I started my company in 2015 after working for a baby boutique here in Nashville, doing merchandising and organizing the backstock. I loved it and realized organizing was something I felt passionate about. Once that job ended I decided to start my own company and within a few months Top Shelf Organizing was born.

I initially wanted to continue to work with small businesses but after a few months of very little work I decided to switch my focus to residential and I’ve had steady growth since then. I now have 3 assistants who work with me and we’re busy working 5 days a week, organizing people all around Nashville and the surrounding areas. I have also traveled to Austin, Pensacola, Atlanta and Michigan to work with clients.

No matter where I am in the US, the process is the same - we pull everything out, categorize the items and then go through every item one by one with the client as they decide what stays and what goes. It’s a step-by-step process anyone can do on their own. Having help just makes it easier.

Once that process is complete, we put it all back in a way that makes sense to the client, sometimes using new organizing products but not always. When we’re done, clients often say they feel lighter and can breathe easier because now they know what they have and let go of what they no longer wanted.

One of the reasons I love organizing is because every job is different. Yes, some spaces are very similar but the items in them and the family they represent are different so no two spaces are alike. It’s so fun coming up with new ways to help people get organized and, more importantly, stay organized for the long term.

Being organized is important because being unorganized is a huge waste of time and money. It’s a waste of time because so often people spend far too long looking for something they thought they had instead of knowing right where it is.

It’s a waste of money because once they get tired of looking they go out to the store and buy another one to replace the one they can’t find. I’ve worked with clients who have ended up with 18 electric drills, 6 whisks, duplicate kitchen appliances (sometimes unopened), and so much more that they ended up buying only because they didn’t know where the original was.

But in an organized space every item has a home, so when it’s needed it’s found fairly quickly. That is the main thing we try to do in every client’s home - find a home for everything they want to keep.

If something has a home, the person is much more likely to put it away where it goes. When spaces are random and have no specific purpose, then anything and everything can end up in it (and it usually does).

Now, just because we come in and ask clients to purge, that doesn’t mean we walk in and tell them they have to get rid of everything. If a client really loves something (even if it doesn’t make sense and there’s no reason for them to keep it), I won’t make them get rid of it.

The goal is to create a space for everything they love. My job is to help them get rid of the items they don’t love and no longer need (because some stuff you don’t love, you actually do need). There are even times when I’ve questioned a client over their decision to get rid of something because I can tell how much they love it. I want my clients to feel good when I leave their homes and not regret hiring me because I bullied them into getting rid of some stuff.

Once we’re done with the job, I love hearing how clients have continued their organizing journey. Even if they only used Top Shelf for a small space, what they learn during that time can help them with larger projects.

Things like…

Put something back where it goes when you’re done with it.

If you want to buy something new, see what you can get rid of so you don’t run out of space.

Just do one section at a time when organizing. Don’t get overwhelmed by trying to do the whole room all at once.

Purging feels good! Getting rid of the excess isn’t super difficult or painful!

Organizing a space does take time and a bit of natural talent but going through your items and getting rid of stuff you don’t want or need is a quick and easy way to create more space in your home. If you’ve been trying to decide if you should do this, consider this your sign.

Jenna’s song choice

Snow White had the help of the entire FOREST (pun definitely intended) cleaning the dwarves’ home. Maybe it was the song they sang that made it look so easy.

Follow your curiosity

If you want to follow Jenna, Top Shelf Organizing, and the organizing missions they get into, their Instagram is updated regularly.

Michelle Vig and her book The Holistic Guide to Decluttering approaches organization by helping readers see three key elements to organize to get there. Physical space, mental space, and time.

Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized by Laurie Palau is giving us strategies to clearing our clutter, and in turn our minds once and for all.

Ivanka and her YouTube channel, Tidy Moose offers weekly tips and tricks for subscribers on health, wealth, and freedom from our “things” that are weighing us down. You can also learn more about Ivanka and the work she does on her website.

I love to work organized, but sometimes my brain is a mess. Which leads to things around me being a mess. It’s honestly a vicious cycle. Finding the joy in loving your space through organization is such an amazing feeling.

Purge, create, and enjoy,
Skyler