A glimpse into my world as a professional organisers

Hi! I’m Ali and this is a little glimpse into my day as a professional organiser. I practice starting slow, speeding up, micro tidying and rituals that serve me.

My day starts in the quiet, and early… 4am-ish. I love the stillness of the morning darkness as I drink my lemon juice water while the kettle boils and I pour my home made (usually) green juice. Wallace gives me a little rurr, rurrl from the sliding door to let him out for a sniff and wee. Whilst I don’t hear it, I know Dougal has jumped on the bed to cuddle up to Suma… Probably nuts up and definitely nudging for a scratch.

The kettle boils, and I pour the water into my matcha and whisk. Add a little more water, a smidge of vanilla extra and a teaspoon of honey. Sip my green juice and whisk some more. Add a dash of milk and voila, my wake me up serum is ready… hmmm.

I totter off with my matcha and remaining juice to my sitting chair, letting Wallace back in as I go. As I settle in, so does Wallace (on the couch). And it’s time to wake up my brain with a Sudoku.

My mind ritual. I set my timer on my phone (20 mins). Rubber and pencil in hand, as I finish my juice filling in the numbers and move onto my matcha. As my brain breaks dawn, so does the sun. I hear it rather than see it as the birds’ chatting increases in number and decibels. It’s a simple sound, quieting my mind and warming my soul. I hear Suma’s alarm and Wallace moves back to the bedroom, jumping on the bed to say good morning. Usually involves lots of licks and a short grunt as he lays against a leg. Soul warmed again.

Another five minutes in Sudoku land, my brain is livening up as the boxes get filled. I haven’t noticed Suma move to the kitchen and I feel myself getting excited as the Sudoku nears completion. My timer goes off and I am washed with a mixture of relief and ‘oh no, not yet’. I haven’t quite finished. My waking brain ritual complete. I’m comfy and I’m determined to get the puzzle done… and moving means the day speeds up from here. So, the conversation with myself goes from get up to stay, but ultimately time determines that I have to move, shower and get ready for the gym as I only have 15 minutes. My speed to the gym ritual begins.

A super quick shower, washing off the sleep. Dress, gym bag together. I multi-task. As I brush my teeth, I put things in their home and find things in their home that I need. Washing to laundry, grab runners on the way back from laundry, jarmies to bedroom basket, blinds up. Finish teeth, tidy pillows on lounge, runners on, dishes to sink. Find as many homes for things as I can in the time I have… don’t be late (usually am). Boys fed and outside, in the car and drive. Usually only a couple of words spoken with Suma until then. He’s usually still waking up, so I wait for him to come into the world (sometimes delayed until after the morning workout). My brain is firing, mind clear and my body is about to get its ritual awakening.

Side note. Body ritual - I love the gym. I never used to, but this is now as much my home, a part of me. A village of sleepy, motivation seekers who always leave feeling better than when they came in. Life just doesn’t seem right without time with my movement village. Another ritual complete that serves me.

We get home, and step into ‘setting the day up’ ritual. We walk the boys (we get as much joy from this as them) … and spend half of it hoping Wally doesn’t roll in something dead, watching him like a hawk off the lead. 25 minutes usually. Then breakie. Suma’s weekly pre-prepared oats and yogurt and a cup of tea while Suma showers first. I look at my Jira sprints, transfer what’s needed to my bullet journal list of things to do, (usually planned out on a Sunday, and update every morning). Look at my calendar and make sure I know where I’m at with my time for the day. With my tank full and day planned, I hit the shower, dress and do a 5-minute tidy before I get into actually doing.

My to do’s whiz past in a flurry of frantic activity and total absorption, in stark contrast to my slow and simple morning waking brain ritual. Like most people, it often feels like there is not enough time in the day, I forget to breathe, anxious about something, everything. I experience a range of emotions from calm, creative, joyous to overwhelmed, frustrated, tired and snitchy. But I centre my day on being organised and tidy. It grounds me. Fills me. Brings me to centre.

I love being organised and tidy (although my car is my nemesis). I love that feeling of things being in their place, able to move through my home, business and life with minimal distraction from things I don’t want to be distracted by. Being intentional with my time. Seeing something or an area in order also gives me a little bounce in my step and takes the bonkers out of my day. I love to sort. I find it kind of cathartic, soothing and so rewarding and uplifting once done. This is why I make the effort to do mini tidies, often. Mini jolts that touch my heart, centring me. In a practical sense, ‘the stuff’, if ordered regularly, doesn’t consume my time when I least feel I can deal with it.

My mini tidies are now a ritual that I know makes me feel good, just like my gym village. I created this ‘knowing’, and ritual, through perseverance and noticing. Noticing how I feel differently when I have done these things. This feeling brings about a determination to do them, not motivation (that comes and goes). Determination is longer lasting, stable and easier to find (for me). Even though I don’t really like doing a sort or tidy sometimes, I am determined to do it as I get absolute satisfaction and even joy at times when things are in order.

This has been an absolute journey over many years. Whilst it feels like an affinity to my soul to be organised, to being a professional organiser, it doesn’t mean I haven’t lived the struggle. I bought into the culture of consuming, keeping up with the Jones’s (sorry Jones’s), accumulating things I don’t need, projects that I am going to do, hobbies that I thought I would love and never did, held onto things because someone gave it to me, can’t let go of something because of a memory it holds and bought things I don’t need to make myself feel good. Stuff comes into our life by choice, or by others choice, and it is a constant. It demands regular attention.

I’ll be sharing how I deal with this. The strategies and systems I use, created with clients and I will be sharing with you how I live an intentional life to reduce the overwhelm and create more calm.

Ali