This week on Sunbound Asks we sat down with Kathy Vines, Certified Professional Organizer and owner of Clever Girl Organizing, based in Melrose, Massachusetts and serving the Greater Boston and North Shore Massachusetts area. We had a great time welcoming Kathy to the blog, covering a wide range of topics from how she first discovered professional organizing, to why she likes working decluttering and editing. To learn more about Kathy and Clever Girl Organizing, check out her website here or read our interview below.

Q: How long have you been a professional organizer?

A: I’m coming up on my 10-year anniversary this spring! I launched in May 2013.

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Q: How’d you get into professional organizing?

A: I discovered Professional Organizing while watching Peter Walsh on TLC’s Clean Sweep back in 2002-2003. I was amazed to realize that was a career someone could have, and I knew I would be great at it! I was in my career as a Human Resources executive, and thought, “Oh, maybe someday…” Ten years later, I found myself laid off from my HR job, and I thought, “If not now, when?”  And that was that!

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Q: What’s your favorite type of project to work on?

A: I tell people that professional organizing covers two activities: Decluttering/Editing and Storing/Systems Creation. I am great at both, but I really love helping people on their editing journey. I yearn to help people understand what they own and why they own it, against the backdrop for their goals in life.

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Q: What’s your favorite memory as a professional organizer?

A: So often, there is that magical moment in an organizing session where someone announces, “OH! I have been looking all over for this!” or “So that’s where that went!!” I always make sure we celebrate those moments, because that’s why I’m there – to help them get a handle on their space!

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Q: What professional organizing practice do you use most in your own life?

A: Everything has a home!

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Q: What’s your favorite new professional organizing trend?

A: As people explore more and more the “Buy Nothing” and “Everything is Free” kind of groups on Facebook, I am seeing a great shift towards people understanding that they don’t need to own something permanently; they can ask to borrow it when they need it. The trend of community-sourcing assets, including lending libraries, is changing how and why people own things.

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Q: What’s one thing you wish more people knew about professional organizing?

A: We do not actually care if you get rid of your stuff. We are here to help you meet your goals, not what our vision of what your life should be. We are not judging you

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Q: If you weren’t a professional organizer, what else would you be doing?

A: I actually have another business that I love! I am a career coach and a resume writer. I also am a speaker and an author.

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Q: What professional organizing resources would you suggest for our readers?

A: My favorite resource is my book! I am the author of Clever Girl’s Guide to Living with Less: Break Free from Your Stuff Even When Your Head and Your Heart Get in the Way. It explores the psychological and emotional barriers people face when letting things go, like “I might need it someday” or “I paid good money for this” or “But I’d feel guilty because it was a gift”. 

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