If you have ever wondered what it would be like to declutter with me, here is what my client Nicole, has to say:
I worked with Elisa as we were getting ready to move to a different state. Over the years, looking at the mountains of boxes, old toys, baby and maternity clothing, filled-to-the-brim manila file folders from the 90s, and other items -- in both our basement and attic -- I'd feel in a state of despair and then procrastinate the decluttering project over and over again. When it came time to move, after 19 years in our house and after raising two children, the task felt even more daunting given I was also feeling emotional about leaving the home where so many major and joyous (and sometimes painful and challenging) life moments happened. Our realtor recommended that we work with Elisa.
Luckily, we had about several months notice of our move so we had the time to declutter properly. I called Elisa, and we set up a meeting right away. We also discussed my goals with the project and my family's feelings about our new home and what we expect our life to look like, and feel like, there. On that first day, Elisa and I got right to work. She prompted me to go through items, box by box, to determine if they were to be given away, thrown away, or kept. She developed a system for where things should go, from outdated electronics to old files and my kids' artwork over the years. We also had a place for items that didn't have a match, like shoes or missing puzzle pieces. After working together for three hours on the first day, I already felt like I could see this working and that there would be a light at the end of the tunnel. With Elisa's guidance, I was able to continue going through clutter over the week and doing periodic drop-offs at Goodwill, until we met the next week.
Elisa provided resources on where I could recycle various types of items and where I could shred several decades-old, once important (and pre-digital age) papers. She also took a number of the items for me and recycled or donated them, taking some of the work off my plate. Because we started our work in the basement, I began to worry about tackling the attic and how to handle another source of "stuff." She suggested we move all the items out of the attic and bring it to the basement where we had a good system set up, with stations for going through things; a designated space to put items coming with us to the new house; and clear places for recycling and trash. I hired two of my college-aged son's friends (since my sons live out of state), and they helped move everything from the attic to the basement. I felt such immense relief when the attic was cleared out!
By working with Elisa six times, we did it! The basement was organized. We even did one more "go through" of certain boxes, such as books and toys, to see if anything else could be given away, as my tolerance for what I didn't need changed over the process (i.e., I became much more liberal with what I wanted to get rid of, after seeing how many things we had accumulated over time!). In a non-judgmental way, Elisa would sometimes question something I was keeping or suggest a way to keep a few similar items without keeping everything. I really appreciated her asking these questions and helping keep me on track with our project goal. Elisa also helped me organize boxes that would be going "basement to basement" -- boxes that are clearly labeled and now have a new home in our new house's basement.
Elisa really worked miracles. In addition, she's a kind and caring person and also responsible and responsive. Now that we've moved, I'm continuing to use the lessons I learned from her to de-clutter as we unpack boxes. I'm finding that there are still things I don't need anymore or items that don't really fit in our new house. I am so happy I invested in Elisa's services -- they made an amazing difference to me and my family!
Are you feeling stuck with the clutter in your home? I've created a FREE download of the decluttering system I teach just for you. This will help you declutter in a simple, manageable, and achievable way. Click here to download it today
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