Mind Over Clutter. Nicola Lewis
What had I done?
I stayed for nearly two years and gave it my best shot. I kept trying to persuade myself that there was a place for me there and that’s why I’d come back, but I guess I hadn’t figured out what I really was good at and where my real talents lay. And that’s the way it stayed until one blessed day when my whole team was called into the office – senior management and HR (human resources) at one end and the rest of us at the other – and it was announced that in December 2016 we would all be made redundant as our jobs were going overseas to India. And that was it! Strangely, I felt quite calm. It was almost a relief and I remember thinking to myself: this is God’s plan; this is your time, Nicola, to really do something for you. You need to be happy and this is your opportunity to earn money doing what you love. I’d always told my children that we should only do what makes us happy and had never listened to my own advice, but now the time had come.
I felt liberated walking out of Canary Wharf that day and into the future. I was so excited to be leaving – finally, to have the opportunity to do something new and totally different. And although I hadn’t a clue what that ‘something’ was, I knew that working in the City wasn’t my scene and I needed a change. In my 20s it had all been about ambition, achievement and keeping up appearances, but it wasn’t a healthy way to live. Now I had a family and I needed a better work/life balance. It’s not always about the money and how we perceive worldly and material success. The time had arrived for me to be happy about my own life and to find out who I really was. I truly believe it was written in the stars. And since then, I’ve never looked back.
Taking Control
It took a while for me to find my niche, to work out what I was going to do and how to go about it. I kept asking myself: ‘What am I good at? What do I enjoy doing?’ My husband suggested that as I loved organising things so much, why didn’t I Google what’s out there? I wanted to find something I really loved, and I knew I’d found it when I stumbled across an American website called The Home Edit, set up by two women who got paid to go out and help people organise their homes. Eureka! For years, whenever I used to pop round to friends, they would ask for advice on what they could do to improve their homes and, before I knew it, I was decluttering and organising them to create a better and happier living space. I loved doing it, but hadn’t realised that it could be a real job.
When that day eventually dawned, it was a game changer. Now I knew this was something I could do well, in my own style – and make people happy. I knew that to take control of my life I needed to set up my own business and be my own boss. I wanted to create something that could help busy people who haven’t the time or inclination to declutter by themselves, and so I set up my own website, blog and Instagram account on social media to motivate and inspire others, featuring real-life examples and case histories, complete with ‘before-and-after’ photos and practical advice and tips.
This Girl Can Organise was founded in April 2017 because I believed in myself, my skill set and my passion for organising and decluttering. It has grown and flourished and now, for the first time in my life, I feel in control. I love my work, running my business and helping other people to feel happier about their lives. And I have more time to devote to my own family and home too – I don’t have to feel guilty any more. After all these years, I can finally feel good about myself and be myself. Every morning I wake up thinking: I can do this; and, what’s more, I can have fun doing it.
Before I knew it, I was decluttering and organising to create a better and happier living space.
My Passions
Organising is my big passion. Even when I was a little girl, I loved to arrange things. I guess I inherited my recycling and ‘make-do’ skills from my nan, Lottie, and my organising and life skills from my mum and dad, Valerie and Terry.
My nan was a huge part of my life. Flamboyant, bubbly, generous and kind, she donated and recycled tirelessly in her local community. She understood the needs and hardships of raising a family and was always thinking of others less fortunate than herself. Growing up, I would look up to her with such admiration. She showed me life’s ‘how-to-dos’ with smiles and laughter. Her catch phrases were ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’ and ‘make do and mend’. A stay-at-home mother, she raised six children on a tight budget and always kept an eye out for a bargain when she was shopping in the local markets. She was a great multi-tasker and just thinking about her still makes me smile. Not a day goes by without me missing her.
My mother, so caring and thoughtful, is the queen of organising, and I’ve learned so much from her. She loves to upcycle and donate, and this has made a huge impact on me and how I live my own life. While I was writing this book, I asked my parents whether I was always this organised and they both said, ‘Yes, if it was on your terms!’ They never had to tell me twice to clear up my room, as I always liked it to be neat and tidy. I’d play with my post office set or Barbie dolls and would always put them away inside their boxes because that was where they belonged. I guess it was all down to respect for my environment and being in my happy place.
I grew up in a tidy home, which was filled with love, and every Sunday from the age of 10 my sister and I helped our parents with household chores. We would clean or tidy our bedrooms, get out our school clothes and lay the table for dinner. My dad always took us to the park or swimming every Sunday morning so my mum could get her chores done and cook the dinner in peace – I only understand now as a mother how amazing that must have felt. Ha, ha! Both our parents worked while we were growing up, but they were always there for us. We had a routine for work, school and after-school activities and we all supported each other.
Although we didn’t have masses of toys like children do today, and there certainly wasn’t a special designated playroom, my sister and I were encouraged to be creative and to play anywhere. I loved reading books and writing in diaries, playing outside for hours on end and dancing and acting at my local stage school. I wasn’t brought up with lots of material possessions, just what made me happy, and maybe this is where my passion for decluttering comes from. I believe that most of us have too much stuff; less really is more.
I’m also passionate about sustainability and the environment and I want my children to grow up in a better world where we preserve our natural resources, reduce the impact of global warming and enjoy cleaner air and water. Climate change is the biggest issue of our time, and while you might think that individually you can’t make a difference, even tiny changes in your lifestyle can help.
Most of us have too much stuff; less really is more.
Living in a kinder, more thoughtful way is a good place to start and I try to do this in my own life. As a family, we’ve taken practical steps in our home to be more eco-friendly and to live our lives more sustainably. I buy smart and use environmentally friendly cleaning products that don’t contain harsh chemicals, or I make my own with natural ingredients, such as essential oils, lemons, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar (see Chapter 3). I also recycle as much as possible, wage war on plastic and upcycle lots of common household items to give them a new, useful life (see Chapter 4).
My Mission
Since starting my business, I’ve discovered my mission and my joy. I’d like to do some good in the world and for my career to have a sense of purpose, and I feel fortunate that I’ve met and helped so many lovely people whose lives have been transformed for the better by organising and decluttering their homes.
My blog and Instagram feed are full of helpful tips on how you can declutter, tidy, organise, recycle, upcycle, eco-clean and donate, and for a long time I’ve wanted to write it all down in a ‘go-to’ way that will help, inform and encourage people. And here it is. Packed with useful information and tips to motivate you and help you think more positively, this book will inspire you to get rid of all the clutter in your life and make it much simpler and happier.
You really can achieve anything you put your mind to. If I can do it, so can you.
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