People Who Tidy: Elena (Part One)

I am excited to introduce my new blog series, People Who Tidy, born from a deep curiosity about human experiences and a genuine love of hearing people's stories.

While the home organizing industry often depends on "before and after" photos, I have taken a different approach in my practice. I no longer share photos of my clients' homes; instead, I focus on the sessions themselves and the internal shifts that happen during them. After we finish working together, I sit down with my clients to record a conversation about their reflections — capturing the mindset changes and wins that a camera simply cannot.

I couldn’t think of a better way to start this series than with my client, Elena. Together, we completed a full Tidying Festival— a process that follows the KonMari Method® for organizing every item she owns. Over two months, we had 22 sessions and spent 93 hours working side by side. Elena initially found me through a post she initially thought was a scam, and I’m thankful she took a chance anyway. She’s in what she calls her "rebuild era," using the KonMari Method along with therapy to break generational cycles and regain her footing.

Because I work with clients who trust me with their most personal spaces, privacy is essential. Elena’s name and specific identifying details have been changed to protect her confidentiality, but the words and honesty of her story remain entirely her own.

There was so much depth to our conversation, so I’ve decided to share my client’s story in two parts. Today, we focus on the "why" — the headspace that led her to reach out and the emotional hurdles of the process.

Q | I want to go back to the very beginning. What was your headspace like when you first contacted me?

It was just before the holidays, right before Christmas. The stress of the holidays in general is a lot. But recently being fired and going through the stages of having a young child, marriage, holding a home, and just the nitty-gritty of life, it was a pretty bad headspace. I wasn't very happy with a lot of things going on in my life and felt stressed. I felt I had to do something, or I was just going to keep crashing and burning.

Q | You’ve mentioned wanting to hire an organizer for a long time. What was the hurdle before we met?

About six months prior, I had someone come in for a quote. I was working at the time, and I couldn't figure out how to take the PTO or manage my family’s schedule to make it work. My husband would say, "I could just help," but when I asked him for guidance, he would just say, "Get rid of it." That wasn't helpful. I talked to my friends, and they would say, "I'll be there for you," but nobody was helping in the way I actually needed. I needed someone to provide the coaching and a starting point to prevent the clutter from happening again.

Q | In your initial message to me, you said you wanted to reclaim your safe space because you were in a rebuild era. Are there other things you wanted out of this experience?

I really want long-term results — to break the habit. I know previous generations in my family have struggled with the 'what ifs' and saving things 'just because.' I’m feeling guilt from society in general, so I wanted to. I feel like I'm kind of a cycle breaker. I’m trying to do that not only with my home but through therapy and working on myself.

I want to be able to help myself and help future generations so they don't grow up in the same environment I did. I have a very strong belief that I do not want my kids to have the life I had as a child. I want to be able to not have holes in the floor, have bare drywall or bare outside walls, or spiders and bugs. I want to be able to go places and do things with them and have the life that I didn't get to have.

Now that I’m seeing my son get older and recognize things, I realize: 'Oh shoot, he’s going to know.' I don't want him to know that life. I want my own peace in my home. I want to be able to host and feel comfortable doing it, and pass better habits down to my son.

It took a while to get to the point where I admitted I didn't like it anymore. I'd been living with this stuff for a long time, but eventually, I just didn't feel comfortable. I felt embarrassed. I would want to host Christmas, but I’d have to clear out my entire dining room and shove it into one of the bedrooms. Then my bedroom would be so full of stuff. Now what do I do? I don’t want to do that cycle anymore.

“I feel like I’m a cycle breaker. I have a very strong belief that I do not want my kids to grow up in the same environment I did.”

Q | Which category was the most surprisingly easy for you, and which was the hardest — clothing, books, papers, komono (miscellaneous), or sentimental?

I knew the books were going to be easy. But I didn't expect the paper to be very easy. I think I worked myself up and I was telling you, "I have so much paper!" and you're like, "Wait, is this it?" Once I actually went through it, I realized half of this crap I don't even need. It’s from 2013!

But sentimental, I expected it to be hard. I didn't expect to feel exhausted. Physically exhausted. After five hours on any of the other days, I was charged up and could still continue working. After the first day, I just sat on the couch for the rest of the night, and I didn’t want to do anything. And the next day, another session, it was the same thing.

I had no idea it would physically affect me the way it did. I knew it was going to be emotional to face the past and make decisions of, “Is this really something that I need to carry on? Or am I ready to let it go?” So it goes without saying that it's hard, but I didn't expect to literally feel exhausted in my body.

In Part Two, we discuss the one thing that changed how she views herself, Elena’s advice for people overwhelmed by their belongings, and her feelings after completing a tidying festival. I look forward to sharing the rest of her story with you on April 1st.