Karen Lewis, Chief Listener

My compulsion for organization started when I was a youngster. I’d regularly take all the canned goods out of our kitchen cabinets, line them up, alphabetize them and replace them.  I vividly remember the feeling of accomplishment and tidiness I’d feel when the job was done.  

With a master’s degree in education, my first career was teaching reading and social studies to 5th and 6th graders.  In addition to teaching, following up on 60 students before the computer era was a daunting task that required almost full-time administration for tests, record-keeping and parent conferences.  Without being highly organized, all of this would have been totally impossible.

Life went on.  I got married, had 2 kids and always worked full time and traveled extensively.   Being organized with my family was not an option...it was a necessity!  Because of this, I always figured out systems for laundry, toys, grocery shopping, etc. to help life flow smoother.... and because life always changes, new systems had to be created regularly. 

One of our family’s moves was to Dallas, Texas.  This was where I really honed my organizational skills.  Our home was right down the road from the original Container Store.  To me, this was paradise!  What a delight to walk the aisles of that store and always find a better way to organize STUFF.  When we moved to Boston 20 years ago, every subsequent trip to Dallas included a journey to the Container Store.  Imagine my delight when the Container Store opened in the Boston area only a few years ago.

 In Dallas, I started a new career in office furniture and spaceplanning.  My job was to design and assist companies in purchasing just the right furniture for each employee to work most effectively.  Over the past 30 years, I have continuously developed and refined these job skills.

In my 39 years of marriage, my husband and I have moved 19 times in the US, Europe and the Caribbean. Packing, unpacking and figuring out just the right way to organize yet another kitchen, became second nature to me.  My latest move was to downsize my home from 3000 sq ft to 1200 sq ft.  I only took the things I really needed and after living there now for 6 months I realize, LESS REALLY IS MORE!  My mind is clearer, my goals are more focused and I feel more content with only my treasured STUFF in sight.

That is my goal for my clients…to help them focus on their life goals by working with them to declutter and organize their physical environment.  Whether it is just one room or a whole house, a 1000-mile journey begins with but a single step!

STUFF…make sense of your possessions!  I am ready.  Are you?  Let’s do it!