About

Not too many years ago, I lived in a home crammed from floor to ceiling with clothes I couldn’t wear, toys my son had outgrown, kitchen items all over the counters because there was no space left in the cabinets and drawers, cleaning products that hadn’t been used in so long that they were concentrated, and an impressive library of exercise tapes/DVDs (all of which I watched from the couch while eating potato chips).

I did not want to live this way. I did not want others to see me live this way. This was not me. I was embarrassed, ashamed and depressed at the condition of my home. What had happened? How did I get here? How did I let things go so terribly wrong?

Then, there was a ray of hope. We would be moving. This was my chance to address the old and welcome the new. But wait! We were moving! There was no time to address the old, much less a place to stage it, then what would I do if my relatives and friends saw their gifts in my donate pile? More guilt. I can’t make these decisions now. I’ll just wait until I’m in the new home. More procrastination.

Moving day came. I had recently inured myself physically to the point that I was of little use on moving day. So, my friends and family put forth great effort to move all that unwanted stuff into my new home. More shame. If only I had taken care of all that stuff myself. If only I had gone ahead and made all those decisions. Those dear people who did all that moving for me, their work would have been literally cut in half.

So, I resolved to honor their hard work by committing to having a garage sale, “as soon as I could” go through my new home, one room at a time, and keep only those things that my family loved and used. I promptly ordered the largest temporary storage unit available, to stage items until my garage sale, and it was delivered to my front yard, “for only a month or two.”

One month went by, then two, … then five months. All those months, I was paying for this giant box that was sitting in my front yard, just waiting on me to put something in it. More financial pain.

After five months, I finally scheduled a garage sale and promoted its date, to force myself to make decisions on those hundreds and hundreds of items, that were no longer relevant in my current life. “As soon as I could” just hadn’t been soon enough.

Some of those decisions were easy. I could look at the 10-year-old, once trendy clothing, and I knew it would never be in style again, even IF I did lose the weight to fit into it. (But, I spent good money on it. More financial pain.) Other decisions were much more difficult… like gifts that I never liked, or never used, or never wore. But, I didn’t want to hurt the giver, who had invested time and money picking that item out, just for me or a family member.

Then, I had an “Aha!” moment. I realized, if I kept everything that I had ever bought, or that had ever been given to me, what home would ever be able to hold it all? And, would I really want to live there? The comedian, Steven Wright, said it best, “You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?”

So, through some tears and some laughter, I said goodbye to the items that were no longer relevant to my current life stage. And, you know what? I didn’t faint. I didn’t bleed. I didn’t die.

You know what I did do? I woke up the day after the garage sale, opened the door to my once overstuffed closet, and felt… such intense relief! I completely underestimated how much that old, full closet of 80% unusable clothes, had been mocking me! “You’ll never get back into this size.” “Oooohhh, remember when you were so big, you were in this size? Better keep that for when you get back up to that weight. You know you’ll be back there eventually.”

I had similar revelations that morning in my kitchen, in my son’s room, in my laundry room, and on and on. What a tremendous weight had been lifted off of me. Relief. Peace. Laughter.

Thank you, Lord!

Have you ever wanted to be free of your disorganization? What would life be like for you without your guilt, embarrassment, shame, and depressed feelings? Have these feelings been your companion for so long that you can’t even imagine life without them? Are your delayed decisions about your stuff mocking you every time you look at your things? Do you even remember who you were before these feelings crushed you on all sides?

I am here to tell you, personally, THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU. If I found freedom from my disorganization, so can you. I would be honored, if you would trust me, to work with you, to show you, your way, to your freedom.

It’s now my mission to help busy families, who struggle with disorganization (chronic or situational), take their next step to get and stay organized, so they can live in the freedom and peace God has planned for them.

Are you ready to take your next step? Contact me to schedule your first organizing appointment on my calendar.

I have always liked organizing other people’s things. And, since my real-world, personal experience with decluttering, I have obtained some “book smarts” also. Take a look at some of my Professional Affiliations & Certifications.

I am a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, the Institute for Challenging Disorganization, and Faithful Organizers.

NAPO-member-white stacked

Regarding professional organizer certifications:

  1. I am working toward my Certified Professional Organizer (CPO) designation.
  2. I have received my Chronic Disorganization Specialist Certificate from the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD).
  3. Though not yet awarded, I have passed the ICD exams for specialist certificates in Basic Hoarding Issues with the CD Client and in Basic ADD Issues with the CD Client.
  4. Also not yet awarded, I have completed coursework toward Level I ICD certificates of study in the following areas: Client Administration, Understanding the Needs of the Aging CD ClientLearning Styles and Modalities, Life Transitions, Basic Mental Health Conditions and Challenges of the CD Client, Basic Physical Conditions Affecting the CD Client, and Understanding the Needs of the Student CD Client.
  5. I have taken courses from ICD on Time Management and Productivity.

So, what are you waiting for? Check out my blog, other pages on this website, my social media profiles, etc. And, when you’re ready, contact me to schedule your first organizing appointment. You’ll be glad you did.

Organized By Tina
912.657.9605
135 Burton Road
Savannah, GA 31405
TinaBonifacio@comcast.net
www.OrganizedByTina.com


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