Be Organised with Pauline

06/10/2026

A quick and interesting read.
As a PO I am totally all for donating, recycling, repurposing… you name it… anything other than sending something to landfill.
And very often that’s my own stuff and the belongings of a client for whom I offer to take to a charity shop on their behalf.

In my ‘working agreement’ I specifically say that it’s what I can manage myself, physically in and out of the car, one load per session and what I know that they will accept so that I’m not driving around with it in my car for a week or more!

During National Organising Week, which I didn’t post as much as I’d have liked (because I’m rubbish at planning posts… you may have noticed…. But was actually super busy.. ) I jumped on a zoom call with some other APDO members from our sustainability interest group.
The theme was overconsumption.
One topic that came up was about how much charity shops get given that they just can’t sell.
It made me think long and hard actually and I have already changed my approach and shared the reason with a client.

Whatever we donate has to be good enough to put a price tag on.

I’d welcome any feed back on this.

I have bought, and sold a lot of my own things on Vinted recently and very little new. 🌺

https://onenightstanzas.substack.com/p/vinted-isnt-killing-charity-shops?fbclid=IwdGRjcAUw4a9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAWZkaWQWUPtnW1eGtuiYYLdpBQiku-B3kGANJXNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzE3Mzg0NzY0MjY3MDM3MAABHjYjB5q3LK-wn6KMV_Wz6oxiRSLgBnmifL32ffkZ4opaQDeYfPqrjgqptF-1_aem_vYg61cHAOP2dh6ZwvSXWzg&utm_id=97757_v0_s00_e0_tv2_a1demoo4b35dkb

The problem is much, much bigger.

29/09/2026

Drawer of doom getting out of control? 🫣

The Great Cable Challenge is coming up, and it’s the perfect opportunity to clear out your old cables - and help the planet, too!

Every cable stashed away contains precious materials like copper that can be used again and again.

So next time you see that pile of unused cables, think what Hypnocat would want you to do 🐱🌀

📍 Click the link in our bio to find your nearest drop-off point!

25/09/2026

Ah yes…. I see this often!
There is a full guide to what your cables are on this site… I’ll share the link in comments! 🙂🌺

21/09/2026

An interesting read for me this morning finding this Guardian article.
I can honestly say that I haven’t had many clients (since working as a Professional Organiser) who have actually booked me to support them in clearing a family home.
I have however had to do it myself, twice.
I more often work with people who want to do their ‘legacy clearing’ or what is often now known as Swedish Death Cleaning.

My Mum released the burden on me and my brother by doing her legacy clearing for what turned out to be many years before she died.
She downsized from the house that she and my Dad had downsized into. She had lived alone there for many years after he died and miraculously cleared his belongings almost single handed!
This was a move on her own and I was still working a day job, son at school and hubby working away so unable to support her as much as I’d have liked due to a 114 mile round trip.
She never at 87 expected to be in this new apartment for long but ended up there for 8 years.
Clearing it after she had died was hard of course, but she had continued to live a ‘paired down’ life. She had labelled everything that was left for me to find that had any great meaning to her.
I thanked her often in my head, and out loud!

This life planning is one of the kindest things anyone can do for their loved ones. It does however make you realise that everything that’s left is precious in some way!

One reason why engaging a Professional Organiser is helpful is that we are totally impartial.
I actively encourage anyone I’m working with to be very open and honest with their families and friends about what they are doing, and ask people to tell them if there are things that they would like.
We are somewhat blessed with WhatsApp these days and can send photos quickly and easily.
I have the expertise and the patience that some family members might not, so there are no arguments and I am hearing all the stories for the first time and not the umpteenth!

While as much stuff has come to a point that people don’t want it, we are living in a world where there is love of repurposing.
I hope this is a little inspirational!

Let me know your thoughts 🙂🌺



https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2026/sep/20/i-feel-like-im-cancelling-out-her-life-the-wrenching-work-of-clearing-out-a-parents-home?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcAUd3DFwZG9mAWZkaWQWUO0QExFI2PQkuxmjWk76ciuBF09LRmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzE3Mzg0NzY0MjY3MDM3MAABHuuXBy-7sAUnJe2cGVC4mr2R9Z2f7RrP-ptBTxNP1Vh7i1ZHO650pQj9uv08_aem_0z8QFLZGYkb2pvG0o1njSw =1789887801

From old love letters to pieces of string, our homes are stuffed with stuff. When it comes time to empty a parent’s home, sorting the junk from the memory can be overwhelming

14/09/2026

When a friend is in Bruges, sees hibiscus and thinks of me. 🙂😊
Love it. ❤️

My business logo is a hibiscus and is a symbol of love for Barbara, my birth mother who I met when I was 19 and welcomed me to Australia for the first time in 1982 with a freshly picked hibiscus 🌺.
It’s also recognition of our last time there in 2010, when I helped organise her home.
Some of the story is on my website… do have a look if you haven’t.
Is there something that reminds you of someone you have loved and lost?

10/09/2026

I just did my first darning! Room for improvement I think, but I saved a favourite sarong from a bigger hole!
I’ve definitely realised that it’ll pay to catch the hole before it gets too big! But I’m quite chuffed with myself!
Do you mend things?🤔🌺

09/09/2026

Zero Waste Week doesn’t need to be Keep Everything Week! 🙂🌺

♻️ #

08/09/2026

Those pesky ribbons on your clothes that your friend tucks in when they hang out in public! 🤔

Yes! Another tip for Zero Waste Week …
Bear with me on this one….

Most of us have birthday cards and other greetings cards that we hold onto for a while because it seems like a shame to just throw them out.
Well I make gift tags from them and wait for it…. I use those coloured ribbons that I always cut out of my clothes as soon as I wear them!
I also save other things like raffia and strings!

Some of the really special cards are used as drawer liners 🙂🌺

Share your tips in comments for Zero Waste Week!

07/09/2026

This week is Zero Waste Week.
The other week we did a roast chicken in the oven and had some lovely meat and paprika juices left which we froze.
I made some pastry and created a really scrumptious chicken pie the following week served with homegrown beans and squash from a friend’s allotment.
We waste next to nothing food wise at home.
What do you make sure you don’t waste? 🙂🌺

30/08/2026

Sharewear. Tackling Clothing Poverty.
I always encourage my clients to donate clothing and bed linen to them after a good decluttering session. In fact I very often do it for them!

Would it help you to make a difference in your home if you had someone by your side and who would take away your donations?
🙂🌺

Clothing poverty isn’t just about lacking clothes — it’s about impossible choices.

When rent, food, transport, and heating swallow a person's income, clothing becomes the thing that has to fall off the list. It’s a hidden consequence of rising living costs, and it means going without warm coats, school uniforms, or items that fit.

The impact is huge: confidence, safety, participation, and wellbeing are all affected when people simply can’t afford the basics they need to get through the day.