Doesn’t a well-organised wardrobe, kitchen or desk feel like heaven, especially when you can find anything you need in less than a few minutes? If you are one of those who sighed with ‘if only!’, meet clutter-buster Rohini Rajagopalan, a professional organiser. Founder of Organise with Ease, she along with her team of trained professionals are helping people create order where it's lacking and is often conducting workshops to help people understand the process and the tricks of the trade. Ahead of her workshop today, we had a quick chat with Rohini to understand what she does better and if she has a tip for our readers. Excerpts from conversation:
Q: Tell us about Organise With Ease? When did you start this declutter service? How has the response been so far?
Organise With Ease is a pioneer in space management. We help with decluttering and organising of all kinds of spaces be it wardrobes, kitchen or offices. We simplify the space and make it more efficient to use.
We started almost two years ago. The first year was challenging since the awareness was low and we often had to explain to people what exactly we do. Over a period of time, thanks to social media and Marie Kondo’s Netflix show, there are people actively seeking out help to organise their spaces. Over the last two years, we have worked on over 100 spaces.
Q. But, why do we need professionals to declutter our homes?
Clutter overwhelms most people. You usually decide to clean up and are exhausted by the end of one or two shelves. Professional organisers are faster and more effective with the process.
Q. What's one mistake people commit while decluttering their space themselves?
I think the biggest mistake people make are the way they declutter. Most people while decluttering remove what we don't want. The objective always has to be the other way round - keep what we love. There is a huge difference when decluttering is done from a point of view of creating a space we love than discarding what we don’t like.
Q. What role does organising or decluttering a space play in our mental/emotional psyche/wellbeing?
Numerous studies have pointed out how cleaner spaces affect us. An organised space reduces anxiety, builds efficiency and most importantly saves time and money while keeping one calm.
Q: What were you doing before you started this service? And, how did you navigate towards this profession?
Earlier, I was working in marketing roles for international brands. During a break from work, I stumbled upon some books written by professional organisers and that was the beginning of my journey
Q. Lastly, please share with us some tips to declutter spaces in our homes.
A tip that's super simple but tough to implement but the biggest game-changer is - keep only the things that we love and are using. If you have not used it in the last six months, chances that you will in future are rare. The exception would be only seasons clothes or items.
Rohini Rajagopalan is organising a workshop at Ikigai Worli.
When: March 7, 11am to 1pm
Fee: Rs 2000