So, who is Pauline Webb?
I trained to become a chef/manager in Birmingham.
Via London, Northampton, and Australia, I chose to live in Nottingham in the 1990s and I have never looked back.
I had been aware for some time that I wanted to do something new but I wasn’t sure what. Following a visit to the States in 2016 where I had read a book on organising, I returned home and did some research.
I discovered APDO – The Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers
I was really excited!
It was the proverbial ‘lightbulb moment’ when I realised that Professional Organising is ‘a thing’ here too!
I attended some initial training with them immediately and knew that I needed to make this a reality!
I love Organising! I love Homemaking!
I’d say I wasn’t always like this, but actually I think I have been really!
When I was young and living at home I would spend ages rearranging my room. I’d move things around regularly to create a new look and when I was still little I used to play house in the garden shed! (Big love to my Dad! He never said a word when I had crept in through the back door to go up to my own bed when I had found it too scary to stay in the shed after dark! )
I think I always liked the idea of leaving home and being independent!
Of course when I did leave home and started working full time, often split shifts, my life became a bit more chaotic sometimes!
You can’t learn passion. It’s either there or it isn’t!
I enable my clients to have less stress and more space both mentally and physically.
I do this by supporting them to declutter and organise their homes.
I am a Professional Organiser.
The tell-tale signs were there
The wardrobe-emptier
Yes, I was that person, the one who would empty a wardrobe of clothes onto the bed (you see, the intent was there) and then get distracted by something else, often a friend at the door, and that’d be it! Next thing I knew I’d be going up to bed after another shift or a glass of wine or two and oops everything would end up on the floor so I could get into bed at ‘silly o clock’ in the morning!
The midnight cleaner
When my ‘now hubby’ moved in with me he was working away for 2 weeks at a time. I’d be the one clearing up at midnight the night before he was due back. I used to tell myself that it was because I wanted him to enjoy coming home to a happy and organised space but I now realise that it’s actually how I want and need things to be for Me.
The personal touch
Now that I work with people to find calm and clarity you will realise that I am not someone who posts picture perfect ‘before and after’ photos on social media because the desired outcomes are so personal to each client.
Some people like to live in an immaculate environment, and that is fine of course, but mostly I believe it’s about enjoying what we have and placing things that we love on display rather than having them hidden at the back of a cupboard.
It’s the practicality of knowing what you have, and where it is when you want it.
It’s about knowing where things go when you clear up and it makes it much easier to keep things clean!
Lived experience
In the last 14 years I have experienced so much more that adds to my story.
I have seen my Mum downsize from our family home which she adored, and many years later, on her own, to a retirement village. I have fairly recently had to clear her home of all her precious things that she kept over a very long life!
I’ve also had to clear the home of Barbara, my birth mother in Australia, who died far too soon in my opinion, all in a very short space of time.
Both situations were so different but have hugely added to my experience in understanding so much about dealing with other people’s stuff’ and especially while grieving.
There’s little I love more than helping people to see potential in what they can achieve once they get going on their decluttering and organising journey!
I’m passionate about encouraging conversations about this!
It’s not only about ‘planning ahead’, it’s about creating spaces that work for us now!