Hey my lovely! - I'm Chrissy & it's so nice to meet you (albeit in a virtual way!)

I'd love to take a few minutes to introduce myself properly, so grab a drink of your choice and a comfy chair, and let's get started....

Home Life...

I'm a wife, mum to a gorgeous young lady who is growing up WAY too fast(!), and I run this blog as a full time business from home.

As with us all, there's always loads to juggle each and every day, but over the years I've set up our home life so that it works really well for our ever changing needs.

Things aren't always easy, life can of course get messy - and it's been known to throw us more than our fair share of curve balls over the years. BUT at all times our home has really helped us to feel like we can cope with whatever's thrown our way.

How?

I really and truly believe that your home is key to a more enjoyable life. Not because of the 'stuff' in it, or where it is, or how big it is...

No.

For the sense of peace that comes from having your home set up to work for you really well.

Using my A.D.O.R.E Method (you'll hear a LOT about this on this site), we figured out what we truly needed and wanted from the space, decluttered the unnecessary, organised (and styled!) the rest, and set up systems and routines that support us each and every day.

Yes, of COURSE life changes all the time.

Yes, there's always loads going on.

... and Yes, things aren't perfect by any means (is perfect even possible?)

BUT having things sorted as much as we can has always made things SO.MUCH.SIMPLER.

It's truly made a huge impact on our life - and sharing how we've done it is one of the reasons that this site was started.

But there are other reasons as well...

My Background

I started my career in the corporate world working for IBM (after getting a 1st Class Maths Degree from Cardiff University (I'm a bit of a geek...)).

During this time I worked in loads of locations, did all the shift patterns you could imagine (nights were weirdly quite good!), led various teams, and had several different roles. 

I learned a LOT, met my now Husband, and made some great friends, but ultimately it wasn't the right fit for me to be happy....

I unfortunately started to suffer panic attacks and ended up being signed off work for a few months due to crippling anxiety.

I barely slept, had zero motivation for anything, and it took all my energy some days just to get to the toilet and back to bed..

It wasn't the right fit for me - and things had to change.

It took time, but little by little I began to get better. I took small steps each day to get back to living again. It was a tough lesson that made me re-think what I wanted from life.

In fact, it was probably the best thing to ever happen to me - looking back...

Over this time I decided to alter the course of my path, and pursue a real love of mine instead - and that was the love of houses.

You see, my home was my safe place.

The place I could relax.

I realised that the reason it worked so well for me was that I'd created spaces that truly reflected my personality, and supported my lifestyle.

Working this out was key to getting the most out of life (inside AND outside the house), and I wanted to help others achieve the same results.

I stayed in IT for a couple more years (needing to leave on a positive note rather than through being ill).

Over these years I re-trained in my spare time, and then in 2005 I took the leap and started my own Interior Design and Home Organising business.

Between 2005 and 2018 I helped countless clients to change their homes so that they worked better for them, and I loved it!

By 2010 I realised that the same issues were springing up time and again, and that my client base was of course very local to me. I wanted to reach more people, and be able to create somewhere that answered the questions my clients were all asking, along with other tips and inspiration - so I decided to set up Organise My House.

I've totally fallen in love with making this site a helpful resource for people, and it became my full time business in 2018.

I seriously can't believe that I get to do this for a living!

It's the perfect mix of my IT, organising and home styling background, AND it helps me to create a positive from my work anxiety because I can truly empathise with people who are feeling overwhelmed or anxious about any aspect of their home life.

Ultimately - I know I can help you love your home by creating systems and solutions that help you live more easily in it every day - and what could be better than that?

It really is a win-win (plus I get to try out lots of coffee shops while working lol).

For The Love Of Lists

I can't resist a good list - I'm organised through and through! - so here are 15 random facts to get to know me a little better right now (things you may find out if we shared a coffee together and were chatting away...): -

#1 - I turned 40 in 2017 and LOVE being a 40-something - I was born to be this age...

#2 - I live in the UK, near Manchester (hence why Organise is spelt with an S not a Z!).

#3 - I am mum to a fantastic teenage girl. Would have loved more kids but weren't lucky enough to have them - however, I am beyond thankful that we were able to have her.

#4 - My hubby is my best friend - he's been my rock since I met him in 2000 and I wouldn't be half as happy without him in my life.

#5 - My guilty pleasure is karaoke and dancing with my daughter - it's a great way to de-stress (and when she was learning to read it was an amazing way to make reading fun!

#6 - Baking is one of my favourite things to do - it chills me out - although I don't do it as much as I'd like.... (note to self: make time!)

#7 - I try and do some sort of exercise every day - this has always helped relax me and keep my head clear - my current favourites are weights, running and swimming.

#8 - I've now finished 6 Ultra Marathons. 2 were a 24hr lap of Windermere (47 miles and 2500m climb - hubby and myself did it both clockwise and anticlockwise), then myself and my best mate did a 100km race over 20hrs, a 35 mile distance over 10 hours, a 45 mile race over 13 hours, and a 80km race in 20hrs. Most recently my daughter and I completed a 40 miler over 2 days which was epic (think: stinging nettles and thorns shoulder high for miles to get through!). Yes, I'm slightly crazy. It's amazing though what we can do if we just put one foot in front of the other and keep going...  

#9 - I've learnt to surf, ski and snowboard over the years - although now I would have trouble with all of them (!) - paddle boarding is next on the list (tried it in France a while back and loved it).

#10 - I'm a night owl - I do my best work late at night (in fact I'm writing this at midnight!). My mornings are NOT my best time lol

#11 - I love to visit cities, watch films & musicals, eat out, and stay in

#12 - I'm a total introvert.

#13 - I decided to quit sugar way back in May 2015 - and weirdly didn't miss it at all for about 4 years! - it gave me a chance to be creative with recipes and baking which is always good! (and although now I do have some, I've definitely broken the habit!)

#14 - I'm a world record holder - well - part of a group at least! - You can read all about it here (and the top picture is me all wrapped up as a mummy - you'll understand when you read about it!)

#15 - I love lists ;o)

So, now you know me a little (warts and all!), I'd love to get to know you too - after all, it's not a conversation if it's only one way....

If you'd like to share anything with me about why you want to get more organised, what's led you to read this blog, or just to say "hi" - then please feel free to drop me a line.

(Other places to find me are Facebook, Pinterest, Flipboard and Instagram - I add lots of extras on these, and each one is different - so I'd love it if you joined me on whichever is your favoured one!)

And if you're ready to get started - why not take the free quiz to find out how organised you are right now (so you know exactly where to focus your efforts to get more organised), grab a few free printables, or just take a look around at the (now nearly 600!) articles I've written over the years.

There are also some brilliant resources in the shop that you can grab. They make life MUCH easier, and include my best selling Home File, the Christmas Planner, and the deep dive decluttering course 'The Declutter Equation'. I hope whatever you pick helps you lots!

Awards And Features...

As the owner of Organise My House I've been lucky enough to get a few awards over the years, feature in some amazing publications, and speak at online events.

If you'd like to work with me, then just click here for contact info and we can chat!