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Member:

Volunteer positions include:

  • Event Coordinator, BNI Connect2Success Chapter, October 2018-May 2019

  • Mentor Coordinator, BNI Connect2Success Chapter, October 2017-September 2018

  • Co-editor of the NAPO-SFBA Chapter newsletter, Sept 2016-June 2018

  • Coordinator for the SFBA East Bay Neighborhood Meetings, Sept 2013-Sept 2014

About Tana

In 2019 I worked with a busy mom who was overwhelmed with transitioning her daughter’s old bedroom to a home office/art room.  After talking about the space, I concluded that she needed to get rid of the bunk bed.  As soon as she did, it opened up the room and created the momentum for her to keep going on her own.

Whether it’s a physical block like a room full of stuff or a mental block such as complete overwhelm, most clients start out feeling stuck. What I’ve learned in 10+ years is that listening to my clients and staying focused on their goals is what matters. They also don’t realize how tiring the process of decluttering and organizing can be and oftentimes think they should be able to do it all by themselves. Either by showing them how to start the process or help them declutter and create systems, clients see how organizing can be satisfying.

After a long history of working in offices, coordinating programs and providing customer support, it was time to stop sitting in front of a computer and start searching for my next path. In 2011 I discovered professional organizing. Wow, I could do that! Being a little cautious, I kept my part-time job and looked for organizing work on the side. In 2013 I realized that I needed to go for it. I quit my job and became a full-time professional organizer.  It has been wonderful to see how right this path is. I enjoy using my superpower to help people release their clutter and make their spaces more manageable and have fun in the process.

One aspect of decluttering that I am passionate about is finding a new home for things that are in good or better shape OR recycling items as much as possible. For example, I use Zero Waste boxes for disposable masks, bathroom waste, contact lenses waste, plastic bottle caps (Ridwell now takes them!), CDs/DVDs, old pens and more. It’s my goal when working with my clients to keep as much out of landfill as possible. See my Resources page for more information.

In 2023 I added collectibles advising to my repertoire. It is a natural extension of my selling/donating my stuff for the past 10+ years. Thanks to The Keys Guild, I now have the knowledge base (or can get the info) to value a wide range of items. I help my clients decide if an item has value and then move the unwanted items along by either selling or donating them. Keeping stuff out of landfill is the end objective and the client usually earns some money as a bonus. Win-win!

  • This is from 2002!

  • As of 2024 I’ve been a member of NAPO and working as a professional organizer for more than 12 years! It still gives me great pleasure to organize for my clients and be part of their lives. I still don’t like bugs or pairing navy and black socks.

  • The Keys Guild

    In 2021 I heard about collectibles advising. Intrigued and looking for a possible next path, I joined. I have learned so much about costume jewelry, coins, reselling and more. Plus, I have met some great people along the way.

  • From May 2017-19 I was part of the BNI Connect2Success group. What did I learn in 2 years? I met weekly, worked on my public speaking skills and now speak confidently about my business. I also improved my skills in referring professional to clients and other professionals. Two thumbs up!

Newsletter Summaries

  • Earth Day is coming on April 22nd! Check out recycling everything with Zero Waste boxes.

    Life hacks from Kevin Kelly: When you’re beginning a writing project, give yourself permission to write badly. You can’t fix it until it’s down on paper.

    Low on kitchen counter space? Pull out a drawer and put your cutting board on top of it.

    “Do I Need This?” by Kate Schermerhorn, who lives in the Bay Area. A documentary on excess stuff and aging parents.

    New TC Organizes services – collectible advising: using me to research items if they have value and then selling/donating them. Also, consulting prior and during a remodel to make sure all your items have a place to live after the remodel.

  • Best session: Navigating Widowhood by Julie Martella. Acknowledge the past. Make peace with the present.

    Accepting the present only means that you acknowledge that the event happened. You don’t have to feel good about it.

    If you can do the above, then you can see the future to create a life that has purpose and meaning. Help the person/yourself by visualizing what the future looks like. Use the phrase “What if…” For example, “What if you could do anything you wanted?”

    Zero-waste session: Other words for recycling are “rehoming”, “reloving”, “giving it another life”, “sharing it forward”.

  • Ask the organizer: “Is your home always perfect and orderly?” Nope. I am a paper pile person, so every month or so, I have to go through and sort them – mostly they go in the recycle bin.

    ‘Designer Shares the Art of Displaying Collections’ by Marni Jameson. My favorite columnist talks with John Phifer Marrs about how to display your collections.

    I joined The Keys Guild to learn how to become a collectibles advisor. Keep you posted on how that is going in future newsletters.

    ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life by Judith Kohlberg & Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D. A client recommended this book. Check it out!

    A tip from my dog: to get more petting time keep nose booping their hands and arms while they are playing on their cell phones.

  • Why is Mr. Clean Magic Eraser so magical?? Here’s the scoop.

    Cure Closet Chaos by Marni Jameson article. A few tips are to remove everything, sort & keep what you like, make sure the layout fits what you have, and get all the same hangers.

    A colleague’s take on how time management and organization are intertwined. Harold Taylor says, “Time management and organization work in tandem since disorganization wastes time. The major difference between organizing and time management from my perspective is that, in general, organizing deals mainly with things, and time management deals with activities that have a time dimension. Both are important, and sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the two. I see organization as our passport to productivity, and time management as the vehicle that takes us there. Because it is impossible to manage your time effectively without first getting organized.”

  • 5 way to help the Earth

    Terracycle recycles just about every thing! I highly encourage you to create your recycle zone

    Disapproving corgis Facebook page for amusing comments about Corgi side-eye and attitude!

  • Short excerpt from June 2020 edition of O Magazine titled ‘How to Fear Less & Live More.’ The article explains that when we’re frightened we tend to distract ourselves with outward diversions rather than getting still and going inward as a more powerful tool to calm the mind. Using the five senses to notice our surroundings can help us stay present and handle ‘just this moment.’

    Before disaster strikes, make sure you have these documents ready to go!

    Dresser drawers crowded? Apply Marie Kondo’s t-shirt folding method to see each one and fit more than you can imagine.

  • COVID-19 websites: CDC and WHO. Stats in California.

    Since many donation places are closed during shelter in place, what else can you do with your unwanted goods? You can sell or give them away on NextDoor, Facebook Marketplace and Letgo. FreeCycle and TrashNothing are great places to give away stuff too. These are all local sites, so it’s easy to have the item picked up.

    Here is a recent article from Regina Lark, an organizer who specializes in helping people with chronic disorganization. Definitely worth a read if you tend to lose your keys and are frequently late – The Chronic-ness of Disorganization

  • Ways to take care of yourself while sheltering-in-place from Kaiser Permanente: Improve your mood with exercise – 8 fitness tricks

    Practice self-care with the help of apps and activities – resources for your mind and body

    Talk to loved ones about how you’re feeling – mental health care

    Arts and crafts: sew a face mask, learn to knit, decorate something with washi tape, paint rocks and leave them around the neighborhood

    Whatever you are doing – balancing your child/children’s needs with working from home, tackling a space that drives you crazy, reading a book that has been on your list forever, or baking bread, embrace the process and let yourself appreciate this time in your life. The important thing to remember is that this too shall pass.

  • Get Organized specials are here! See my website for more info.

    Organizing story: Here is an article written by a mom-to-be of twins who wrote how an organizer helped before & after her move and how well the systems work now that the babies are born. I like how she got sock folding out of reading Marie Kondo’s book (mine was t-shirt folding) and “kaleidoscope of happiness”!

  • From the book “Why I’m Still Married” come a few gems: “How to get over a fight? …We’re going to stay together, and more important than one of us being right is both of us feeling understood. And you can only apologize for what you did, not for the other person being upset.” Julia Alvarez, Third Time Around.

    “Love is not two people looking at each other, but looking in the same direction.” Saint-Exupery quote from Liza Ireland, Preserved in Salt.

    Are your eyes changing as you age? Yes, they are! A few tips from the American Lighting Association website says to add more light sources in your task areas and to reduce glare by using dimmers, fabric shades or etched glass.

    Advice from Mark Brunetz on how to let go of sentimental items that ran in Marni Jameson’s column – if you think “I might need that someday.” “Living your life for “one day” robs you of today,” says Brunetz. “We need to live in the present. When we project life into the past or the future, we eclipse the experience of the moment.”

  • Our remodel has been keeping me busy. However, I’m never too busy to watch a video related to organizing! Check out Pete the Cat’s video

    How to protect yourself from fraud/being hacked: use 2-step verification, use multiple forms of login in case you lose access via email, use a secure password saver (like Last Pass) and not the cloud, cover your camera on devices with a post-it or opaque tape.

  • “WTF I Actually Learned From Hiring A Professional Organizer”. It is funny and informative for people who want to know how an organizer can help them. It’s from Cosmopolitan and you might not be surprised that there is swearing in it.

    Recently I had a client ask me how long they should keep their business records. Here’s the link for that information from the IRS website. It’s also posted on my website Resources page along with individual paper keeping info.

    “…organize as much as you need to…and no more.” Another great article from Hazel Thornton, an organizer in New Mexico. I enjoy her down-to-earth sensibility about organizing. Here is the full article. Enjoy!

  • The world is abuzz about Marie Kondo and her show! Check out a summary here from The Atlantic Monthly. Also articles about tidying up from 1916 and why books don’t need to spark joy to keep.

    Here’s a gem from Hazel Thornton, an organizer in NM, on how to emotionally detach from an item. Ask yourself: This item belongs in my past. It exists in my present as well, because I still have it… but does it belong in my future? Read more about it here.

    “Want to Change an Important Habit?” I’ve started following author Gretchen Rubin, who published The Happiness Project in 2015. Take the Four Tendencies quiz here!

  • Reflections of 2018 and advice for decluttering and changing behaviors.

    Create “The Out-Box” for items that you are considering getting rid of. Clean off a counter/surface while waiting for hot water to boil.

    Don’t yell at your child when they are making you late; correct them at a quieter moment. Ask them what they need to remember 15 minutes before departure.

    Great kitchen organizing tools

  • Defining “sandwich generation” and how to deal with extra stuff, how to repurpose special items into heirlooms, and decluttering yourself first to motivate family members.

    Need help with disposing of unneeded items? Check out my Resources handout.

    Languishing computer? Reformat the hard drive and then drop it off at the electronic waste recycling center!