Brenna From One Organized Girl: Making Sense Of Chaos
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Brenna Peyton, owner of One Organized Girl, is a natural-born organizer. She has the uncanny ability to look at a chaotic closet and create peaceful order out of it.
As you read these helpful tips and anecdotes from Brenna, I know you are going to be inspired to help your organization systems make sense too.
Wondering where to begin? Get our FREE guide, The 30-Minute Organizing Secret, and discover easy ways to overcome the chaos of clutter – even with kids at home!
Meet some masterful Organizing Experts
Where do you go when you need some ideas and inspiration? A best friend, your mom, or maybe you browse pretty pictures on Pinterest.
This Organizing Experts series on Clutter Keeper will help you discover more people to follow and fresh places to find inspiration. Some of them own their own professional organizing business and some are online influencers. All of them have relatable stories to share.
Brenna Peyton – One Organized Girl
Meet Brenna. She’s the Owner of One Organized Girl. She is a professional organizer who works directly with people to create systems in their home that stick and work long-term.
Chatting with Brenna is like that first warm spring air. She has a way of putting you at ease and making you actually look forward to cleaning out your closets.
Her optimistic attitude is contagious. As you can see from the answers below, she really enjoys her job!
WHAT IS THE MOST COMMON QUESTION YOU ARE ASKED ABOUT ORGANIZING?
Hmmmm…it’s not so much questions I get asked as problems people have.
Most people struggle with laundry and paperwork! Kids’ toys and probably pantry and bathroom cabinet chaos are close seconds!
After that, what I usually see is just a whole mess of crap just mixed together and no one really knows where the heck anything is!
As far as how I go about solving/answering them – I work from a philosophy I call Zero. Pretty much, we rate your space the way you rate your pain. My blog post about Zero explains it all in detail. And if ya’ still want to learn even more, this article from Rock This explains it and so does the part 2.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE STORAGE HACKS?
Probably lazy susans, over the door shoe organizers with clear pockets, and labeled bins. I LOVE using bins because items stay sorted and, even if there’s complete chaos in the Tupperware bin, for example, at least all of your Tupperware is in one spot! The thing is, you HAVE to label them. An unlabeled bin is just a repository for random crap.
WHAT MADE YOU REALLY ENJOY ORGANIZING IN THE FIRST PLACE?
You know, I’ve always loved it. I was that kid who asked my mom if I could reorganize her Mary Kay inventory and the high schooler who called her friends to organize their closets when she was bored. It just makes sense to me. Plop me down in the middle of chaos and I can make it make sense.
It’s also always been a huge stress reliever for me. I used to teach middle school and during my first year, on a particularly crazy afternoon, a student walked up to me and said “Peyton, you look stressed. Take five minutes and go organize something. You’ll feel better. I’ll watch the class.” It was hysterical.
“I was that kid who asked my mom if I could reorganize her Mary Kay inventory!”
Brenna, One Organized Girl
WHO IS YOUR INSPIRATION?
Wow. This is a tough one just because it’s hard to nail down. And it’s changed as seasons of life have changed.
During the darkest days of our infertility story it was my godmother, who walked that road before me.
Definitely my parents just because they’re the best people I know.
Kid Rock. I know that’s a weird one but he’s truly the reason I even stuck with my business when things were frustrating. (Well, Jesus and Kid Rock.)
My husband and I were at a show in 2011 and I remember seeing him on stage and thinking that I had the same thing in me that he had in him. Not in the same way but just that in the same way he was an amazing showman, I had that fire inside of me for helping people through organization. I cried all the way home from Charlotte, NC and started working with a business coach almost immediately afterward.
A year later, my business had gone from a fear-based hobby business to my full-time job. Also, whenever I doubt myself, listening to him scream “I’m going platinum” always made me believe I could too! (I know, I know. It’s cheesy but it’s true.) Oh, and my reply when people tell me they’re embarrassed to show me their space and are worried about being judged, I reply with “I think Kid Rock is hot” and that usually levels the playing field right out.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO LABEL THINGS?
Okay, I always do “ugly” labels first with painters tape and Sharpie. Then once the project is over, I come back and make super cute labels using awesome fonts and my scrapbooking cutting tools!
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE “MUST-HAVE” STORAGE PRODUCTS?
A lazy susan can change your life, for sure. It not only gives you access to items way easier than if they’re just shoved in a cabinet but also anchors the space so you have a “landing zone” so to speak.
I love these bins from The Container Store and these guys from Target.
WHAT IS THE MOST POPULAR THING YOU ORGANIZE?
I organize pretty much EVERYTHING but lately, kids’ toys have been huge. I think it’s the after Christmas panic!
Has anything funny or memorable happened to you when you were on a job?
Funny stuff happens ALL THE TIME.
One of my clients has this giant black lab that steals EVERYTHING. When she first moved into her house I spent a TON of time under her pool table trying to get her boys’ toys back. When I was there last week I had to keep bribing him with cheese!
I was organizing paperwork at a client’s house once and there was all of this memorabilia for a classic country music star and I sarcastically asked if he was her dad or something. She just kind of grinned and I thought to myself “Oh, she’s making a joke!” and moved on. A few minutes later I found a picture of said star with her kids and the caption read “…with grandchildren”. I looked up at her and said, “HE IS YOUR DAD. OMG MY DAD WATCHES YOUR DAD ON COUNTRY FAMILY REUNION!” Her response was “I’m sorry.” It was hysterical.
Honestly, my clients and I spend a ton of time laughing. It’s great.
WHAT IS ONE PIECE OF ADVICE YOU GIVE TO PEOPLE?
There is always going to be a mess. It’s just going to happen. It’s a part of life. The goal isn’t to avoid the mess. The goal is to have a system in place that allows you to be able to legitimately clean up in twenty minutes.
The Best Articles from One Organized Girl
When she’s not out organizing or sharing tips on social media, you can also find Brenna on the women’s site Rock This. Here are some of her favorite posts.
How To Get Organized For Real
Brenna goes through the thought processes that are holding you back from finally getting organized. She calls her organizing philosophy “Zero.” Go read what she means, it’s a huge light-bulb moment – How To Get Organized For Real.
Figuring Out Your Zero
After you read the first post, read this one next. It takes her zero philosophy a step further. She helps you do some soul-searching so you can identify your zero.
The secret to why you stink at organizing
Have you ever wondered why things are so chaotic in your closet? It isn’t because you need a bigger closet. She looks at how the problem is usually that people don’t pick the right place to start. Read more on her post.
The Secret to Getting Organized: Taking Action
This post follows all the other posts in her series. After you understand her zero philosophy, she takes you step-by-step through how to put this all into action. Read through and put her 6 steps into action.
The Secret to getting organized part 2
She split the previous post into two parts. You’ll need to read this part to really understand how to put her zero plan into action.
Her writing style is friendly. You feel like she’s right next to you, laughing with an iced coffee in hand, cracking jokes and yet sharing some really clever tips. She’s smart and funny and incredibly relatable.
Where to Find brenna
Follow Brenna on social media, where she posts tons of smart tips and things she’s learning along the way.
- Website – OneOrganizedGirl.com
- Instagram – @OneOrganizedBre
- Facebook – One Organized Girl
Struggling to get motivated? Sign up to get our FREE guide, The 30-Minute Organizing Secret, and discover easy ways to overcome the chaos of clutter – even with kids at home!
Influential Home Organization Experts
Did you enjoy getting to know Brenna from One Organized Girl? Here are some more home organizing professionals that shared their tips with us.
