Conversations With Cathy Orr
Today we’d like to introduce you to Cathy Orr
Hi Cathy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been interested in home organizing in one form or another my entire life. I was on organizing bandwagon long before “spark joy” or any of the current trends in organizing were a “thing”. In fact, my background in anthropology was probably my lead-up to organizing. Cultural anthropology focuses a lot on classifying things/people/behaviors into categories. My mind just thinks like this.
I became a Marie Kondo consultant in September 2019, and since that time have risen from the “green” level to Certified Master. A certified Master is the culmination of client hours equal to 1500+hours of organizing. In fact, I have many more than the 1500 required for this certification. I have been organizing, in one form or another, for the past twenty years
I look at home organizing and. What Marie Kondo calls “tidying” as a way to make sense of your. Life. Life is chaotic, and keeping things straight makes all the difference in the world. That means instead of your things looking like hodgepodge, your life flows. You know why you own what you have and why you have it. The rest is just clutter and a distraction. Of course, there are always those few things that you just need to keep, but they are secondary to surrounding yourself with only the things that make you happy. I believe that a person’s environment should reflect who they are now rather than who they used to be or hope to be someday. This actually brings our clients a lot of happiness and peace.
There are 22 Marie Kondo home organizing consultants in the state of Texas. Of those, there are seven who are in the local DFW area. Of those, I am one of two Certified Masters who works locally in the DFW area. I work with my daughter, who has been the recipient of years of organization training by me. To say that efficiency and productivity run through our family is an understatement.
In addition, I hold two master’s degrees, one in Medical Anthropology and another in Health Policy and Law, from UC San Francisco. I have worked in the healthcare field, directly with Medicare and State agencies, and as a Patient Advocate. I am, for that reason, considered a medical paperwork expert.
I can help seniors who are downsizing or with medical bill organization. In other words, I know what medical information/bills to keep, discard, pay and what is not their responsibility. I have also volunteered both for the State of California and Texas for HICAP, which is the free Health Information, Counseling, and Advocacy Program of Medicare. I’m trained in Medicare policy from the legal/medical perspective at UCSF and am able to guide seniors in figuring out medical paperwork messes. This is especially helpful for adult children of seniors who may need direction when closing out an estate or assisting an aging or ill parent. I understand the medical nuances of healthcare billing.
A businesswoman at heart, in 2019, I launched The Uncluttered Life, Inc., and organization company with my daughter. We taught people the Marie Kondo organization technique, organized homes, and built our business in California. In 2021 we moved the business to Texas when we decided, after the pandemic, to be closer to family.
After seeing a shift during the pandemic, with my daughter, we recently launched a line of prompt cards, including one called Declutter Deck®. Declutter Deck prompt cards are sold individually on The Uncluttered Life, Inc. website (www.theunclutteredlife.com). These easy-to-perform card prompts (52 in each deck) help people get and stay organized after we organize and leave their space. Or individuals can tackle the job themselves without our help in short, 30-minute blocks of time. After working through the 52-card deck, their home is completely organized.
We also have a sister site, Hack Decks™ (www.lifehackdecks.com). On our Hack Decks™ site, we offer a number of similar prompt card decks that help with life hacks to simplify life’s transitional times, Whether it’s having a baby or going off to college, these prompt decks provide inspiration for keeping life as simple as possible during challenging times.
There is a theme that runs through everything we do. Simplify life. Lessen what makes you feel overwhelmed and fatigued. These decks, and our home organization service, provide more time to do the things you love. Too much “stuff” holds you down. We try to ease the pain points you may be feeling by maximizing your time without doing any extra work. It’s just that simple. And, as a bonus, all of it helps improve mental health.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
For sure, the pandemic was a struggle. We had gone from working in people’s homes to being unable to do that. For this reason, we developed an online organization product or virtual organization. With our online product, we can work virtually with clients to help them get their lives in order. We typically work with a client once a week, provide incentives to keep them moving, organization assignments, and help them pick out organization products. Then, virtually, we help them organize their homes and put everything away.
Because of the pandemic, we also thought that it would be important for people to be able to do things on their own. For this reason, we developed prompt decks. In particular, Declutter Deck® was good for people during the pandemic. That’s because people realized that their homes were simultaneously their living and workspace. The lines became blurred, and a lot of people had trouble relaxing at home. They always felt “on” and overwhelmed. Since the pandemic social distancing has eased, we find that a lot of people are still working from home. This virtual organizing option is great for those who have limited time and/or a limited budget. We try to make everything we do affordable, and this is particularly so.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am going to speak about my daughter in this section since I believe that she helps us distinguish our services from others. My daughter is an art major from UC Berkeley who comes with tremendous design experience. For that reason, we are not only able to organize a space; we are also able to make it beautiful. In other words, when we leave, the client has the “look” that so many people want. We can style an area (for example, a closet) to make it look like it’s right out of a showroom. This is a particular talent that she has. In tandem, we work particularly well together. I come with more of the organization background, and she comes with that design eye. The two meld beautifully.
For me, I was in the healthcare field for years, and I love paperwork. When we go into a person’s home, paperwork is a tough go for many. The saying goes that a single piece of paper takes up very little room. But, because people are so afraid to throw things away, they keep everything. And then, paperwork becomes monumental. Piles upon piles.
I am able to sort through that type of thing – the mounds of dreaded paperwork. I’ve done that for many people, and they are just so relieved once I leave. In fact, I’ve gone through boxes and boxes of paperwork, some of which requires a very keen eye. I am able to make sense of it all. And I also enjoy the process.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Marie Kondo and the KonMari organization deserve credit. They brought those of us who have always loved organizing into the mainstream. And they have given us a platform to help others.
In addition, Marie Kondo recently partnered with a company that helps make the most of a client’s wardrobe using AI. We will be participating in this unique concept that has the look and feel of shopping at Nordstrom, for example, using your own clothing. The concept will appear in Vogue and launch during New York Fashion Week. We are thrilled to help bring this to people in the DFW area.
I also love Karen Kingston, who was one of the pioneers in the field of organization and energy. Her book, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui, is a huge inspiration to me.
I credit my yoga teacher for showing me Kingston’s book years ago and helping me understand energy flow. Energy gets stuck when you don’t discard and move things. I understand this on a very deep level.
I also thank my clients who have allowed us into their homes. It’s scary for people to go through their things. We absolutely understand that. And we appreciate that they are willing to take the risk to let us help.
And we also thank Denee from Inspired Closets DFW, who has allowed us to partner with her and her designers to organize closets after their installations on qualifying purchases
Especially, I credit my daughter for her hard work, insight, and vision. She is a true talent.