How Being Organized Helped Me through One of the Hardest Times in my Life by Pinky Jackson, Professional Organizer

My Mom died. She died peacefully at the age of 90, surrounded by family and wrapped in a lifetime of love. It was beautiful, calm, and very well managed. And it broke my heart.

Mom often said “if you are feeling blue, do something for someone else.” So, during the weeks before and after her passing, we took turns holding her hand, caring for her and saying our goodbyes. And we organized.

We organized tasks, spaces, schedules, errands, travel, lodging, and meals so that our family - all 55 of us - could be together. We collected and edited thousands of photos, created beautiful tributes, planned the memorial, and sent her belongings to friends, relatives, and her favorite charities.  

It was a great deal of work in a short amount of time, but because we had systems in place we were able to accomplish it without the stress that comes from not being able to find important documents or treasured momentos, or worse yet not being on the same page as other family members.

Being organized meant that we had clarity, space, and time. Mom was clear about her wishes so we were able to organize around that vision. Just as we do with our organizing clients, we had taken time in the previous months to declutter, both physically and emotionally, so there was space (both physical and emotional) for each of us to participate in whatever way we needed to.

With the clutter out of the way we were able to organize ourselves as a family. And an organized family has the time to be, simply be, with one another. And that is the ultimate gift of being organized - it allows us to do and/or be what is most important to each of us. And helps our broken hearts heal.