Liberator Lyndsie Bahre is something of a renaissance woman. With experience working in human development, nutrition, sales, customer service and in-home daycare, she’s done it all. One skill has helped her succeed in all these varied areas: her passion for organizing. Today, she’s sharing this talent with others so they can take control of their possessions and live the life they deserve.
Q: When did you first notice you had a knack for organizing?
A: From a very early age, I noticed that my room didn’t quite look like rooms of other girls my age, nor that of my older sister. My room was simple, methodical and always orderly. Instead of having 20 Barbies line my bedroom floor, I insisted of only keeping five well-kept Barbies. Instead of spending my weekly allowances on toys or clothes like that of my sister, I spent mine on bins, baskets and storage containers. You could say that organizing is a gift for me, but more than that, it is my purpose and my gift to the world.
Q: How did your passion for organizing evolve?
A: I was always very good about keeping up with my own belongings and maybe a few encouraging words to my parents every now and then, but it wasn’t until a sleepover with a friend that it really hit me that organizing should be a profession.
While most sleepovers included painting nails and staying up talking about boys, I was the friend who insisted we go through un-closable drawers of t-shirts. Once that one drawer of t-shirts was done and closable again, we moved to the next drawer. Then we moved onto her closet of shoes, dresses, backpacks, etc. I remember very clearly waking up the next morning, ready to leave, and walking past five large black trash bags full of donatables and closing a door to a room where drawers could close, a clearing of space underneath the bed and a closet where everything could hang!
Q: Today you’re a busy mom. What is the hardest part about keeping your own home organized?
A: The most challenging part about organizing my own home would be the donations. My family and I are so great at filling up trash bags full of donatable items, but I am not the best at always getting those bags in my car and taking them to a donation center. I am guilty [of sometimes leaving] those bags in my garage for weeks until I muster up the energy to get them to their new home.
That is why I LOVE that Major Organizers takes ALL donations with them at the end of the day!
Q: Does your family play an active role in staying organized?
A: Absolutely! My family is involved, as they should be! Organizing benefits everyone in the home, and it is so empowering for my family when we can do it together.
Our main organizing approach in our home is known as our “15 Minute Tidy.” Every evening after dinner, we set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes. During this time, the whole family works together to put the house back together, from dishes, to laundry, to hanging backpacks or coats back where they belong. Now 15 minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but when there are four people working in unison, you would be amazed at how fast you can tidy your home.
Q: What is your favorite organizing product to keep things straight?
A: elfa® from The Container Store®. It can be used anywhere, for anything and by everyone!
Q: You have lots of great organizing tips. Which is your favorite one?
A: Be 100% responsible.
There are some things in life we just cannot control. We can’t control the seasons nor the weather, but we absolutely have the control over ourselves and the quality of life we want to live. Many of us have been conditioned to place blame on someone or something outside of ourselves, but once we step into full, 100% responsibility, that is when our lives begin to change.
Q: What is the most rewarding part about being a Liberator?
A: The most rewarding part about being a Liberator would be the shift I get to see with my clients when they meet me. It is always hard and intimidating, even fearful, to let an outsider in your unorganized space. It can be a very vulnerable situation for the client, but as a Liberator I am here to help and serve, assist and encourage, and to coach and inspire. It is very fulfilling to me to see a client go from feeling susceptible to feeling confidence in me and my abilities to get their space in order and organized.
Q: What would you tell a client nervous about hiring a professional organizer for the first time?
A: Being organized is a skill and one that some people just have not learned yet. There is nothing to be nervous or embarrassed about when hiring a professional organizer. No one is nervous or embarrassed taking their car in to get an oil change, or when you go to your tax preparer to prepare your taxes, or when you go to the salon to get your hair cut. The reason we hire outside services to do these things for us is because we simply don’t know how to do them, and if we did, we would do them ourselves. The same goes for hiring a professional organizer!