Photos: Jes Lahay
Debut author Michele Vig creates effective life and space solutions.
Founder and chief organizer of The Neat Little Nest and author of The Holistic Guide to Decluttering, Michele Vig is committed to creating and developing decluttering and organizational strategies for your home, time and mind.
“We help people create systems so that they can live their lives more simplified,” Vig says.
Certified in the KonMari Method, a Japanese decluttering expert of Marie Kondo’s system for organizing spaces, Vig guides clients through effective methods of decluttering. Doing more than organizing, she works to uncover what is challenging them in their day-to-day lives.
“My goal is to help [clients] get the ultimate thing that they are looking for which is peace in their soul and happiness,” Vig says.
Prior to COVID-19 people were always on-the-go which caused a cluster in their physical spaces. With work and school switching to virtual alternatives, more time at home has fostered a new distractions and disorganization that leads to increased stress.
“There are times in our lives when we feel stuck and I think it is because we don’t realize that we have over-burdened ourselves with so much stuff and we just need to purge,” Rolling Green resident and Neat Little Nest client Brenda Barr says. “Anyone that does that feels a sense of freedom and movement in your home more than ever before.”
Drawn to Neat Little Nest for its attention to detail, enthusiasm toward the work and effective solutions, Barr says, “[Vig] does simple things that make it extraordinary.”
From first glance, Vig says Barr’s living space wasn’t necessarily cluttered. Rather, it had overcrowded storage spaces like closets, cabinets and drawers. Uncovering treasured pieces, unnecessary items and duplicates, Vig and Barr worked to simplify and “zone” items according to function in the space.
“Why have something if you can’t find it,” Barr says. “What I really want to have and keep, I know where it is, and it makes life incredibly more simple.”
Beginning in her basement, Barr sought additional assistance with her coat closet, garage, whole cabin on Bay Lake, her kitchen and her wardrobe closet as well.
Recognizing that untidiness in a space is the result of unproductive thoughts and mismanagement of personal calendars, The Holistic Guide to Decluttering examines three core elements—physical, time and mental clutter—and how they are intricately linked to one another. Providing step-by-step tips and tricks to tackling your own space, the book also features reflective exercises and interactive worksheets that help you envision your desired life.
“I really hope [readers] gain a bigger sense of peace and know that they can live their lives with intention,” Vig says.
The Holistic Guide to Decluttering is available at Target, Amazon, Books a Million, Barnes and Noble, Booktopia, !ndigo and IndieBound.
