10 Nov 2018

Interview with a Professional Organiser: Marie Bateson

The penultimate interview in our series with APDO organisers

This National Organising Week, APDO is showcasing seven of our members – one each day throughout the week – to give a real insight into the life of a professional organiser, and their challenges, successes and motivations. Today’s interview, our penultimate in this week's series, is with Marie Bateson of Cut The Clutter in Preston. Marie tells us about her love of organising, and how she has turned it into a business.

Marie Bateson of Cut The Clutter

What does being organised mean to you? What does being organised look like?

A great question as it made me consider it deeply. The first part, what does organised look like, is obviously different to different people. In a home it could be something as simple as a wall chart showing appointments or, at the other extreme, completely neat and tidy rooms. Some would say tidiness is not a prerequisite of being organised and I agree with this to a point. Having an organised mind, which is not visible, is closer to my idea of what organised means. If your life, schedules, work and time are in a mess, then nothing is manageable. So to me, being organised starts with, and continues to cover, all areas of our day-to-day living.

What is your favourite thing or area to organise?

My favourite area to organise is the kitchen. I enjoy any space and even paperwork, but I feel clients get a lot from re-organised kitchens.  Things are often spread around instead of being kept together, such as baking ingredients, herbs and spices, and the positioning of working areas often needs a rethink. For example, kettles may be at the opposite end of the kitchen to cups. Everyone keeps stuff in their kitchen cupboards that they will never use and once it’s re-organised clients are visibly delighted.

NOW interview Marie Bateson decluttered organised kitchen

I worked with a lady earlier in the year who is a “buyerâ€