Calm, practical help to help you feel more organised...
I’m Mel Carruthers, owner of More Organised, and I’ve been helping people declutter, organise and make their homes easier to live in for more than twelve years.
My approach is practical, friendly and completely judgement-free. I’m not interested in creating picture-perfect homes or persuading you to get rid of everything you own. Instead, I’ll help you make confident decisions, bring order to what feels overwhelming and create simple systems that work for real life.
How I can help you
I work with clients on projects of all sizes, including:
- Decluttering and organising rooms, cupboards and whole homes
- Photo organising, memory-keeping and family archives
- Paperwork and household administration
- Downsizing, home moves & sensitive home clearances
- Homes that have become difficult or overwhelming to manage
Some clients simply need an extra pair of hands. Others are facing years of accumulated belongings, a major life change or a project they don’t know how to begin. Wherever you’re starting from, we work at a pace that feels manageable.
Experience you can trust
Before starting More Organised, I worked in museums and legal services management, including as a museum curator. That experience gave me strong organisational and project-management skills, alongside an understanding of how to handle important belongings, family history and sensitive situations with care.
I’m also a Certified Photo Manager, specialising in bringing order to both digital and printed photo collections. I particularly enjoy working with photographs, documents, family archives and treasured possessions - whether that means organising thousands of digital photos or making sense of boxes that span several generations.
More Organised is a team
Although I’m the owner of More Organised, I don’t work alone. We’re now a small, trusted team of professional organisers, carefully selected and trained to provide the same friendly, confidential and supportive approach. That also means we can bring in additional help when a larger project needs more than one pair of hands.
We work with clients across Dumfries & Galloway and surrounding areas, with online support also available further afield.
Not sure where to start?
You don’t need to have everything worked out before you contact me.
Whether it’s one room, years of paperwork, a house move, a photo collection or a whole home that feels overwhelming, we can start with a conversation and work out what would make the biggest difference.
If you’re looking for someone practical, experienced and kind, who will work with you and coach you, then we'll probably get along really well!
Specialisms
Business/work productivity
I help individuals and small businesses organise the information, administration and processes behind their work.
Drawing on a background in senior management, project management and more than twelve years running More Organised, I can help streamline paperwork, digital filing, email, workflows and recurring administrative tasks.
I’m particularly good at untangling systems that have become complicated or inefficient and finding a straightforward way forward - creating practical ways of working that suit the person or business rather than imposing a particular productivity method.
Digital/computer organisation
I help clients bring order to the increasingly complicated digital side of everyday life - including files, folders, email, photos, cloud storage and online accounts.
My experience includes working with platforms such as OneDrive, iCloud and Google Photos, creating practical filing and backup systems, and helping clients understand how their digital information is stored and managed. I also support clients with online safety, recognising scams and suspicious messages, safer account and password habits, and building confidence with technology.
The focus is always on making the digital world easier to understand, navigate and manage safely.
Photo Organising
I have been a Certified Photo Manager since 2020, and my background as a former museum curator, together with a Master’s degree in Heritage Management, gives me specialist expertise in collections care, organisation and preservation.
I work with both digital and printed collections, from boxes of family photographs to tens of thousands of images spread across phones, computers and cloud storage. I help with sorting, deduplication, metadata, backup, digital archiving and creating photo libraries, albums and photo books - preserving family stories so they can be enjoyed now and passed on in the future.
Personal/family productivity
I help clients manage the practical demands of everyday life, from household paperwork, appointments and calendars to finances, correspondence and the endless list of things that need to be remembered or followed up.
I also provide ongoing administrative support for clients who need it, particularly older people who can feel left behind as more of everyday life moves online. This can include help with online accounts and services, forms, appointments, correspondence and household administration.
My role is often part organiser, part problem-solver and part trusted extra pair of hands - helping clients stay on top of the practical details of life and retain their independence and confidence.
My wife and I could quite simply not have managed to move house without your help. Much aided by your good ideas for disposing of items and storing what remained. Service above and beyond springs to mind!
Mel was fabulous - I really enjoyed her company and she helped me organise years of paperwork that I'd been holding on to. I would highly recommend and I would book her services again.
Mel identified my tech issues and explained how to overcome them. She had many tricks up her sleeve and was so patient. She's a lovely person who is truly passionate about keeping our memories safe!