Final Thoughts
It’s our first full week of Spring, and we say goodbye to the 12th Annual Clever Girl Organizing Challenge! I know that my house is in better shape because of the last 11 weeks, and I hope you can say the same! (If you haven’t already chimed in on the final Facebook Group #Shareit Sunday about your thoughts and your plans, please hop on here and share!)
In the #Week11 #LiveWithKathy, I talked about how the week was about planning for what comes next, and how to think about using the lessons learned, new habits, and motivation to take your great work into the future (including using the Facebook Group, which stays open all year). I hope you take 30 minutes or so to watch it and keep it bookmarked for when you need future inspiration on how to get started and keep going!
Regardless of how far you got this year, how much you accomplished, how engaged you were, I hope you feel that you’re in a better place than when you started 11 weeks ago, and you learned some lessons that will help you in the future. I’m so grateful you were here!
ALL THE WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS
Maybe you missed a week, or maybe you’re looking to do the whole thing over again this summer, or just finally getting started. Whatever your reason, if you want all the weekly assignment emails, you can have them at your fingertips:
- Week 1 – The Food https://www.clevergirlorganizing.com/2025-cgoc-week-1-the-food/
- Week 2 – Kitchen/Dining – How we cook, serve, eat, store, and clean https://www.clevergirlorganizing.com/2025-cgoc-week-2-the-food-how-we-prep-cook-serve-eat-store-clean/
- Week 3 – Bed, Bath, and Beyond https://www.clevergirlorganizing.com/2025-cgoc-week-3-bed-bath-and-beyond/
- Week 4 – Wardrobe Week https://www.clevergirlorganizing.com/2025-cgoc-week-4-wardrobe-week/
- Week 5 – Home Office and Paper https://www.clevergirlorganizing.com/2025-cgoc-week-5-home-office-and-paper/
- Week 6 – Living Spaces https://www.clevergirlorganizing.com/2025-cgoc-week-6-living-and-family-rooms/
- Week 7 – BREAK WEEK
- Week 8 – Hobbies and Leisure Activities https://www.clevergirlorganizing.com/2025-cgoc-week-8-leisure-and-hobbies/
- Week 9 – Memorabilia https://www.clevergirlorganizing.com/2025-cgoc-week-9-memorabilia/
- Week 10 – Smorgasbord / Challengers Choice https://www.clevergirlorganizing.com/2025-cgoc-week-10-challengers-choice/
- Week 11 – Big Spaces – Kick off to Spring Cleaning https://www.clevergirlorganizing.com/2025-cgoc-week-11-big-spaces-and-launching-your-spring/
WHAT COMES NEXT?
I’ve already mentioned last week’s Facebook Live up at the top of the email to watch, if you haven’t already, but here are a few important points:
THE FACEBOOK GROUP
The Facebook Group stays open for the rest of the year. In past years, people have continued to use this FB Group as a way to post about questions, celebrate their wins, share their projects for accountability. While I’m not going to be posting weekly emails, I’ll continue to post in the group through out the year to ask about what people are working on, their goals, interesting resources I come across, #local or #exit opportunities, If I have any speaking events open to the public, etc.
While it’s much slower activity than we’ve had the first 3 months, if you’re looking to declutter your digital life, I won’t be offended if you decide to leave the Group!!
#BANDA FREE HOUR WINNERS:
I‘ll be reaching out to everyone who earned their FREE Virtual Hour with me! If you think you should have but haven’t heard from me by Wednesday, please reach out and we’ll get to the bottom of it!
WANT MORE HELP? SPECIAL OFFER!
For any Challenge member who would like to continue working with me 1:1 Virtually, I’m offering 10% off up to 3 hours of Virtual Organizing with me! (An hour is $90 before the discount). Virtual Organizing allows us to strategize together on some of your #scaryspaces or topics we didn’t tackle in The Challenge that you know needs attention. Reach out if you want to schedule some time!
WHAT IS ON KATHY’S HORIZON?
What’s on the horizon in 2025 for me?
RECONNECTING WITH MY PEEPS:
TOMORROW (woohoo!) I head to the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO)’s Annual Conference in Chicago. Several hundred other organizing and productivity consultants get together for a few days of educational sessions, inspiring keynote speakers, and some great networking and friendship. I’m excited! I’ve been attending every year since I launched my business in 2013 (2020 canceled due to the pandemic and 2021 pivoted to virtual). I come back inspired each time!
In addition to time with my “frolleagues” (friends+colleagues) I’m looking forward to quality time with Cas Aarssen of Clutterbug (we met a few years ago at the conference and have stayed in great touch) and I’m most excited about having lunch with Mike and Kathy Barnes, founders of Parenting Aging Parents (website, resources, and robust Facebook Group) focused on the caregiver generation to their parents.
This is a huge part of the work I’m focused on in the future in my business, too and I discovered them about a year and a half ago and am excited to pick their brain. (You may have seen my post last week about presenting to corporate Employee Resource Groups in lunch-and-learns about how to help navigate when helping parents downsize – this is the first formal offering of mine in this new work ahead). My venture, “I’m the Jam,” (many of us here are the jam in that Sandwich generation) is taking shape and I’m excited to share more later in 2025. I’m passionate about supporting people with guidance and community as they face what comes as that “top piece of bread” just gets heavier.
DON’T FORGET THE OTHER HAT I WEAR
If this is not something you already know about me, I’m ALSO a certified career coach and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). I primarily work with GenX and older Millennials – midcareer professionals across a variety of industries. Some of that work is career exploration, trying to figure out what to do with the next professional chapter. For many, it’s getting their resume in good order or improving their LinkedIn profile and engagement. It might also be help on telling your story more effectively or improving your interview skills. If this sounds like something you or someone you know could use, I offer free consultations, which can be booked here.
KNOW A GROUP THAT WOULD LOVE TO HAVE ME AS A SPEAKER?
I’ve had a few in-person and virtual speaking events already in 2025, and a few more are on the books. If you know a group that would love to hear from me about Organizing, Living with Less, or Time Management/Productivity, let’s talk! I work within a variety of budgets and I’m sure we can make something happen.
PERSONAL STUFF
If you were in The Challenge last year, or you know me in real life, you know that in this e-mail last year I posted about how my year ahead was also going to involve a lot of Election work in City Hall (we had 4 elections here in Melrose last year, and I was working in City Hall for many weeks before each one to get us ready) and about the two big trips my husband and I had planned (our RV trip to Yellowstone/Grand Tetons/Glacier National Parks, and our week in Tuscany with some college friends).
I’m afraid the update this year is way more boring 🙂 I’ve stepped away from the Election work and I think the only trip on our horizon might be a fall re-do of a Disney trip that was supposed to be 5 years ago – tagged onto the front end of my NAPO conference in Orlando, both cancellations of those early days in the pandemic.
Right now, 2025 feels more like a low key year with the exception of visiting some family (in-laws in Tennessee in April is first!)
If you’re not already following me on instagram (@kathyvinessays) you can watch for some photos and updates on the fun part of life there, too!
FINAL THOUGHTS
I’m so very grateful to have had so many people join in this year’s Challenge and make it one of the best experiences for me yet! It still amazes me how this little project I started 12 years ago continues to grow and inspire, and I’m filled with gratitude for those of you who return each year, and for those who bring along friends and family to share in the inspiration!
I am blown away by the achievements people create for themselves, the support that strangers give to each other, and the sense of community and trust that is organically built. I’m truly blessed to bring content I love to a group of people who appreciate it and rise to the occasion!
I’m in the business of changing lives for the better, and I’m filled with gratitude that you invited me into yours this year.
Happy Organizing!
Kathy (aka Clever Girl)
