9 Fun Facts About Me

1. I have always loved lists. Can you tell?

I find it natural to write lists, and I also love when people write in lists - makes it easy to read and digest the content. I hope that by reading this particular list, you'll get to know me better. :)

2. I'm a type 9 on the Enneagram personality type system.

I'm really into personality typing systems, because it helps me know myself better, and be able to work with my personal strengths and weaknesses to intentionally grow. The type 9 is mostly known as "The Peacemaker", and is an adaptable, empathic, and accepting character. We tend to "go with the flow" in order to avoid conflict, at all costs. Further, I am what's known as a "Social 9 Subtype" which refers to my tendency to pay most attention to what the group needs in order to forget about myself. Watch my interview with Enneagram Coach Samantha Mackay about Creativity and the Enneagram. We chat about how I use creativity in working with clients and marketing in my professional organizing business.

To learn more about yourself, I recommend checking out the teachings of Beatrice Chestnut and Uranio Paes (cpenneagram.com, Enneagram 2.0 Podcast and their book Enneagram Guide to Waking Up). 

3. I'm an ISFJ on Myers Briggs Type Indicator (another personality thing).

This one I'm not much of an expert in, but I do know that I like to know a lot of facts/details, enjoy helping people, am more introverted than extroverted, and enjoy keeping the family and work team running smoothly, again trying to minimize conflict. It also explains some of those perfectionistic and pleasing tendendies.

4. I'm a Cricket in the Clutterbug quiz (a Micro organizer that likes things hidden out of sight).

I encourage you to find out what "Bug" you are, that reveals your personal style of organizing. It might just be the thing you need to determine why your family has a difficult time getting and staying organized. Once I learned my style, and that of my family members, I was able to adapt what I was doing to ensure that our things were able to be stored how we all need them to be for our particular brains - and be able to find them more easily. Take the Clutterbug Quiz, created by Cas of Clutterbug. I'm also designated as a Certified Organizational Specialist, as I was trained in this method of organizing for the way it fits the needs of the particular client.

5. I'm a "Questioner" on the Four Tendencies

One of my favorite authors, Gretchen Rubin, has created a personality framework that tells us how we interact with both inner and outer expectations. As a questioner, I question all expectations of me, and then only oblige if it has reasoning that makes sense (I need justification for why I must do it). For example, I think January 1st is an arbitrary date so I don't do just new years resolutions, I make resolutions all other times of the year, when I feel like I need it. Take the quiz here.

6. I have appeared on podcasts several times

Listen in to these 3 episodes of Organize 365 podcast: Transformation with Holly P to hear my personal organization journey (recorded Dec 2019).  I have an updated episode where I discuss more of how learning organizing skills helped me in the professional setting (at my day job): Transformation with Holly P Part 2. I also have a cameo in Embrace Breakthroughs Part 1, halfway through, I let you know how I struggle with Perfectionism, I feel it's the one thing that keeps holding me back.

In 2022, I was happy to join Kimberly Eclipse on the Enneagram 9 Show to share about my organizing as self-care philosophy/tips, my perfectionist and procrastination tendencies, and a bit about  how I see myself in enneagram/astrology terms, all within this packed podcast interview. 

In 2023, I joined Grace Rehman  on her podcast Organize with Grace, to share about the Sunday Basket and organizing as self-care. We go into the fact that we were not naturally organized and had to learn these skills in adulthood. It was so nice to chat with someone who GETS us! :)

Note: In all the podcasts I reference being a certified organizer teaching the method of the "Sunday Basket" by Organize 365. I am no longer a certified organizer and do not have license to teach their products. 

7. I was not born-organized or natural at this.

Take it from me - Organization is definitely a "learnable skill". My room, as a child, was always a disaster, with different stuff all over the floor and stuffed in closets.  I absolutely hated dishes. I remember the first day my mom required me to do laundry - I was in my teens - and I had to ask how to handle the soap and where to put the dials, etc. However, if you knew me in school, or at the workplace in my early 20s, you wouldn't ever know my home life was so unorganized. I could keep it together for outward appearances.

8. I learned to be organized from various mentors.

Lisa Woodruff, Gretchen Rubin, Cas Aarssen from Clutterbug, Kathryn from Do It On A Dime, Dana from A Slob Comes Clean, even Flylady - you name it, I have pretty much subscribed to it all, in the quest to get my life under control. Oh yeah, and Marie Kondo, Bullet Journal, Happy Planner, etc. helped too!

9. I love my family - that comes naturally to me - but I'm learning to love myself too.

It's easy for me to support and encourage others, especially those closest to me. I usually don't include myself in the group that needs support, love and encouragement. I need help to stay accountable for that. My daily practices lately include: washing and moisturizing my face, having alone time (even if only 5 minutes), journaling, yoga/stretching, and letting myself off the hook from being productive all the time. We all need breaks and we all need time to reflect, think and feel.