Narrator: Imagine the feeling of walking into your home and being met with a quiet, constant hum of stress. It’s the pile of mail on the counter, the wardrobe that won’t quite close, the drawer of mismatched containers that spills open every time. For one client of a life coach, this feeling was embodied by a single, overflowing sock basket. Every morning, it served as a nagging reminder of a task undone, making her feel like a failure before the day had even begun. This small, seemingly insignificant area of clutter had become a powerful symbol of being overwhelmed. What if the key to quieting that mental noise and reclaiming a sense of control wasn't found in a grand gesture, but in the simple, methodical act of clearing your space?

In her book, This Girl Can Organise: Declutter Your Life and Feel Great, author Nicola Lewis argues precisely that. She presents a compelling case that a tidy home is the foundation for a tidy mind, offering a practical and heartfelt guide to transforming not just our living spaces, but our entire sense of wellbeing.

Narrator: Before founding 'This Girl Can Organise', Nicola Lewis was living a life familiar to many: a high-pressure corporate job in a London investment bank. The role was prestigious and well-paid, but it left her feeling robotic and unfulfilled, a cog in a machine that didn't align with her values. The turning point came unexpectedly in December 2016. The entire team was called into a meeting where management announced that their jobs were being moved overseas; they were all being made redundant. While her colleagues felt shock and uncertainty, Lewis experienced a profound sense of calm and relief.

This redundancy wasn't a crisis but a sign—an opportunity to finally listen to the advice she had always given her own children: to only do what makes you happy. Searching for a new path, she stumbled upon the American organizing duo 'The Home Edit' and had a revelation. Her lifelong passion for tidiness and order, a value instilled in her by her resourceful grandmother Lottie, could be more than a hobby; it could be a profession. In April 2017, she founded 'This Girl Can Organise', not just as a business, but as a mission to help others find the same peace and control she had discovered. Her journey underscores a central theme of the book: that true fulfillment often lies in aligning one's work with their deepest passions, and sometimes, an unexpected setback is the catalyst needed for profound positive change.

Narrator: The book's core philosophy is captured in the simple phrase: "tidy home, tidy mind." Lewis argues that this is not just a catchy saying but a psychological reality. She explains that visual clutter acts as a constant, low-grade stressor, sending signals to our brain that our work is never done. This is supported by research, such as a 2009 study in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, which found that women who described their homes as "cluttered" had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day compared to those who saw their homes as "restful."

This connection is powerfully illustrated through the story of Elizabeth, a 26-year-old department manager diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Overwhelmed by her illness, she found herself unable to manage basic household tasks, and her home became a reflection of her internal state. She felt unworthy of a tidy space. Her journey began when she discovered Lewis’s online community and learned to reframe decluttering not as another monumental chore, but as an act of self-care. She started small, with just one drawer, listening to a podcast to make the process enjoyable. She learned that "doing a little every day is much more powerful for my sanity, as well as my home organisation." Elizabeth’s story demonstrates that decluttering is a therapeutic process that creates not just physical space, but mental space—room to let the good stuff in.

Narrator: To make the process less daunting, Lewis introduces the TGCO Decluttering Plan, a clear, four-step framework applicable to any space, from a single drawer to an entire garage. The first step is Remove. This involves taking everything out of the space to get a true sense of the volume of items and to start with a clean slate. The second step is Sort and Purge. Items are categorized into four boxes: Keep, Donate, Bin, and Sell. Lewis encourages being ruthless here, asking if an item truly brings you joy or serves a purpose.

The third step is Clean. With the space empty, it’s the perfect opportunity for a deep clean, creating a fresh environment. The final step is Organize. This is where the 'Keep' items are put back in a logical, accessible way, using storage solutions that work for the individual's routine. Lewis compares this process to an exercise class: the beginning is exciting, the middle is tough and makes you question why you started, but the feeling of accomplishment at the end is immense and motivating. This structured plan transforms an overwhelming concept into a series of manageable actions, empowering anyone to begin their journey toward an organized home.

Narrator: Lewis's philosophy extends beyond simple organization to encompass a sustainable and healthy lifestyle. She argues that there is little point in creating a calm, decluttered sanctuary only to clean it with harsh, toxic chemicals. Drawing inspiration from her nan, who used simple ingredients like white vinegar, lemons, and bicarbonate of soda for nearly every cleaning task, Lewis advocates for eco-cleaning. She points out that many commercial cleaners contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can harm our health and the environment.

The book provides simple recipes for creating effective, natural cleaning products at home, often enhanced with essential oils for their antibacterial properties and pleasant scents. This approach is not only healthier and better for the planet—reducing plastic waste from single-use spray bottles that take hundreds of years to decompose—but it's also more cost-effective. By adopting these practices, decluttering becomes part of a larger, more holistic shift toward mindful consumption and a kinder, more ethical way of living that protects personal health and the environment.

Narrator: A crucial part of the decluttering process is deciding what to do with the items in the 'Donate,' 'Bin,' and 'Sell' piles. Lewis champions a "waste not, want not" philosophy, emphasizing upcycling and donating over simply throwing things away. She provides creative and practical ideas for giving old items a new life. Empty candle jars can become stylish pots for makeup brushes, cardboard food boxes can be cut down to make drawer dividers, and old t-shirts can be turned into cleaning rags. One of her most memorable tips is folding plastic bags into tiny, neat "samosas," transforming a drawer of chaos into a compact, useful stash.

Even more powerfully, the book highlights the fulfillment that comes from donating. Lewis shares the story of charities like Smalls for All, which collects and distributes new and gently used bras to women in Africa, where such a basic item can improve hygiene, safety, and dignity. Knowing that your unwanted belongings can make a profound difference in someone else's life transforms decluttering from a self-serving task into a meaningful act of giving. It reinforces the idea that owning less is better than organizing more, and that true joy comes from embracing what you need and generously letting go of the rest.

Narrator: Ultimately, This Girl Can Organise delivers a powerful message: decluttering your home is one of the most direct and effective forms of self-care you can practice. It’s not about achieving an impossibly perfect, minimalist aesthetic seen in magazines. It is about intentionally creating an environment that supports your mental wellbeing, reduces daily friction, and frees up your cognitive energy for the things that truly matter. The process of sorting through your possessions becomes a process of sorting through your life—clarifying your priorities and making conscious choices about what you want to carry forward.

The book leaves you with a profound challenge. It asks you to look at the clutter in your life not as a sign of failure, but as trapped energy. Every object you keep out of guilt, obligation, or indecision occupies a small piece of your physical and mental real estate. The most inspiring question the book poses is not just about what your home would look like if it were organized, but rather, who you might become with the clarity, peace, and focus you would reclaim.