{"id":403961,"date":"2026-04-17T20:31:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T20:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/403961\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T20:31:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T20:31:12","slug":"meet-the-organiser-who-can-restore-calm-to-your-home-and-your-headspace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/403961\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the organiser who can restore calm to your home and your headspace\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s nothing like the sight of a skip in the drive to spur us into action when it comes to a clear-out.<\/p>\n

But some people are born organisers.<\/p>\n

Like Jenny Douglas. The award-winning professional organiser and home decluttering expert has always regarded tidying as her own \u201cform of therapy\u201d, she says.<\/p>\n

\"JennyJenny Douglas. Picture: Eva Blake<\/p>\n

The strange thing is, adds Jenny, that people often think her own home will be uber-minimalistic. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not!\u201d she says. \u201cEverything has a place, and everyone knows where everything is. I have a system in place that ensures it feels like it\u2019s home and that it\u2019s not overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jenny shares her living space, a terraced house in Killester in Dublin, with her husband Peter and her son Hugh, nearly six, as well as their cat, Rinko, eight, so she knows the importance of creating systems that make a family home functional.<\/p>\n

\"JennyJenny Douglas. Picture: Eva Blake<\/p>\n

\u201cDecluttering can transform our home and headspace by creating calm, functional spaces,\u201d she says. \u201cWith practical systems in place, your home will feel lighter, calmer, and easier to manage.\u201d<\/p>\n

This, in turn, gives you \u201cmore time, less stress, and a space you truly enjoy,\u201d says Jenny, whose motto is \u201cLet the good in and the clutter out\u201d. It\u2019s been her attitude from \u201cthe get-go\u201d, says. Jenny.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always been a very organised person, even as a child. I always loved order, structure and control, and to create calm in any way I can,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019d help my mum with the food shop, put it away, packing it.<\/p>\n

The youngest in the family, she grew up in a regular household, \u201cfour children and pets\u201d. \u201cI shared a bedroom with my sister, and my half of the room was always tidy \u2014 her half, not so much.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

That instinct was always there.\u201d \u201cBeing organised became my own form of therapy \u2014 it\u2019s what made me feel at ease.\u201d As an adult, Jenny went into the PR and marketing sector after university, following her dream of working for charities.<\/p>\n

\"JennyJenny Douglas. Picture: Eva Blake<\/p>\n

But everyone knew her as an organiser \u2014 to the extent that friends often asked for her advice, and in turn advised her to turn it into a career.<\/p>\n

Her business, A Good Moment Company, was to evolve when Jenny was forced to take stock. \u201cIt actually came about after two very important periods of my life,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Jenny and Peter were joined by their son almost six years ago. \u201cI met my husband at 36, and I went through six periods of IVF over four years. We had a lot of loss along the way, and our son is all the more precious for it,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter we had Hugh, we were trying again for a sibling, and that\u2019s when I found out I had breast cancer. It was a turbulent time in my life. I couldn\u2019t control it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But Jenny realised what she could control was her environment. \u201cI was spending a lot of time in my own home, and with my young fella, which I loved \u2014 it was during covid, and I said: I can\u2019t control these things, but I can control my home and my environment,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI started really small. I just went around bit by bit around the rooms in my home. I felt lighter, I felt calmer, I felt really grounded, and it was more than just tidying and just organising for me; it was a bit like therapy or a form of healing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s when I decided. I knew how powerful it was and how much I loved doing it. I\u2019d obviously gone through this life-changing moment with breast cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her 20 years working with many different charities in Ireland have also stood Jenny in good stead. \u201cIt\u2019s not that I didn\u2019t love my career, but I thought, listen, maybe I\u2019m getting an opportunity to sit down and think, what do I want to do with my life right now?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"JennyJenny Douglas. Picture: Eva Blake<\/p>\n

So, she did some research. \u201cI\u2019m a positive person \u2014 I\u2019ve gone through all the IVF; I\u2019ve gone through chemo and cancer treatment. It was hard, but it wasn\u2019t as hard as I thought it was going to be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of breast cancer, she adds: \u201cIt was a very surreal experience. One of my best friends from school was experiencing it [breast cancer] at the same time, so we had an outlet there that was unique. I don\u2019t know how things would have been if that hadn\u2019t been the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family and all my friends were also extremely supportive.\u201d Jenny received her diagnosis in May 2023. Now cancer-free, she set up her business the day after her final day of treatment, in September 2024. \u201cI\u2019m a go-getter, a doer, a grafter,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"AA space Jenny worked on: Before and after. <\/p>\n

It was during the second part of my treatment, which I found wasn\u2019t as gruelling, that I started doing the research and building the business. \u201cThe day after I finished my treatment, I launched A Good Moment. I bit the bullet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might sound corny, but it felt like a case of \u2018if not now, when\u2019. We always say, \u2018one day I\u2019ll do that\u2019. I had started to feel that for me, these \u2018one days\u2019 are now.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the name? \u201cPeople have asked, \u2018What with the name?\u2019 I believe every organised space is a space for good moments \u2014 whatever they may be,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m all about having as many good moments as I can in my life, especially after all I\u2019ve been through. If we can help people get organised, it will help them focus on having as many good moments as they can with their family, or whatever those good moments may be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BeforeBefore and after pictures of aa wardrobe space Jenny organised.<\/p>\n

Being people-focused has always been what it\u2019s about for Jenny, whose work in the charity sector has stood her in good stead. \u201cThere, the goal was to help people in need. I feel that in this business it is a bit more of the same,\u201d she says. \u201cI really get an insight into how the brain works, and I really wanted to know what my potential clients would think and feel like.<\/p>\n

\"AA utility room, before and after. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know how I think and feel, but I want to know how clients would feel when they are overwhelmed and give them the same sense of calm and control and benefit all aspects of my life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jenny will be at PTSB Ideal Home Show at the RDS next weekend, taking centre stage at the DFS Interiors Theatre on Saturday, April 25, to speak about decluttering and its transformative effects on your living space and your life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough careful decluttering, thoughtful organisation, and the creation of practical systems you can maintain, we help you reclaim your home, simplify your routines, and experience the clarity and calm that comes with an organised space.\u201d<\/p>\n

KEY RULES<\/p>\n

Start small<\/p>\n

Instead of tackling the whole kitchen, start with one cupboard or a drawer.<\/p>\n

THE FOUR Cs<\/p>\n

Clear<\/p>\n

Clear everything out: For instance, with a drawer, physically take everything out and put it in a different area, such as the kitchen table.<\/p>\n

Categorise<\/p>\n

Put like with like \u2014 this way you might see duplicates or too many of something, or may realise you lack an item you thought you had that you do need.<\/p>\n

Cut<\/p>\n

Cut out the duplicates and put them to one side.<\/p>\n

Contain<\/p>\n

Contain everything by putting it all back \u2014 put the items you need back into the drawer, and you might decide to rework the layout or get containers.<\/p>\n

LABEL<\/p>\n

Labelling items is really handy, especially if you have children, says Jenny: \u201cI labelled a lot of things with symbols when my son was younger, now I\u2019m using words.\u201d<\/p>\n

EXIT STRATEGY<\/p>\n

Always have your exit strategy for items \u2014 for instance, to donate to a charity shop, or to bring to family or friends, or set a date for when your friend or family member will come and collect what you are giving them.<\/p>\n

WHILE DECLUTTERING<\/p>\n

Jenny loves listening to podcasts while she is working, she says. \u201cBut I do advise clients to shut off all distractions when tidying or decluttering,\u201d she says. \u201cPodcasts or upbeat music, if it gets you into the groove, are helpful, but eliminate distractions like the phone.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe prepared, have your bags for donations and for the bin, as well as labels at the ready \u2014 anything you can do to prepare will help the process go quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The PTSB Ideal Home Show returns to the RDS on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 24, 25 and 26. Tickets are available at IdealHome.ie<\/a><\/p>\n

Jenny Douglas, Agoodmomentcompany.ie,<\/a> will be speaking at the DFS Interiors Theatre on Saturday, April 25, on how decluttering can transform your home and headspace<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There’s nothing like the sight of a skip in the drive to spur us into action when it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":403962,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[32816,32817,61,60,80],"class_list":{"0":"post-403961","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-home-improvements","9":"tag-home-interiors","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/403962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}