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An Uncluttered Find

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By ANGELA DELGADO The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 9, 2008

WESTCHASE - Paper piles. Old bills. Clothing left lying around.

These are a few of Jackie Grizzard's organizational pet peeves.

Organization is key in Grizzard's life. It has been since childhood, and now she's applying all she has learned to her new business: Clutter Free Bug.

Her love of organization isn't just about a neat closet, though. For Grizzard it means simplifying your life and living a happier existence - a good New Year's Resolution for 2008.

"It's all mental; it makes things calmer," said Grizzard, 40. "By having an open surrounding, it's more inviting. I know that when I wake up to a place where everything is in order, it's just a peaceful place. I think it creates harmony in the household."

Grizzard's home - which she shares with her husband, James, and 4-year-old daughter Isabel - is harmonious and reflects what she teaches her clients.

Her spice drawer is by her stove; the spices lie side by side arranged according to which spice she uses more frequently.

"You cook faster; it's easier," she said. "You have everything at your fingertips."

Her junk drawer has items such as pens, batteries and pins, but unlike most junk drawers, the contents are divided into compartments. Isabel's toy room doesn't have toys strewn about; instead her toys are placed in bins according to category.

Even more impressive: Isabel puts away her toys.

"If kids know where everything goes, it's going to be easier for them to put things away," Grizzard said.

This is the logic Grizzard's father, Howell Jones, must have used when she was growing up. Grizzard "blames" Jones, a retired U.S. Air Force Vietnam veteran, for her organizational tendencies.

Although Grizzard learned to be neat at a young age, it wasn't until 2001 that she realized she could organize for a living.
Grizzard would find herself not only rearranging her home, but also her friends' homes. She began reading books about simplifying one's life and realized people were too obsessed with things. She wanted to help them move past the material aspects of life. Even though Grizzard was happy being an advertising sales associate, she knew her calling was helping people organize their lives.

"I started feeling that was what was inside of me," she said.

Clutter Free Bug didn't take off full time until three months ago. Since then, she has assisted more than a handful of clients to clean up their office/closet/garage and more.

When Grizzard receives a call, she generally offers a free consultation to assess the damage. She consults for three to four hours, she said, and her following sessions vary from two to four hours.

Basically, she helps her clients sort, purge and find a home for their items. She asks them what they want their kitchen/garage/bedroom/etc. to be and makes it happen.

"If everything has a spot, that's an easy system to maintain," Grizzard said. "People are less stressed if they know what comes next."

Although Grizzard recently began her Clutter Free Bug venture, she has also began writing a book titled "It's All About Nothing," to teach people things don't define them. The book is her project for 2008. She already has the "get organized" resolution covered.

Getting organized "would start out a new year with a positive attitude, a cleaner house, and I think it'll open up to being happier," Grizzard said. "When you have a cleaner house, you have more time to focus on what you really want to do with your life and not on your house that's a little in disarray."

"People are intimidated because they don't know how to get organized, but I just think they need a little push," she said. "I can teach them how."

CLUTTER FREE BUG
FOUNDER: Jackie Grizzard, who runs the business solo from her home in Westchase

PHONE NUMBER: (813) 966-1223

WEB SITE: www.clutterfree bug.com

FEE: $35 to $50 an hour, depending on job, amount of clutter and location

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado@tampatrib.com.

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