Meet Clare.jpg)
Clare Baker is The Clutter Clearing Consultancy's Founder and Specialist Clutter Clearing Consultant.
She has an Enhanced Disclosure (CRB check).
Hear Clare introduce herself A more personal look at Clare….
Hello. My name is Clare Baker and I founded The Clutter Clearing Consultancy in 2002 when I had clutter of my own that was out of control. I had no idea how it had got out of control - my job was a project manager, I'd always been organised and clutter free before then and I felt like a failure for not being able to keep it under control.
So I set out to find out what skill it was that I'd lost. If I had been clutter free before then clearly there was something I wasn't doing that I had done in the past - a skill that I had lost for whatever reason. After all, I could be organised at work, why had I lost that skill at home? It's why I know myself how awful it is to have clutter that's out of control - feeling overwhelmed, out of control, like a failure. I also know how good it feels when you've cleared, sorted and know how to control your clutter. There's nothing quite like having a good clear out, is there?!
So I modelled people who were good at being organised and clutter free, tested it on some people who had clutter and realised that I had found a process that I could teach to people, or give to them to learn themselves, to get their clutter back under control. I also did a lot of coaching training so that I had the coaching skills to be as effective as possible when teaching people this skill - so that I could put people at ease, build rapport with them when they might be scared showing me into their cluttered homes, and so I could gain people's trust and confidence.
So I set out to find out what skill it was that I'd lost. If I had been clutter free before then clearly there was something I wasn't doing that I had done in the past - a skill that I had lost for whatever reason. After all, I could be organised at work, why had I lost that skill at home? It's why I know myself how awful it is to have clutter that's out of control - feeling overwhelmed, out of control, like a failure. I also know how good it feels when you've cleared, sorted and know how to control your clutter. There's nothing quite like having a good clear out, is there?!
So I modelled people who were good at being organised and clutter free, tested it on some people who had clutter and realised that I had found a process that I could teach to people, or give to them to learn themselves, to get their clutter back under control. I also did a lot of coaching training so that I had the coaching skills to be as effective as possible when teaching people this skill - so that I could put people at ease, build rapport with them when they might be scared showing me into their cluttered homes, and so I could gain people's trust and confidence.
I love my job, I love seeing
Clare's personal experience of clutter:
My clutter gets out of control from time to time just like everyone else. I'm human after all, and I have a husband who generates clutter (although he denies it of course) and a busy life, both at work and socially. Being organised is crucial to the home and work working - planning our time week by week, making sure we get what needs doing done - I practice everything that we recomend when it comes to organising our time.
I am also in the process of dealing with my weight clutter which is the result of learning bad habits (just like people do with their clutter) as a child. My top tip subscribers are following me with my journey, seeing how I apply the principles of de-cluttering your home to de-cluttering my excess weight. Click here to follow my journey.
Clare's experience of clutter clearing:
15 years practicing what I teach.
7 years helping clients de-clutter.
5 years of teaching it in workshops, on courses and to potential consultants.
3 years of coaching people on the telephone.
2 years of teaching de-cluttering and running your own business courses at Oxord and Cherwell Valley College.
What you're most likely to hear Clare say:
- 'Don't worry, you're perfectly normal'.
- 'I've seen a LOT worse'.
- 'You don't want me to make judgements on your home you're your belongings do you?'
- 'Who is perfect?'
- ‘You mean you’re actually enjoying your clutter clearing? Well that wasn’t supposed to happen, it was supposed to continue being a dreadful chore!’
Clare's areas of speciality:
- Paperwork clutter
- Clearing the Clutter of a Loved one
- Working with Estate Agents and vendors
- clutter and recycling
- Clearing the Clutter to downsize your home
Clare's passions:
People
No matter how many people I've worked with or consultations I've done I'm still fascinated by people and what makes them tick. I think it's sad how society sees clutter as something that we should be able to control. We're not all blessed with every skill which is why we help people who want to learn the skill of how to clear, sort and control their clutter.
Gardening
There's nothing quite like seeing something that you've planted and nurtured growing. Even in the depths of winter, when the ground seems lifeless and there seems no hope of life, spring arrives and the plants surprise you. You can see it in the blossom and even hear it if you have a pond that the frogs love! My sunflowers are my annual reward which I grow from seed - you can't help but smile when you see them flower, even on a miserable day!
Property
I bought the house that my husband and I now live in as a wreck and renovated it. No one else seemed to see the potential, but I relished every minute. Adding value, treating it with a bit of TLC an now it's a wonderful home to live in. I don't believe in hopeless cases - either in human beings, animals or homes!
Clare's favourite film:
Difficult one – there is no one film, it depends on my mood. I love Some like it Hot, Forest Gump, Shrek and Ice Age. Field of Dreams is inspirational, and Housesitter always cheers me up. I have all 10 series of Friends on video so I tend to watch a few episodes of them while I do the ironing – I know every line which annoys my husband no end!
Who Clare admires:
Anyone who can stay positive and focused in a bad situation or during a tough time. Anyone who can admit they need help, ask for help and then accept that help.
Clare's philosophy on life:
Everything happens for a reason - even the bad stuff – and it may be a while before we realise what the positives from the bad stuff are.
One (possibly) interesting fact about Clare:
During my 3 years at University I also ran a fund for children in 2 Day Care Centres in Guyana, South America that I had worked in during my Gap Year.
3 things Clare would take on a desert island with her
. Very tricky one. I'm going to assume there's shade so I don't need sun tan cream.
I could happliy live without my mobile phone, computer and car.
So what?
My husband. It sounds corney, but he really is my best friend and we have good conversations, think alike and work well as a team.
A pack of sunflower seeds because they would bring me a sense of change and hope as they grow, and depending on how long I was on the desert island I would be able to get seeds from each flower head for the following year, so it would be a continuous cycle. One packet of seeds would bring years of happiness.
Finally, (this is difficult! I'm not a materialistic person so posessions wouldn't be a priority), a bag containing my NLP training notes, some NLP books and a couple of trashy girly novels. Reading books is my holiday habit as I don't get much time for it normally, and the NLP books would enable me to read the same book again and again and get more and more out of it each time, so it wouldn't be predictable.
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Start seeing and feeling an improvement quicker than you would on your own by asking Clare for help.
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