In this interview, host Julie Stratton talks with Lisa Woodruff, founder of Organized 365, about turning her teaching expertise into a full‑service organizing business. Woodruff explains how she designs learning materials for every type of learner—print, video, closed‑captioned content, podcasts, and certified organizers who can work in‑person or virtually. She shares the pivotal "aha" moment when she realized organizing is a teachable skill, leading to the creation of her signature "Sunday Basket" system that consolidates to‑dos, calendar items, mail, and actionables so busy families can pause, organize, and return to daily life without guilt. The conversation also touches on the growth of Organized 365 from a kitchen operation to a warehouse and office space, and highlights the relevance of home‑office organization during the pandemic. Listeners are directed to organize365.com for resources.
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I'm Julie Stratton. Today I'm taking you on a journey from overwhelmed to in control. Lisa Woodruff can teach you how to do it in just 15 minutes a day. Her company, Organized 365, will give you the tools and teaching you need to learn the skills of organization. Getting your home in order is the first step towards a more peaceful life. The drive to organize everything is almost overwhelming.
Recognize that it's not going to all get done in a day, a weekend, or a month. It is a skill that you learn. There are some things that are easier to organize and some things that are harder to organize. I know as an educator, a middle school math teacher, there were 8 different ways I could teach algebra, and I have taken all of that knowledge into organizing. So when you learn from Organize 365, I hit every different kind of learner. We have printed material, we have videos, we have closed caption, we have auditory podcasts, we have physical videos that you watch with demos. We have certified organizers that will come into your home or do a virtual presentation. I thought of all the different supports my kids needed when they were learning, and then I provided those all in How I Teach Organizing.
Lisa, we've known each other quite a long time, since we've had babies, and I want to know when this business went from your kitchen to this warehouse and office space. What was your aha moment?
You know, my aha moment was when I was working with people in home like you and I worked in, in your home. And I realized that I could take my teaching skills and I could apply those and teach you and teach other people organizing. I thought, well, game on! If organizing is a learnable skill, then I can teach it. So my first step is the Sunday basket. Everyone wants to start by decluttering, tackling a closet, tackling their kids' stuff, and the reason why I stop you and have you start with the Sunday basket is because you know and I know we have kids and we're working and we're married and we have all these different passions that we have. And as soon as you into organizing a closet, something comes up along the way and you have to stop midstream and then go handle your life. The Sunday Basket organizes your to-dos, your calendar, your mail, your actionables, your life, so that you know you have time to organize. And if you do get called away from organizing, you can jump right back in without the guilt of, oh, why did I take this time for myself? I knew I didn't have time to do this. I should have been focusing on the kids, the house, the family, the whatever. It gives you peace of mind so that you can do both. Don't have your expectations be perfection. Give yourself grace, give yourself time, and just tackle one thing at a time.
This time of year, we make promises to ourselves, like getting organized. Many of you are working at home due to the pandemic. Check out Lisa's website at organize365.com for your home office organizational needs. Thanks for joining me in West Chester at Organized 365 with Realtors on the Road, taking you to all the places that make this such a great place to live.
