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Why Decluttering Isn’t Just About Stuff—and What You Might Be Missing
27 Plays17 days ago
You might think decluttering is about stuff. It’s not the whole story. This conversation explores what happens when we start clearing space—in more ways than one. You’ll learn about how organizing work can shift energy, relationships, emotions and even self-perception. The hidden cost of clutter can show up in how we spend our time, money, effort and awareness. We also explore how people can learn to make better choices for themselves, and that this can be the most freeing thing of all.
Next Rock Organizing is a home organizing company based in Burlington, founded by Jill Gillis—a seasoned professional with over 22 years of experience in business, event management, and the nonprofit sector. As a busy mom of three, Jill understands firsthand the importance of functional, peaceful spaces and brings a highly personalized, client-first approach to every project.
With a passion for creating customized organizational systems, Next Rock Organizing helps clients transform not only their physical spaces but their daily lives. We believe the right systems bring clarity and calm—getting organized is more than just tidying up, it's about improving your mental space as well!
Social links:
@nextrockorganizing
Facebook/ Next Rock Organizing
linkedin.com/in/nextrockorganizinggillis/
https://nextrockorganizing.ca/
oin us for a free Stress Management workshop, available both in person at our training facility in Burlington, Ontario Canada, and online via Zoom. Find out more and register here: https://www.hypnosistrainingcanada.com/stress-management-workshop
Learn more about how Robbie Spier Miller’s coaching, training, consulting and speaking opportunities can help you enhance your personal and business performance here:
https://www.hypnosistrainingcanada.com
https://www.mindlinkconsulting.com
Social Media Handles:
@hypnosistrainingcanada
@robbiespiermiller
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Transcript
Emotional Transformation Through Organizing
00:00:00
Speaker
Oh, I absolutely love seeing the visual space transform. But even more than that, it's the emotional that I see transform. I see clients' shoulders drop.
00:00:12
Speaker
I see them smile more. they are just They're having people over more. Some clients often say to me, oh, great, I can have friends over for coffee now. Oh.
Podcast Introduction
00:00:26
Speaker
Welcome to the Habit of Possibility podcast, the show about turning obstacles into opportunities. I'm your host, Robbie Spear Miller. Today, our guest is Jill Gillis of Next Rock Organizing.
00:00:39
Speaker
Together, we will explore how organizing your space can be about a lot more than just tidying up.
Beyond Tidying: Organizing Mind and Activity
00:00:49
Speaker
Hello, everybody. I'm Robbie Spearmiller, your host for the Habit of Possibility podcast. And today we have our guest, who is Jill Gillis from Next Rock Organizing.
00:01:00
Speaker
And we're going to have a really interesting exploration of the role that organizing your mind and your space and your activities can have for making your life better. So
Observing Client Emotional Changes
00:01:11
Speaker
welcome, Jill. Thank you so much, Robbie. I'm so excited to be here and I'm so excited to explore this with you. Yeah, likewise. Yeah.
00:01:19
Speaker
So tell me, like, what do you find is the most satisfying thing about the work that you do? Oh, I absolutely love seeing the visual space transform.
00:01:29
Speaker
But even more than that, it's the emotional that I see transform. I see clients' shoulders drop. I see them smile more. they are just They're having people over more. Some clients often say to me, oh, great, I can have friends over for coffee now.
00:01:46
Speaker
So it really is transformative in all aspects.
Organizing Services Overview
00:01:51
Speaker
Yeah, and you help people with organizing their home or getting ready for a move. Yeah, and absolutely. Homes or office organizing we do. on Move management we do from start to finish. White glove service and we help individuals, know, purge at pack and pack where they're on moving day and We're there at the other end of the new place to unpack and organize all their items.
00:02:14
Speaker
Yeah. All right. And then you also help families who are managing the care up their the elders in our family. You might be living on their own or they care and navigating the the chores around that.
00:02:28
Speaker
that right? Yeah. This is a new service we have. We launched it in September of 2024, and it's just been phenomenal. The demand has been just great. We've helped so many families, and it's...
00:02:40
Speaker
You know, it could be families so with any any reason, any capacity, any ages. it could be families that have young children and they need to pick up from school or to activities.
00:02:51
Speaker
And then we do organizing in between those times. And a huge portion is elderly people as well. And I had adult children reaching out to me saying they wanted help for their parents.
00:03:04
Speaker
and um And it was just phenomenal. I
Shifting Family Focus
00:03:08
Speaker
explored it further. And what ended up coming out was they were going to visit their parents, but they weren't having a visit.
00:03:14
Speaker
They were having to do these to-do lists. and And the to-do lists weren't getting done fully and they weren't having a quality visit to enjoy their parents and their family members. So so that's where we come in and we address that.
00:03:31
Speaker
Yeah, well, I totally get that because I have had parents who've needed a lot of publictro help for the past eight years. And, you know, you you start to realize at the beginning, you're like, oh, I can do that for you. And then it builds and builds and builds and you realize that You're going there just to do tasks.
00:03:48
Speaker
You're not really spending quality time together. And what you really have is time.
Time Value and Quality Interactions
00:03:54
Speaker
and So having help from a service like yours can help people shift their the quality of their relationships, have experiences they might not be able to have, or be freed up to do the other things they need to do, whether it's running a business or a busy career or spending time. You're bang on, Robbie. Absolutely time.
00:04:15
Speaker
is the key. That is exactly what it is to be focused on is time and quality of time and where you're spending your, you know, your best energy. And absolutely, it's, I see it again and again.
00:04:31
Speaker
Yeah, and and these days especially, so many of us are running around doing so many different tasks and activities that we don't even realize that time is going by or the quality of connections with people. Yeah, we're caught in this treadmill of just go, go, go, go. go and And then when we go into clients' places, we'll often see that ah you know their family's been there, but it's been half done. And and and then when they call Next Rock Organizing, they're trying to fill this need, but they're not sure if there's a service for it or how to do it. or
00:05:08
Speaker
then when we explain what we can do, we take a whole load off their plate And the response and feedback we've gotten is just phenomenal. it um it it is they They feel so much lighter, but they feel like they have their mom or their dad or their sister there's you know sister or brother back as a relationship instead of a to-do.
Personal Value in Downsizing
00:05:31
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. So when we were talking earlier, you told me that story about helping the client get ready to downfall. If you could share that story, that would be great because I think it's a great way to illustrate ah what really matters in life.
00:05:46
Speaker
Yeah, you know, and I'm glad you brought that up again from our previous conversation because absolutely, i was helping clients. this individual pack up and they were relocating and downsizing and had several, several generations of found China sets.
00:06:05
Speaker
So many memories were in this house. And it was an interesting process we were going through and the client was wonderful. She was amazing and making great decisions, this goes, this goes. And all of a sudden we got to this one piece in the China cabinet and and she said, no, that stays.
00:06:23
Speaker
And it was this plain, white, beautiful gravy boat. And she had these family memories of using this gravy boat growing up.
00:06:34
Speaker
And so that was the one piece that was critical and so important for her to take with her. And and it was wonderful that she was able to communicate that because we were like, absolutely, take this with you. This is your memory and your...
00:06:48
Speaker
and what she wanted to carry on with her moving forward.
Creating Meaningful Life Experiences
00:06:51
Speaker
So it it was ah really interesting. Yeah. So I think a good thing for all of us to consider is how many gravy boat type experiences do we want to have in our lives?
00:07:03
Speaker
And what possibilities do we need to look at to create those? Because sometimes we get caught up in um how we've always done things, or the everyday, or the inertia of our habits, or our beliefs about money, for example. um And we don't see the big picture of what it's really costing us.
00:07:26
Speaker
Yes. Yeah, that's absolutely, it's so important to to create those memories and to remember them. Yeah.
Money Mindset Shift
00:07:34
Speaker
One thing I've found is I've i built up my career. You know, I used to be an employee. I worked for a company and getting a flat paycheck. And I grew up in a household where people were really worried about money, like my dad especially, was very concerned about money.
00:07:49
Speaker
And so I was always very careful with money. Like I can remember being 19 years old and moving out of my parents' house for the first time and living with other people my age. And they all dealt with money like totally differently. and they thought it was really weird that I knew exactly how much money was in my wallet.
00:08:06
Speaker
And then when I met my now husband when we were dating, it was interesting because he looked at money totally differently from me. He saw the world was full of possibilities. It was like this big playground for him.
00:08:17
Speaker
And so he saw money as a way to enjoy playground. But I had been looking at money more as like, ah you know, i had to to look at things in terms of can I have afford much it said or can I save money instead of designing my life.
00:08:33
Speaker
So that experience made me see things very differently. And as a business owner, you also start to see money very differently because it you invest money in certain things so that you can have other things happen. at Right. And we can do that in our personal lives as well. Yeah.
00:08:50
Speaker
Yeah. That's so true in business, you know, investing to get ahead. And it takes time to get ahead. But making that initial investment is critical to achieving that goal.
00:09:01
Speaker
Yeah, so think if we're looking at possibilities for people to look at how they want to design their life and then find a way to have the money to do it, right? To create ah a source of income or a way to be able to do that.
Clearing Mental Clutter with Hypnosis
00:09:16
Speaker
And one of the questions that really helped me change so many things in my life when I started to learn hypnosis, which is what i teach people, was that I shifted from why can't i right? So why can't I have enough time to get everything done?
00:09:31
Speaker
Why can't I spend more time doing this or that? When I shifted the question to how can I, it really changed things because then I started to look for possibilities or opportunities to do things.
00:09:43
Speaker
ye And so when people come for training here, we help people clear up the mind clutter, um the things that they've been storing. Maybe it's experiences from decades ago or habits they developed around them from a long time ago that aren't even relevant anymore.
00:10:02
Speaker
but they're still doing them because their subconscious mind is in that habit of doing them. um And so people come here to have those discoveries in their minds, you're doing it in people's physical spaces or with the tasks that they need to complete. It is in their physical space and it is in their house. It is in their office. And it's a very intimate personal space.
00:10:26
Speaker
And i can I can definitely see the connection transforming over to the hypnosis.
Survival Habits of the Subconscious Mind
00:10:31
Speaker
And speaking of the hypnosis, like are there certain individuals that are more um receptive or more willing to absorb or be open to the process?
00:10:44
Speaker
Well, we do screen all of our clients and students, and we do that because we want to see that they can respond well enough to benefit from what we teach here. Having said that, hypnosis is actually a natural ability we all have from there. It's just a human ability.
00:11:01
Speaker
And we can use it in various ways. So here we teach people how to use it skillfully. Because if we're not we don't understand how to use our minds and our bodies in a useful way, hypnotically, then our past experiences and the world around us will be the ones deciding what our hypnotic turns up.
00:11:20
Speaker
Well, and that's very key too because I can imagine so many individuals' childhood experiences, and when they were younger, come to play later on. That's right. yeah because what happens is that our subconscious mind's job is protect us from being there.
00:11:36
Speaker
So when we have an experience in life, we we're choosing a way to cope with ah stress or a challenge. It could be a real stress or challenge. It could be an imagined one. But either way, we're finding a way to cope. And because we survive, our subconscious mind believes it was a good choice. And we'll keep doing it. And then it becomes a habit because we've done it over and over.
Hypnosis and Parenthood Motivation
00:11:58
Speaker
And so our subconscious will hold on to it for dear life, um literally, yeah because it thinks that it's helping us survive. So often with the work we do, we help people release themselves from those old things.
00:12:10
Speaker
ways of doing things and and maybe the fears that went along with them and have a new view life and then we'll teach them new ways, new hypnotic trends. How exciting. Yeah. It's like an onion peeling away each layer and... Yeah.
00:12:26
Speaker
Well, I'll tell you that my motivation to learn this, a lot of it came from that at the time I started learning this, which was probably about 25 years ago now, I didn't have kids yet. My older son now is 20, so this was five years before I had kids.
00:12:41
Speaker
But I knew I wanted to have kids, and I knew that there were things that I had i learned from my parents, were things that I, the ways I was coping with life that were very useful. And I didn't want my kids to, I wanted to be in a better space to help my kids grow up. in a more resourceful way. And so the work we do here helps people kind of, you know, fill in the gaps that were there or heal things up that they need to heal up to to be freed up to ah calmly and confidently have new choice
Hypnosis Session Formats
00:13:13
Speaker
looks.
00:13:13
Speaker
That is wonderful. so then So explain to me about the hypnosis sessions. like is it Is it a one and done? Is it a six-month process? Is it individual? we do individual and great processes. So we do a free initial consultation or screening. And that's when we see what people need. We see if it's a good fit for them.
00:13:34
Speaker
We look for many different things in that consultation to see if it's a good fit. And if it is, we design a program the person. So we do a lot of group classes here. And group classes are great because you learn a ton from watching the other people. Sometimes you might see your pattern in another person and It's easier to grow through it because you see it outside of you.
00:13:56
Speaker
It's so true. Yeah. And other times we learn a lot about the other people in our lives because we see examples of them and the other people in the room. um And we learn a lot about people in general. So many, many people come here for weird training classes. Yes.
00:14:11
Speaker
And then we do custom one-on-one programs as well. So it's personal preference. you know We help business owners build their businesses. There's a a mindset for business. And I know i grew up in a family of medical doctors who are not business people at And so when I was wanting to build a career doing this, it was a very foreign thing to imagine myself ah as a business person. I would see people who were successful business, and was kind of mysterious, right? They were confident in doing their thing. and
00:14:42
Speaker
And so i I really needed to build a bridge to being able to be a business owner. So I started to seek out people to teach me thoughts.
Integrating New Perspectives
00:14:51
Speaker
And I mentor many business owners to help them handle business in a way that works better.
00:14:58
Speaker
Absolutely. i know we've crossed paths at the Burlington Chamber of Commerce, and there's been ah definitely some individuals there that have used your services, and they've spoken very highly of you.
00:15:10
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. So if you look at like for in certain routines or hypnotic trends, those were only going to look at the world right. So when I was 19 and I was looking at the dollars and cents in my wallet and making every decision based on that. and And my priority was to not spend money or to save money, right? I'll be really careful about what I spent money on. I was missing the fact that money is a way to have choice ups.
00:15:36
Speaker
And so I needed to have that shift. And if we look at that as just one example, when you're a business owner and not entrepreneur, there are so many shifts that need to happen in our perceptions and our decision-making strategies and our human connections with communication that make it possible for us to be a successful business owner.
00:15:58
Speaker
ah So that's why hypnosis works so well because I mean there's tons of books out there, yeah tons of stuff online. There's no shortage of information. then The thing that's missing is the ability to integrate that into your life and to embrace that.
00:16:14
Speaker
You know, I can totally understand that integrate it and embrace it in your life because it's very similar to what we do with Next Work Organizing. We go into clients' houses and offices, and it's, it's like I say, it's not only the the physical space. and We can transform it. We can organize it, but it's got to be a system that works for that individual to maintain.
Impact of Physical Organization
00:16:37
Speaker
And they've got to understand the process, and they've got to be willing and open. Right. And receptive to it to want to change. Right. Otherwise, you'll organize it beautifully and a month later it'll be back the way it was. Yeah.
00:16:50
Speaker
So there's a shift in how they're they're interacting with life that goes along with. For sure. Physical organization. For sure. And we actually, like when we say a shift with how they organize life, we see that they get more involved in things, whether it's in their house, outside of their house, with their family more, like they're The peace is just ah so um it's so evident and it's the energy. You can feel the energy and the environment change. Yeah.
00:17:21
Speaker
So you're giving them evidence that it's totally worth it to live this way. And then they want to do it more because they're like, yeah, this is great. This is what I want. But sometimes if we haven't gotten there yet, you don't we don't know what's possible or we don't believe in it.
00:17:37
Speaker
um You know, ah a good example with the work that I do is a lot of people take notes for weight loss and and many of them have been struggling
Hypnosis for Weight Loss
00:17:45
Speaker
for years. They've been on all kinds of diets, right? They lose the weight, they gain fat loss plus some.
00:17:50
Speaker
You know, typically that's what happens. And it's not a lack of knowledge. They know what to do. um So we're helping them change the way they're interacting with life so that it's possible to lose the weight and and maintain it as a lifestyle.
00:18:04
Speaker
But it often it has to do with relationships. It has to do with um you know their their nervous system and are they able to handle a life in a way. Yeah. It has to do with so many different categories in their life. and When they take care of those other areas, it's so much easier to maintain to lose and maintain a weight loss.
00:18:26
Speaker
Yeah, there's once you get momentum, but getting the momentum and reaching out is a really hard point for some individuals. And I'm sure the same with yourself. Individuals calling you or reaching out to you for the first time, inquiring about your services.
00:18:43
Speaker
But there sometimes there's embarrassment, there's shame, there's... oh you know, a whole bunch of other emotions that can come into play as well. and And it's guiding them through that even initial conversation and explaining the process and how we do it and answering their questions and then seeing their physical space for a consultation and and laying out a plan of how to move forward.
00:19:08
Speaker
So share some experiences of yourself as well when people first reach out to you. Yeah, well, what's interesting is a lot of times people think they're the only one in the whole world that's struggling with whatever they're struggling
Community Support and Isolation
00:19:20
Speaker
with. And we've we've got these really big, thick binders full of client stories where they're sharing the results they have from coming here. And we have this whole wall full of examples.
00:19:30
Speaker
And so one of the very common reactions we get is people say, wow, I'm not the only one. Wow, lots of people are going to through this and then they see evidence that these other people have changed it. So it helps them believe that the change is possible. Because sometimes people just adapt and they think, oh, this is just the way i am.
00:19:49
Speaker
yeah right or I don't know how to change it or it's not possible. Or there's not services or individuals or help out there. Yes, they think they're on their own. yes Yeah. And a ton of people aren't used to asking for help. I've trained a lot of people who, um growing up, they were pretty much on their own. and Like, they raised themselves, not necessarily literally, but emotionally they raised themselves.
00:20:12
Speaker
um And so they're used to just having to rely on themselves. So be ah relying on somebody else can feel vulnerable or ah for it. Yes. Or maybe it just doesn't even occur to them because they've always had to meet around. Yeah.
00:20:28
Speaker
I often get the question during our consultations, is this the worst you've seen? You know, like, is this this is the messiest or have you seen worse? Yeah.
00:20:40
Speaker
You know, and I'm sure that's a sense of pride, too. Yeah. But yeah we we handle it all and our objective, every project is different, every individual is different, every space is different, but the objective is often the same, is freeing of the
Managing Household Tasks Flexibly
00:20:56
Speaker
mind. Yeah, and self-acceptance too, because you you know I remember when my kids were a little, there's no way that this was going to be needed, tidy and organized.
00:21:05
Speaker
Totally not possible. And and we we for a period of time, we had this nanny who was from, she's from Peru, and in South American countries, ah people who are at least middle class can afford to hire hope.
00:21:18
Speaker
And so they're used to having everything be perfectly neat and tidy and just sew. And so she was upset that our house was messy and and she felt pressure to keep it neat and tidy, but there was just too much work to do.
00:21:30
Speaker
And I said to her, it's totally okay. i don't care that it's messy. like That's just the way it is here Canada when people have little kids. and It was really hard for her to accept that because she took so much pride in that her household looking a certain way.
00:21:46
Speaker
Yes. And I think a lot of parents go through that. Yeah, it's, you know, magazine-worthy or TV show-worthy when you have a young family is very different. So your standards do have to be realistic, absolutely. And we can still create a process, but knowing that you have a young family or whatever the situation is, is we work with that, absolutely. Yeah.
00:22:08
Speaker
Yeah. you know, I know some people who just make decisions like, i am never folding laundry again. yeah And they just pull the laundry out of the the clean laundry basket because they realize that they don't want to spend their life folding
Next Rock Organizing's Concierge Service
00:22:20
Speaker
laundry. They want to spend it doing other things.
00:22:22
Speaker
And that's, you know, a great segue into the concierge service again that we offer is, you know, in between doing what we need to do with the family, whether it's a senior family playing cribbage with them for a few hours or helping drive the young kids to different activities or the teenagers to activities who are not driving independently yet.
00:22:41
Speaker
We do like quick maintenance organizing exactly like that. So, yeah, yeah. So there's definitely help out there. Great. And is there anything else you want to share with us about your insights about this theme or your services? so Well, we are just so excited to be able to help individuals and families and see the families
Need for Professional Organizing
00:23:02
Speaker
transform. That is, that's our biggest, our biggest joy and our biggest pride. And that's why we've started this business is there was such a need. And I was noticing there was just such a need in my local area. And individuals were asking me, neighbors were asking me, no can you come help me with this? I said, of course I can.
00:23:21
Speaker
And then all of a sudden I realized, wait a minute, there's a huge need for this service. There's a huge need for you know professional home organizing and in your offices as well and helping families just maintain a calmer life and a more comfortable life.
00:23:39
Speaker
And again, to our theme of time. giving them the time to do what they are passionate about and what they feel is valuable to them.
Decline of Community Support Systems
00:23:48
Speaker
So taking off some of these, you know, their to-do lists.
00:23:52
Speaker
Yeah, and I think, you know, in past generations, there was more community support in our lives. So we had more extended families or we had, you know, kids being raised by a group of people like the same at Dienkza Village. Yeah. And now people are more isolated. And so we don't appreciate ah the amount of work that needs to happen.
00:24:13
Speaker
So I think our society hasn't quite found a system that is realistic. And so people think there's something wrong with that because they can't get it all done instead of.
00:24:24
Speaker
It's so true. And some of our families are are families that travel a lot, whether it's for business, whether it's for personal or whether it's with their kids' sports. yeah And they're just not there enough to have the house functioning the way they want it to, to make it smooth. So when they are home, they can enjoy it.
00:24:43
Speaker
yeah Yeah,
Exploring Choices and Possibilities
00:24:45
Speaker
that's great. Well, I think that the high level theme of this is really for, I think the useful place for people is to look at their life as full of choices and possibilities. Yes. And to take an active role and in creating your life instead of just reacting to what you happen to have or ah the ways that you've been reacting to life up till now. Yes.
00:25:06
Speaker
So I found it helpful to notice people who function very differently from me and including people who have more of what I would like to hide. Because when you notice how they look at life or how they make their choices, you can learn from that. There's wisdom in that.
00:25:23
Speaker
Absolutely. You're right. Full of choices. Sky is the limit. Have your vision and go for it. Yeah. Yeah, and so you're modeling for people what that looks like from a home point of view or a chores point of view. Yeah, and we do that here from a, you know, whatever you want to accomplish in your life point of view. could be relationships or you know, changing your habits like weight loss or stop smoking or managing stress.
00:25:51
Speaker
i A lot of people are really stressed because they feel like if they do something not the way it's expected, they think they're not worthy. Like the nanny I mentioned, yeah it was a huge thing for her her yeah that the house could be
Social Media and Contact Information
00:26:05
Speaker
messy. It was like she the pride she took in in whatever her version of was doing a good job made it very stressful for her that the house was like that.
00:26:15
Speaker
Ultimately, I had to fly over. Yeah, it was not bad, right? But people, it's I think it's very fascinating to see where people get hung up on things.
00:26:27
Speaker
It just doesn't have to be that way. Well, have helped so many individuals. I saw your wall of fame as I walked in, and I recognized several faces, and you have helped people in so many different capacities, and congratulations to you. Yeah, well, likewise. Thank you. You're helping people in an important way. Thank you so much.
00:26:46
Speaker
So appreciate you having me here today, Robbie. Yeah, thanks for coming. Tell people how they can reach you. Oh, absolutely. We are on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, nextrockorganizing.ca. All right. Well, thanks. for Wonderful. Thanks.
00:27:03
Speaker
If you're interested in connecting with me and learning about personal and business coaching, consulting and training opportunities, go to mindlinkconsulting.com or hypnosistrainingcanada.com and schedule your free consultation.
00:27:19
Speaker
Let us know what you think of the show. Reach out to us at mindlinkconsulting.com. And if you like this show, please rate and review us so other people can find us too. Thanks so much for tuning in.
00:27:32
Speaker
I'm Robbie Spearmiller, the host of the Habit of Possibility podcast. Tune in next time to learn more about how you can turn obstacles into opportunities and make the most of your life and career.