It’s Been a Great Ride
In the summer of 2016, I took a giant step of faith and began a professional organizing business, Shipshape Solutions. It was my last foray in a string of dissimilar but fulfilling careers. Little did I know all the twists and turns that decision would create.
My plan was to get the training I needed, and then to help people declutter and organize their homes and businesses. I started writing a blog right away, knowing that many business owners used a blog as a tool to let others get to know you as a business owner and to learn about the services you offer.
The newspaper column begins
Within a few months, I began to wonder if the material I was writing would be valuable to readers of my local newspaper, the Kingsport Times News. I reached out to the appropriate editor, and thankfully I was given the opportunity to begin a regular column. My first article appeared in the Times-News in January, 2017. Now, in January of 2025, this final article is #120, spanning eight years.
For the first six years of my business, I worked with hundreds of clients in the Tri-Cities area, helping them declutter and bring order to their homes, their businesses, and their lives. I found the work extremely rewarding, and I loved sharing my skills to help improve others’ lives.
Changing focus: two books and a podcast
Over time, however, my primary passion shifted. While I enjoyed the work of organizing with clients, the writing and speaking began to occupy more of my mind, and I shifted my focus. After delivering a presentation for a church group called “The Spiritual Implications of Clutter,” I knew there was much more to learn about the connection between faith and organizing. That presentation eventually became my first book, Unholy Mess: What the Bible Says about Clutter (published in 2020).
A few years later, I met Liana George, a former professional organizer who was writing a trilogy of Christian novels about a professional organizer. Liana had been collecting ideas for a devotional book on decluttering and organizing for 10 years. She wanted to write a devotional but was looking for a co-author. Liana and I hit it off right away and started writing. In January of 2023, we started a podcast, and in June of 2024, Scrivenings Press, a Christian publishing company, published our devotional book. The podcast and book are titled Uncluttered: Shaping Your Heart & Home for What Matters Most.
What’s next?
Now it’s time for a new phase of my journey. In retirement, I will continue limited speaking for groups (community groups, churches, book clubs, etc.), and I’m working on a few writing projects. But I will no longer provide organizing services or write the newspaper column.
I’m so grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the newspaper over the years. It’s been a joy to share my passion for decluttering, organizing, and simplifying our lives. I especially enjoy speaking with readers of my column or my book or podcast listeners, whether they reach out by email or speak to me in person.
Although I’m no longer writing a column, I have a wealth of materials to aid you in reaching your decluttering and organizing goals. And most of them are free.
Resources
My books:
In Uncluttered: Shaping Your Heart & Home for What Matters Most, Liana and I delve into the timeless wisdom of God's orderliness, revealing how it extends far beyond mere tidiness. Through poignant personal anecdotes, Scripture, and practical advice, this four-week devotional invites readers to embrace the beauty of simplicity. Whether you're a seasoned organizer or a clutter connoisseur seeking solace, Uncluttered provides a roadmap to a life of harmony, purpose, and joy. And ultimately, making room for what matters most. This book is available on Amazon in paperback and ebook.
Unholy Mess: What the Bible Says about Clutter: Do you feel empty even though your life is full? Have you lost the ability to focus on what really matters because your home, your schedule, and your mind are cluttered with the insignificant? Do you long for a deeper relationship with God that isn't crowded out by the unholy mess you've accumulated? Then this book is exactly what you need. Reading Unholy Mess will empower you to find the simplicity that lies beneath the clutter, to rekindle your passion for God, and to enjoy a peaceful and ordered life. This book is available on Amazon in paperback, ebook, and audiobook.
Free resources:
My podcast:
In the Podcast section of my website (angiehyche.com), you can find links to either the video (YouTube) or audio recordings of every episode of the Uncluttered podcast. The focus of the podcast is the connection between faith and organizing. Liana and I talk about not just how to be organized, but why it’s important, from a biblical standpoint, that we leave the chaos and clutter in our lives behind.
My website (angiehyche.com):
In the Blog section of my website, you can find every newspaper column I’ve written, beginning in 2017. They’re in list form on the website in chronological order, beginning with the most recent. You can also search by topic by clicking on the keywords at the top of the section.
The Video section of the website is a resource for organizing of all kinds. Most of the videos are from Daytime Tri-Cities, a local talk show on which I was a monthly contributor for several years. Others are taken from podcast guest appearances or other sources.
In the Resources section of the website, there are several helpful lists, including donation and recycling tips, as well as a recently expanded list of some of my favorite podcasts and books on decluttering, organizing, simplicity, and habit change.
It has been an absolute delight sharing my passion for decluttering and organizing with you all these years. Thank you for your unwavering support and for allowing me to be a part of your journey. I wish you all the best in your continued efforts to embrace an organized life. May your homes (and lives) always be a source of peace and joy.