I am writing this on the Monday after my first Less Clutter More Life Private Retreat, held in our newly renovated home—a renovation necessitated by water damage and definitely not on our “to-do” list!

For decades, we have taught at Productive Environment Institute, “It will all turn out in the end. Otherwise, it isn’t the end yet.”

Romans 8:28 expresses it this way:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (NIV)

I certainly didn’t consider water damage to our home a blessing when it happened. But the renovation that followed gave me a new appreciation for how our home—our own “productive environment”—could be used to bless others and even become a source of income. (That last part is a story for another time!)

PEI defines a productive environment as an intentional setting in which everyone can accomplish their work and enjoy their life.

And I define clutter as anything that prevents you from accomplishing your work or enjoying your life.

Last Friday, twelve women, ranging in age from their mid-twenties to their late seventies, gathered in our upstairs theater to address a very different kind of clutter.

Before coming, each woman had been asked to consider this question:

“If I left this earth tonight, what would I regret?”

Their answers included:

• What do I do about the mess I may leave my loved ones when I die?

• I have lots of talents. How do I choose what to focus on?

• How do I break free of “small thinking”?

• How do I know when it’s time to write the book inside me?

• How can I merge ministry and profitability?

Different women. Different ages. Different circumstances.

But in every case, something was getting in the way of the life they wanted to live.

That is clutter.

We spent the morning getting to know one another, with each participant sharing why she had come and the specific issue she wanted to address.

Then I introduced the 5-Step Productive Environment Process, familiar to many of you:

1. State your vision.

2. Identify your obstacles.

3. Commit your resources.

4. Design and execute your plan.

5. Sustain your success.

After a leisurely lunch, we returned to the theater and worked through the first three steps. Then we brainstormed Step 4 together—a beautiful example of one of my favorite beliefs:

Together We Are Better!

At the end of the afternoon, I challenged each woman to identify one specific, measurable action she would take as a result of the day—and write it on an index card, of course!

We closed with a tea party on the deck and a chance to reflect on what had happened.

As I looked around at those women, I realized once again how much my own journey has changed.

I began an organizing business in 1978 helping people deal with paper. Over the years, paper became digital information, and physical clutter led me to recognize emotional and spiritual clutter.

And now, nearly five decades later, I find myself asking an even bigger question:

What is preventing you from being and doing that for which God created you?

Perhaps that is what Less Clutter More Life has really been about all along.

Our next retreat is October 23, 2026, and I am especially excited that Yien Han, an organizer from China who has trained more than 7,000 organizing consultants, will be joining us.

Yien and I first met via Zoom—with the help of a translator! She told me that when she was 23 years old, God told her she was to“organize the world.”

I love that.

Because after all these years, I am discovering that organizing the world isn't simply about organizing our stuff.

It is about removing whatever prevents us from becoming who God created us to be—and then taking the next step.

And the journey continues…

I can’t wait to see what God is up to next!