Meet Barbie Wenstrup

We had the good fortune of connecting with Barbie Wenstrup and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Barbie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Starting my own business was really just to establish a way to legally collect money for helping people organize. I never wanted to do it full-time. Almost all organizers at that time had their own business. There are MANY teams now that didn’t exist then. I thought at the time (and still do) that running a business is lonely and not ideal for an extrovert.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My business name is the same as my process.

Step 1 is SIMPLIFY. What are you not using anymore? What do you have duplicates or triplicates of? Are some things sitting around because they’re chores or errands and need to be dropped off, mended, or tinkered with in some way? We identify those things as trash, recycle, donate, hazmat, errands, etc., and separate them from the “keeps.”

Step 2 is CLEAN. Many areas haven’t been empty in years. How often do you remove everything from your kitchen cabinets and wipe them down? While the space is clear and easy to clean, we hit it with a vacuum or multisurface cleaner. That way, we’re building systems from a clean base.

Step 3 is ORGANIZE. We evaluate the “keeps” pile and put things away in places where they make sense. The mixing bowl you use EVERY day to make scrambled eggs? Let’s put that in a super convenient spot with easy access. The deviled eggs tray you use once a year at Easter? Let’s put that in the back corner of the very top shelf or on the very bottom shelf by your feet. Only you know how often you use your items, so only you can know the best places to store them all.

The steps work for Digital Organizing as well. SIMPLIFY and CLEAN happen in tandem. The most recent files and frequently-used apps are the “keeps.” The unused and unnecessary ones get deleted. Similarly, ORGANIZE in a digital context involves renaming files, moving the files into appropriate folders, and arranging apps on home screens (whether in folders or not) in a way that makes the most sense for the client.

I’m an ECO-Organizer, so I do my very best to give items a second (or third!) life. I donate almost everything to Humble Design to benefit people coming out of homelessness. Clothes go to We See You San Diego. Baby items go to Birthline. Odd items get posted to Buy Nothing, Freecycle, or Offerup. I take paint, lightbulbs, chemicals, and other hazardous materials to appropriate facilities in order to dispose of them responsibly. I even collect fabric scraps for reuse!

I’m also REALLY big on having systems in place for next of kin. None of us knows when our day is coming. Is all of your legacy information (Will, passwords, Advanced Directives, Powers of Attorney) on paper? Great. Does your next of kin have a copy? Is it in a spreadsheet? That works! Does your next of kin have a copy? Do you use a system like Trustworthy’s Family Operating System? Amazing. Have you set up your legacy contacts? NO ONE should have to go on a scavenger hunt through your things to execute your wishes.

My favorite part of organizing is watching how peace replaces anxiety as my clients unburden themselves. We’ve been sold a lie. Life REALLY is much easier with less! I believe every person ought to know what’s in their home and on their devices. I do my best to ensure that all my clients have customized systems both to follow and to evolve as they do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ohhh man. I am known as the Queen of the Lists because I am ALWAYS trying out new places and deciding which ones are worth going back to. Giving Area Orientation Tours to new San Diego residents is one of my FAVORITE things to do!

Spots with a view:
-Cabrillo National Monument
-Coronado Bay Bridge
-Mt. Soledad Veteran’s Memorial
-La Jolla Cove

If It’s Your First Time In San Diego, You Gotta:
-Balboa Park
-San Diego Zoo AND Safari Park
-Midway Museum
-Hotel del Coronado

There is SO. MUCH. good food in San Diego. It was hard to not copy and paste my whole list!

LATTES
-Frost Me
-Lofty
-S3
-Moniker
-Provecho

BREAKFAST
-6th & G
-V.G. Donut
-Great Maple
-Secret Sister Cafe

BURGERS
-Hayes Burger
-Nine-Ten
-Smoking Gun
-Key & Cleaver
-North Park Beer Co. – Bankers Hill
-Van Man (if you’re on a tight budget)
-Grill @ The Lodge @ Torrey Pines (if you want to splurge)

PIZZA
-Buona Forchetta
-Ellie’s Wood Fired Pizza
-Tribute Pizza
-Mr. Moto or Bronx – by the slice

DINE WITH A VIEW
-Mister A’s
-Destiny Coast
-Cannonball
-Caroline’s

ICE CREAM
-Wild Child
-Stella Jean’s
-JoJo’s

SWEETS
-Batch & Box
-Sweet Petite Confections
-Churro Addict
-Coco & Jules

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents have been the biggest supporters of my organizing journey. They purchased the items for my first organizer toolkit and continue to encourage my pursuit of helping others unburden themselves from their stuff! I also have to say thank you to NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing) for its member chat. I learn SO much from the experiences shared by the other members.

Website: https://www.simplify-clean-organize.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplify_clean_organize

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simplify-clean-organize/

Twitter: https://x.com/SmplfyClnOrgnze

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/smplfyclnorgnze/

Image Credits
Demi Sue