Personality Profile I The Tidying Expert

Anna Napier Cuts Through the Clutter

Tips from an organizational expert

By Patrice Doucet

Photos by Court Brooke Photography

Even as a seven-year-old, Anna Napier organized her closet and room routinely, taking everything out and rearranging it, using masking tape to label the shelves. When she finished, she moved on to her sister’s room. Now the professional home organizer and owner of In-line Organizing transforms spaces for others as a career.

Napier began organizing for friends – and then friends of friends – on weekends during her years as a teacher. When COVID shut down schools, she realized she liked the flexibility of being her own boss and doing what she loved. “I loved working with the kids, but I had to prioritize my family; it was a difficult decision,” Napier shares.

Today clients contact her when they are overwhelmed with clutter and disarray.

She simplifies their lives by making sure that a space – be it a drawer, closet, pantry, garage, room or attic – functions better after she’s finished organizing it. Her services extend to uncluttering homes that will be put on the market and entire home move-ins. She once organized a Sprinter van for a mother of six. Among her more challenging business projects were a woman’s boutique with a closet overstocked with photo shoot props and an events lighting company with everything from hurricane lamps to candles.

In sharing her philosophy Napier says, “Life is chaotic, in all its stages, and there’s simplicity underneath it, and we make it more difficult by having things everywhere. I want to help people find the simplicity in having less. It’s about having systems set up to make the day-to-day simple and having things flow and not spending time looking for things. Our home should be a place of harmonious, serene relaxation. We shouldn’t feel a heaviness in our home.”

When first meeting, clients have the option of doing it in the home or over the phone. “We do a lot of virtual consults,” says Napier. “I ask them for a few photos or a video so that I can view the space. We talk about what is and isn’t working and their aesthetic goals. I take measurements, discuss their budget and then send a proposal and a product gallery. We tailor our services to meet each person where they are in life. Sometimes a client will just want advice. We also offer virtual organizing, which we call a do-it-yourself approach, where we provide a task and project list for them to follow, and then they share their final results.”

“Everyone is so embarrassed to show me their space at first,” says Napier who assures them that she is not there to judge, only help. She’s seen a lot, but what’s more shocking, she says, is how physical clutter can affect mental clutter. “If your surroundings are peaceful and orderly, so are your thoughts and actions,” she observes.

A large part of Napier’s job is helping clients let go of sentimental things without them feeling guilty. Gifts can accumulate over the years and she says, “I’ll ask them if the gift was appreciated and if they still want it in their home. It might have been a gift for the time and not forever. If you keep a few things that remind you of that person that means more than everything they gave you. I encourage donations all the time; we streamline donations to women’s and children’s shelters. A lot of times it brings peace to give these items to someone in need.”

On another level of difficulty, Napier says she has helped many clients sort out the belongings of loved ones who have died. “My team and I go in with grace, patience and empathy. Whether it’s a parent, spouse or child, it’s a hard thing to do. I always leave those projects thankful that I could be there with them going through it.”

It’s one thing to be organized, it’s another to stay that way. When a job is completed, Napier makes sure that everyone in the house is familiar with the new arrangement by doing a quick run-through of where everything is stored.

Contrary to how you might picture the home of a professional organizer, many like Napier do not aspire to perfection. “As much as I’d love to say my house is picture perfect, that’s not true,” she admits. “We live in our house; and as I tell people, if you live there, there is no fairy that does the work.”

With two boys, 4 and 7, she and her husband are realistic. “Our kids know that everything has a place,” she maintains. “When it’s time to clean up they know where things go. We don’t have all the toys out at one time. We have a system of toy rotation using large storage tubs that are numbered. We‘ll get a tub that they may not have seen in a while, and when they tire of the toys in a few days, they put them away. It cuts on clutter and helps them appreciate all the toys they have.”

Currently working on her certification as a professional organizer, Napier has In-Line Organizing offices in Lafayette and Covington, serving clients in South Louisiana and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

She says the greatest part of her job is seeing clients’ faces when the project is completed. “It’s my favorite part; I love to see how they appreciate their home again. I’ve gotten texts and emails with comments like, ‘This is the best money I’ve ever spent, and it has changed our lives; ‘I didn’t even know that I liked my house this much;’ and another favorite of mine: ‘We put our house on the market because we thought we needed more space, but after organizing it we love it again.”

Anna Comes Clean

Favorite song when working: Taylor Swift’s Reputation album

Recommended Read: Atomic Habits by James Clear

Little Known Talent: Good at long division

Hobbies: Wine tasting, reading

Something Few People Know: She’s ridden in a hearse countless times. (Dad was a funeral director.)

Favorite Place to Relax: Grayton Beach, FL