About the Boss:
I met Maria in a networking group for entrepreneurs and creatives. She is funny and outgoing, but it wasn’t until I won a three-hour organizing session in a raffle that I understood exactly how amazing she is. Maria is the owner of This Organized Space and she is a genius at what she does. If you’ve watched organization shows on tv, you might think you have an idea of what it’s like to have a professional organizer come into your home. But Maria doesn’t spend 30 minutes talking to you, then 3 hours throwing away most of your stuff and organizing the paltry leftovers.
Maria loves organizing and knows the right questions to ask to help YOU decide what to keep and what to get rid of. She is funny and personable and very gentle as a co-worker on your organizational journey. We’ve had several opportunities to talk books, so when I was thinking about the next Boss, she was a natural choice.
Check out her business webpage even if you’ve never thought about having a professional organizer! I recommend her as highly as I recommend my 5-star books!
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Can you share a short bio (personal & work)?
My name is Maria Ewings. I am the owner of This Organized Space, a business that provides professional home organizing services in and around Lake Country, Wisconsin. I help people like busy moms, business owners, teachers- anyone who wants peace and simplicity in their life. I help bring them peace and simplicity through organization!
I was born and raised in Michigan, went to college in Minnesota (got my teaching degree there), and now live with my wonderful husband in Watertown. I love meeting new people, connecting with amazing business owners and creative entrepreneurs, and exploring. There are so many places in Lake Country that are fun to visit. Farmer’s markets are my favorite, and I am a summer girl at heart so I enjoy going anywhere where there’s water and a beautiful sunset. At home, you can find me trying new recipes, running or biking or doing yoga, reorganizing all of the spaces, and of course- READING!
What the Boss is Reading:
Do you mostly read for pleasure or do you mostly read for professional development?
I would say mostly pleasure because my mind gets too heavy if I read too many professional development books. However, I do love a good professional development book if one comes across my path. My favorite professional development books are ones that have any sort of psychology in them. I have always been interested in the way we think and why people do the things that they do. When I was a teacher, child psychology was one of my favorite things to learn more about.
What are you currently reading? Thoughts on it?
Currently reading 2 books- one for pleasure and one for development. The one I’m reading for pleasure is “Throne of Glass” by Sarah J. Maas. I just started it, so I don’t really have too many thoughts so far. My best friend recommended it to me and she said it’s the type of book that you can’t put down! She and I share favorite books with each other often.
The one I’m reading for development is “You are a Bada** at Making Money” by Jen Sincero. I also just started this one so I don’t have that many thoughts on this one yet either!
Do you share what you read with your co-workers to encourage them to read more?
I currently don’t have any co-workers (just little ol’ me running my business!), but I do share what I read with my best friend! She shares her favorite books with me too and I would say that it definitely encourages me to read more because we can talk to each other about how we felt about the books.
What is your favorite genre?
I can’t pick just one!!! I’ve always had a hard time picking my favorite anything because I like so many things. If I had to pick a few, I’d say that my favorites are: fiction, historical fiction, sci-fi, memoirs, children’s literature (teacher background), and cookbooks.
Have you always been a reader or did your love of reading come later in life?
I have always been a reader. Ever since I was in preschool. I used to be what you’d call a bookworm. I would stay up late with a flashlight to read and I would fall asleep with books surrounding me on my bed. In grade school, my favorite time of the day was when I’d finish my homework and could read my book at my desk. We had a BOOK IT! program at school through Pizza Hut where you could get free pizza coupons for reading so many books/pages/minutes. I always got the free pizza coupons every month. I also recently found a report that I wrote in grade school titled “What Makes Me Smile” and one of the things I listed was “reading a good book.” The amount I read kind of went away in high school and college when I was too busy with extracurriculars and reading textbooks to read for fun 🙁 Even now I don’t read for fun as much as I would like to, but it is always refreshing to me when I find time to read a good book that I enjoy!
Are your friends readers, too, or are you the outlier in your group?
Most of my friends don’t read as much as I do, but my mom, sister, and best friend read even more than I do. My friend and I have lots of great conversations about books! My business friends also read lots of professional development books, and I’m always getting great recommendations from them.
Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book?
This question is WAAAY too hard for me to answer! I went through different phases in my childhood where I loved different books and authors. Maybe the Anne of Green Gables books? I just started re-reading those and they’re still so magical for me. I also loved Magic Tree House books, Roald Dahl books, Series of Unfortunate Events, The Edge Chronicles, Sarah Dessen books, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books, The Help…I could keep going forever! I do really like most of the books that I read.
Is there a book that you feel has changed your life?
Does the Bible count?
Is there a book you consistently recommend?
Also the Bible? Haha.
In your line of work, you must have seen a ton of home libraries. Were there any that stuck out and why?
Honestly, yours Lydia! It stuck out to me because of how much you love and appreciate them. You have such a beautiful and diverse collection and it is so fun to hear the stories behind lots of the books that you have. I also love that you are sharing your love of reading with the world through this amazing blog of yours. Your home library is inspiring! Also, connecting with you about our love for children’s books has been so fun for me!
Are there any organizing books you tend to recommend to your clients? Are there any that inspired you to go into organizing?
I don’t have a specific one that I recommend, because my clients are so different in their personalities and in the way that they think about their things in their homes. If you are looking for specific methods of organizing, Marie Kondo’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” is a good one to read. Her method doesn’t work for everybody, but it does have some great tips to help you think about your things in a different way. Another good one is “The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing your House Goals.” They also have some super helpful tips that you can pick and choose and apply to your own home!
There really weren’t any books that inspired me to go into organizing. I’ve been organizing since I was a kid and when I was thinking of what I could do as a career, professional organizing fit me so perfectly! I love helping people and figuring out what type of organizing style would be best for them. I have read a couple books about the psychology behind organizing and how to figure out personality types, and that has really helped me make super meaningful connections with my clients!
And That’s the Boss!
I hope you enjoyed meeting Maria, learning more about her, her business, and the books she loves. If you have ever been curious about what a home organizer does, check her out! I promise you will love her as much as I do.
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As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Links in book titles and pictures will take you to Amazon for your convenience.
