Day in the Life: Professional Organizer Nathalie Ricaud is Singapore’s Answer to Marie Kondo

What does your daily routine look like, mamas? Tell us, we want to know!

Thanks to Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix, sorting through your junk and getting organised is suddenly all the rage the world over. This has been a welcome development for longtime Singapore resident (and professional organiser) Nathalie Ricaud, who launched Get Organised & Beyond more than five years ago and has been preaching the life-changing benefits of decluttering and organising schedules ever since. In fact, back in 2015 she even helped our Senior Editor, Kate organise her own home work space (and dispose of about a metric ton of stray papers).

If anyone is going to have an interesting daily routine, we figured it would be a professional organiser. Seriously, mamas, we feel calmer just reading through Nathalie’s daily routine and looking at her fab photos. From taekwondo to organising closets to keeping communication open with her teenage son, read on to see what Nathalie’s typical day looks like. And stay for the bonus organising tips and tricks!

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Lead image sourced via Getty

The alarm goes at 6:15am. After my son, 15, leaves home at 6:50am to catch the school bus, I like to take my time to finish my coffee on our small balcony. I enjoy watching the city wake up and hearing the muffled sound of the traffic and of the birds singing. The setting and lighting are ideal for me to do a short meditation, or to have a quiet discussion with my husband.

I try to avoid checking my emails first thing in the morning as it’s easy to lose track of time only to realise one hour down the road that you haven’t done any proper work yet. I tackle one of the most important items on my to-do list for the day, or something I tend to procrastinate on. Today I’m putting the final touches to an article on the #KonMari method.

Exercise is part of my daily routine, at least 4 times a week. I’ve been practising taekwondo for the last 10 years and got my 3^rd dan last July. It not only keeps me fit, although I’ve had to add time at the gym and doing yoga to prevent injuries, but it also forces me to let go of whatever is happening in my life and going through my mind – you’d better be focused if you don’t want to get hurt!

My job is a passion of mine! A passion that started as a child around the age of 10 and that I made into a job by founding Get Organised & Beyond 6 years ago. I basically help families who feel overwhelmed by all the stuff they’ve accumulated in their homes declutter and establish systems so they can create and maintain a clutter-free, organised and peaceful home.

I usually tackle administrative tasks that are not too demanding as I’m physically tired and my brain doesn’t operate so quickly at that time. I also want to be available for my son, even though at 15, he doesn’t need me much. But discussions often come out of the blue, and it’s important for me to be able to give him my full attention when it happens.

I always finish my work day by looking at my schedule for the next three days. I’ll move things around if I feel there’s too much for me to handle. I’ve learned to limit the number of hours of real work I’m planning, as, more often than we think, the unexpected happens, especially with young children. This helps me feel in control of my schedule.

Our helper is a wonderful cook – in fact she won Sassy Mama’s MasterChef award at the 2016 Helper Awards! – so I seldom get involved in the meal preparation. I plan our meals over the weekend for the week ahead and she takes over from there. We make it a point to have as many meals as possible together as a family. This is an opportunity to exchange about our respective days. No phones are allowed at the table.

After our son has gone to bed, I watch short documentaries with my husband as I tend to easily doze off on the couch in front of a movie. Or I do some Sudokus or some reading. Lights are out by 10:30pm.