NAME: Shelina Jokhiya
AGE: 44
INSTAGRAM HANDLE: @decluttrme
JOB TITLE: Professional Organiser
Originally from the UK, Shelina has lived in Dubai for over 15 years, where she founded her home and office organising company DeCluttr Me. Shelina discovered she had a natural gift when she was a child, spending hours organising cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs and her huge collection of Madonna memorabilia into simple systems. While school teachers admired her organised files, it wasn’t considered a career choice, and she was encouraged to study law.
After reading law at university, Shelina became a solicitor working in London and Dubai for companies, including Bertelsmann and Emirates. Despite her success, Shelina knew her heart was elsewhere. She never gave up on her dream of becoming a professional organiser and decided to take the leap, launching DeCluttr Me in 2013, the region’s first licenced, professional organising service. For the past ten years, she has been helping clients declutter their space to find their items in less than five seconds. Her first book “Can You Find it in Five Seconds?” was a natural next step on her mission towards helping people lead more relaxed, motivated, and productive lives – free of clutter!
What are Shelina's key #LIFELESSONS
#LIFELESSON – 1
Always carry a notebook – a physical one or on your phone would do. Write down your thoughts, reminders, shopping lists, inspirational quotes, pending tasks, goals, or anything. Most people will not remember what they were thinking a minute ago, let alone 10 minutes prior, especially if it was a seemingly small thought, so jot it down somewhere as soon as it occurs to you.
I have the memory of a fish, so I’ve always had a notebook to hand. This skill was invaluable when working as a lawyer and attending short meetings or having quick chats with my previous boss. She taught me the art of writing everything down and it’s become a permanent and much-needed habit.
#LIFELESSON – 2
Declutter all the time. Even a professional organiser like myself must continually declutter and I have been doing it since I was young. Whenever I don’t need, like, love, or want something, it goes into the pile for donating, recycling, upcycling or rubbish. It is not always possible to do, especially when dedicating my time and effort to my business, but I try to allocate time every few weeks in one area of my home and life.
I feel lighter once I have decluttered. The newly organised space allows me to take stock of what I have (and sometimes don’t have) in my life. I also apply the ‘buy 1, get rid of 2’ rule so that I can declutter as I go, especially when buying a new item of clothing or a pair of shoes. I even declutter my electronic devices to help me feel less overwhelmed when looking for or sorting messages.
#LIFELESSON – 3
Remove toxic people from your life
Anyone that drains your energy and makes you feel down in any way is not good for your soul and mental well-being. I have had to declutter (I know harsh but true) people from my life over the years. From being bullied in the corporate world, to petty jealousy when I started my business; it has been a negative uphill struggle. By removing them I was able to focus on myself, my family, my friends, and my business. Time is limited so it’s best to spend it with the people who care about me, as much as I care about them, and we can lift each other up and share positive energy.