Tara’s knack for transforming spaces began in childhood, moving frequently across the U.S. and Europe with her chemical engineer dad, stay at home mom and five sibilings. With each move, whether transitioning between large homes or cozy apartments, Tara was amazed by her mother’s ability to create organized and welcoming spaces in just a matter of days. Her mother’s mantra, “Pack one box and take only what you love,” instilled in Tara a profound appreciation for meaningful belongings and the art of decluttering. After earning a degree in history and fine arts from SMU, Tara’s journey led her from San Francisco to Boston and, finally, to New York, where she pursued a rewarding career in education. Known for her meticulously organized classrooms, Tara soon became the go-to person for helping colleagues revamp their spaces. With her three kids now in college, Tara is thrilled to focus on helping clients create welcoming, beautifully functional homes. In her downtime, she loves visiting her family around the globe with her husband and their spirited Labrador, Bear.
Sharon was born in the US and moved to France as a child, becoming fluent in French. After her formative years in Europe, her family settled in New Canaan, CT. Sharon attended Providence College and discovered her passion for marketing, leading to roles in London, Paris, Frankfurt, and the US.
After earning her MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, Sharon and her husband, Tom, moved to New Canaan, CT where they raised their two children. She has organized her home, her children's rooms, dorms, and apartments. She has a unique talent for re-imagining spaces and witnessing the positive impact of these transformations. Even in her volunteer activities, Sharon brings her organizational skills to Planet New Canaan's Swap Shop, making it easy for customers to find what they need.
Professionally, Sharon has managed complex marketing campaigns and led projects requiring meticulous organization. From marketing plans to family vacations, there's not much that intimidates Sharon. Her diverse experiences and dedication make her a force in both her professional and personal life!
Ulrike was born & raised just outside Hamburg, Germany, in a small town where her father was a doctor and her mother commanded a household of six. Her parents both came from large families and her childhood was filled with visits to grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
In college, she studied History, French and Design from 1988-1992 at the University of Augsburg and the Fachhochschule Hildesheim where she received a Fulbright Scholarship for Design. From 1994-1996 Ulrike worked as Art Director at The Lacey Group, Minneapolis, MN and she worked as Art Director at Pluzynski & Associates, Inc. from 1997-1999.
After years of dealing with tight deadlines, she decided to focus on her 3 children full-time. Her husband’s career in the Museum World was blossoming and it was a true gift for her to be able to stay at home. Ulrike's oldest son finished college in May 2022, her middle son goes to "The New School" for Classical Music and her daughter is a Freshman in High School. Her passion is Real Estate Investments: She had the privilege of renovating/flipping small Real Estate Investment since arriving in NYC and she considers it a blessing even though it comes with its highs & lows.
Who knew that she would end up raising true New Yorkers, coming from a small town near Hamburg, Germany - all because of her wanderlust and staying open to the unexpected and to embrace the twists and turns along the road.
I started my career as a style editor at Condé Nast, and moved on to be President of a gallery and photo studio in Chelsea.
Most recently, I’ve collaborated with my partner in real estate development and design. We’ve worked on townhouses in Brooklyn, a farm in upstate New York, and multiple beach homes in New Jersey.
As much as I love to work outside the home, the most rewarding and challenging aspect of my life is raising my four children. They’ve patiently moved with us on many projects and tolerated living in multiple construction sites!
I’m thrilled to be part of the Done & Done and to watch the company grow and prosper!
The living room is my favorite space because we have an open floor plan that overlooks Brooklyn Bridge Park and the NYC Bridges. It’s the perfect room to entertain family and friends because while I’m cooking, we can all hang out together and enjoy the view.
People might have guessed that Stephanie would eventually become an organizer. In high school, she kept a record of every outfit that she wore on a piece of paper in her closet! Fast forward several years to when Stephanie met her husband Dan – set up by their respective Croatian families. Six homes, three children + one dog later, Stephanie lives in Connecticut with her husband and their three children. Stephanie keeps busy organizing their two college boys and high school daughter. When not working, she enjoys swimming, rowing, biking, gardening and volunteering with Meals on Wheels, the New Canaan Garden Club, the Congregational Church of New Canaan and Waveny Care Center. Stephanie is very thankful for team members Lise and Louise for helping to bring her on board!
As a young girl growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, OH Judy would marvel at her grandmother, who every time she visited, would clean out and reorganize her parent’s refrigerator. She inherited the organizing gene and enjoyed cleaning out and reorganizing her bedroom in between school terms. Much to the delight of friends and family she has carried on the tradition of her grandmother by leaving them with the gift of a reorganized linen closet or pantry after her stay.
Judy graduated from Miami University in Oxford, OH with a B.A. in International Relations with a concentration in Political Science and History. She immediately moved to Washington, DC where she lived for several years before moving to NYC with her husband. She had a career in politics and marketing before becoming a stay at home mom after the birth of their triplets. Over the years she has worked as a small business consultant and fundraiser at her children’s schools.
Judy enjoys working with clients in finding homes for their special things and helping them realize a more organized home. She is looking forward to transforming her own family apartment into a adult family living space now that her children are college bound. Judy lives in Prospect Heights Brooklyn and near Hudson, NY with her husband.
Born and raised in Montreal, Gail embodies the character traits of a true Canadian, nice, helpful, with a sense of humor. As a young girl, Gail would organize her grandmother’s dresser drawers during visits to her apartment. Gail loved their interactions as she worked. Making improvements to someone’s space and listening to the stories of their life proved to be a meaningful experience.
Many years later, Gail chose to study Architecture and got her degree at McGill University. In New York, Gail learned the ropes working for an Architect, designing and project managing high-end residential projects in Manhattan.
Gail delights in collaborating with others to re-imagine a space and then witness the impact of the transformation on someone’s life. She brings her architectural skills of space-planning and visioning, and her enjoyment of brainstorming with clients and a team, to her work with Done and Done. Gail currently volunteers at the Brooklyn Public Library, assisting the Curator of Visual Art Programming on rotating exhibition projects. She lives in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn with her husband, also an architectural designer, and daughter, who is almost off to college. There is always an improvement project to work on at home.
Jeanne was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri but also frequently visited her dad and new family in Northern California. All that traveling for parental visits had its many perks, as Jeanne quickly learned how to master the art of packing the essentials into a suitcase and make a nest fit for any bird.
Jeanne earned her BFA from Syracuse University and later moved to NYC where she worked for artist Kris Ruhs making jewelry for Bergdorff Goodman, Corso Como 10 and private clients. She also started her own accessories business making eye-glass chains which sold in Henri Bendel’s, Robert Marc Opticians in NYC and Rodeo Drive in LA.
Jeanne attended the School of Visual Arts post baccalaureate in Art education and went on to teach art to children ranging from preschoolers to 8th graders until she married her husband Fred. Jeanne has extensive experience with all aspects of the home, from purchasing, selling, designing and renovating. She has designed and renovated many projects in her own home while also helping friends declutter, organize, and make decorating decisions. Jeanne also had a 12 year real estate venture in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It also doesn’t hurt that according to astrology, her birth chart has 6 houses in Virgo, making her exceedingly detail oriented!
Originally from the South and educated in the Midwest, Louise moved to New York after college. With a can-do attitude and lots of energy, she worked in sales for clothing manufacturers selling to everyone from major department stores to golf pro shops. Eventually Louise left the city for Connecticut and raised/managed/organized four children, one husband, countless pets, moves and renovations. These days she still volunteers in town (Meals on Wheels, National Charity League and the New Canaan Garden Club) but has found as her children have grown, she has much more free time. Louise is now thrilled to be able to bring her organizational and management skills, positive attitude and high energy to work at Done and Done.
Born and raised in Denmark, Lise came to the United States for a six month visit in the 1980s in order to improve her English. She met the man who would become her husband within two months of arriving and lucky for Done and Done, she stayed. After graduating from UConn with a degree in Design and Resource Management with minors in Psychology and French, she eventually settled in New Canaan where she raised her two children. After years of homemaking and extensive volunteer work (Red Cross, National Charity League, Girl Scouts and NC Garden Club) Lise’s friend, Macky Hennessy, suggested she reach out to Ann and Kate and bring her organizing talents to Done and Done. Lise did her training hours in record time and very quickly became an invaluable member of the team.
Macky Henesey was born and raised in Seal Beach, California. She grew up playing competitive tennis, swimming, running and was a recruited field hockey player at UC Davis. When the beaches beckoned she returned to southern California to graduate with a degree in Psychology from Cal State Long Beach. She then ventured east to begin a career in public relations and advertising in Washington, DC. She met her husband Mike there and they moved shortly thereafter to New Canaan, CT where they’ve lived and raised their three children over the last 25 years. Macky has organized her home, her three kids rooms (repeatedly!), countless dorm rooms and parts of many friend’s homes. Macky has volunteered extensively and her work has spanned from the New Canaan Garden Club to the Waveny Care Center to National Charity League. Professionally she’s taken on the reorganization of a filing system in a law firm’s Westchester County office. Having organized everything from lace to lawsuits there’s not much that intimidates this one!
We didn’t have to search far when we were looking for someone to start up our marketing department. Meg Koett comes to us by way of family; sister to Ann and aunt to Kate, her hire was a no-brainer. We needed someone who knew us well enough to represent our brand and who better than a woman who has literally been there since day one?
Meg is a graduate of Ripon College, but decided early on to work from home while raising her two children. The co-founder of Jam Custom Handbags, Meg learned how to work with clients, how to advertise a brand and how to sell products online. After a successful run of five years, Jam closed their doors and Meg was available to put her knowledge to work for Done & Done.
Favorite space: My favorite space in my home is my exercise room. It’s very small but it has a ton of natural light so I always feel better after spending some time in there working out and getting my thoughts together!
Emilie Barrientos is a born and bred New Yorker. With close ties to the Eastern end of Long Island, Emilie has an appreciation for both city and country living. With an early love for organizing in her closet-sized NYC bedroom, Emilie never tires of the satisfaction of decluttering one's life, both physically and metaphorically. Emilie received her Bachelor's degree from Connecticut College where she pursued her love of dance. This took her to lead the marketing department at Dance Magazine prior to joining the Done & Done Team. Though Emilie needs only one winter coat and one set of pans, she values the importance of those sentimental silk scarves from grandparents and those gosh darn hand written letters. Emilie lives in Manhattan with her husband and their dog Max, and is poised to continue to delve deeper into the power of human connection and building community.
With a background in event management and hospitality, Lauren recently transitioned from planning and executing corporate meetings and special events to professional home organization. Lauren uses her trademark skills of problem solving, creativity, and flexibility to help Done & Done clients. She excels at logistics and operations, and her attention to detail means that projects go smoothly from concept to completion.
Good at wearing multiple hats, Lauren is adept at responding quickly to changing circumstances, always maintaining an upbeat, can-do attitude. As the Client Experience Manager, she specializes in customer service that nurtures positive, productive relationships with both clients and suppliers.
With a degree in Art History, Lauren has also had the opportunity to work onsite at various cultural institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Gracie Mansion Conservancy, and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (Pafa).
Lauren holds a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College and a certificate in meeting planning from Temple University. Lauren, her husband and her two young daughters recently moved and she is excited to renovate, decorate and apply what she is learning at Done & Done to create a more organized home.
Meri was born and raised in New Jersey. After graduating from Lafayette College with a BA in English Literature, Meri began her career working in ad sales in New York City. She then ventured to the West Coast to explore all that San Francisco had to offer. Meri built her career in the Bay Area and spent over 12 years working for a large tech company in advertising sales, business operations, and client services, where she also met her husband Darby. After many years in San Francisco, they purchased their first home in Oakland which is when Meri realized her passion for home interiors and her desire to create functional and beautiful spaces. As their family grew, she tackled many remodels and design projects in their 1920’s East Bay home. When Meri and her husband decided to move back East to be closer to family, Meri de-cluttered, packed and staged their home which expedited the sale and increased the value. She is currently (and slowly) remodeling their NJ home one room at a time.
Meri has always enjoyed helping friends and family problem solve, organize and brainstorm ideas, and brings to Done & Done her expertise of project management, attention to detail and love of organization!
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Room By Room Decluttering Tips For Busy Professionals
We know that not everyone has the luxury of setting aside extensive periods of time to declutter their belongings. Whether you work remotely, spend hours commuting to your job or just find it impossible to get a handle on the chaos in your home, we have some quick tips to help you declutter, even when you have zero time to spare.
Habit Stacking
Our basic advice when you don’t have a lot of time to devote to decluttering is to habit stack. Not sure what this means? Basically, habit stacking is the process of incorporating a new task on top of one that you’ve already established into your daily routine. Below, we’ll explain how this can work in each room of your home so you can make the most of every spare second you have. While you may not see an immediate transformation when you implement this practice, over time, your home will feel more organized with less effort on your part.
Kitchen
For many people, the kitchen is the room they spend the most time in. Whether you’re cooking for yourself or multiple family members, if your kitchen is disorganized it will definitely cause you unneeded stress. But the good news is it’s one of the easiest rooms to implement a habit stacking routine.
The first thing you need to do is evaluate your daily habits – do you make coffee every morning, brew a cup of tea, make breakfast for your kids? By recognizing what you do every single day, you can determine a good place to implement a new habit. For example, if you spend every morning scrolling on your phone while your coffee is brewing, a better use of that time would be to clear off your counters, wipe them down, and edit your belongings. Sure, you’ll only have about 5 minutes but even if you don’t get your counters spotless on day one, after a week, you’ll see a noticeable difference. And the more often you spend 5 minutes focusing on this task, the less you’ll have to do while getting better results.
Bathroom
The bathroom can be an interesting challenge because while you spend a lot of time in there, your routine likely doesn’t have much room to add another habit. In the mornings, you’re rushing to get ready for work and at night, you’re probably beat and just want to get to bed. But there are small changes you can make to boost the organizing level in several areas.
Similar to the kitchen, your counters will benefit from some daily attention. The key is to get as much of your lotions and potions into drawers or under the sink as you can. The less you have to work around, the cleaner and less chaotic your counters will be. So initially, you may have to take half an hour of focused time to sort and edit your cosmetics and products. At a minimum, put your favorites into a small bin that you can move aside all at once, wipe down the space and then put it back. If you’re a good multi-tasker, you can handle all that while you brush your teeth!
Also, taking a few minutes (literally) to wipe out your sink and clean your mirror after you’re finished with your routine will mean you never have to set aside a huge chunk of time to clean your bathroom. Key to success is to have the proper supplies at your fingertips, so either a basket of rags under the sink or some disinfecting wipes will make the job effortless.
Living Room
There’s one way to habit stack in your living room that will lead to dramatic change, but everyone in your family needs to get on board. And that tip is – never leave the room empty handed. Whether it’s dirty dishes, shoes, paper clutter, pet toys, electronics, etc your living room can become a dumping ground for all the random items in your home. If you and your family members can make a habit of taking one thing out of the living space every time you walk out and putting it where it belongs, your living room will get, and stay, decluttered.
Main Bedroom
Studies have shown that the less clutter in your bedroom, the better your sleep will be. So effective habit stacking is especially important here because it can have a positive impact on your health and disposition.
In your closet, we suggest keeping a bag or box for donations so you can easily incorporate decluttering into your daily routine. If you’re getting ready for work and you pass over a shirt that you haven’t worn in months because it doesn’t fit, it’s itchy, or the color isn’t right – don’t pass by it one more time. Take if off the hanger and put it into your donation bag. If you do this consistently, you’ll never have the overwhelming task of going through your entire wardrobe because it’s full of things you never wear.
If the furniture in your bedroom tends to collect reading material, paper clutter or cast off clothing, consider habit stacking with just one item a day. Perhaps part of your routine is to grab your purse last thing before you leave your bedroom for the day. If you can add just one task – hanging up a shirt, grabbing a piece of mail for recycling or putting one book back on the bookshelf, your room will become the calm and soothing space you need for a good nights sleep.
Kid’s Bedroom
Depending on the age of your kids, habit stacking is something they can be included in and it’s an excellent way to teach independence without overwhelming them. Just as you would do for yourself, help them identify their routine and then find a place to stack a new task. For example, between brushing teeth and putting on pajamas they could pick their stuffed animals off the floor. At the same time, you can ask whether there are any toys they no longer want and if they’d be willing to donate them (or edit yourself if they’re too young to make decisions). Teaching your children early on about letting go of things they no longer love, want or need is a lesson that will last a lifetime.
Dining Room
If you’re lucky enough to have a dining room, keeping it decluttered and organized can be tricky. If you use it for entertaining, you may not spend a lot of time in there on a daily basis, so incorporating a new habit can be challenging. And if you use this space as more of a home office/homework station/craft area, you may spend a majority of your free time here. In either case, a well organized dining room is possible!
If you use your dining room for entertaining, consider incorporating a habit stack into a weekly routine, rather than a daily one. For example, if you have a cleaning chore that you do every few days such as vacuuming, dusting or mopping, include a quick sweep through the dining area to make sure it’s decluttered. If there are items that belong elsewhere, move them as you go about your cleaning routine. By adding this task to ones that already exist, it won’t feel like an added burden.
On the other hand, if you utilize your dining room as more of a home office, a daily habit stack will be more effective. At the end of your time in the room, before you turn off the light, choose three things that could be recycled, filed or thrown away. The goal is to find small things you can do every day that will build up into bigger wins as time goes by.
Storage Rooms
Storage rooms such as basements, garages and attics are spaces that you likely won’t declutter on a daily basis. That doesn’t mean you can’t implement a habit stacking routine! Let’s take holiday/seasonal decorations as an example. If part of your routine is to bring bins full of decorating items down from your attic as the seasons change, incorporate decluttering as you pull things out. Check to make sure you still like an item – if you’ve chosen not to use it the last couple of years, it can likely be donated. Then, declutter again as you put things away when the season is over. Perhaps there’s something you displayed because you weren’t ready to donate it but after looking at it for a few months and not loving it, you can donate it rather than packing it up.
Apply this same logic to all of your storage areas. When you’re in your basement, attic or garage, take a couple of minutes to declutter just a few items at a time. These spaces can be extremely overwhelming because it’s where items go when you can’t make decisions about them and decluttering the entire area can seem impossible. If you do it in bite size pieces as you live your life, rather than tackling it as you’re ready to move, your future self will thank you.
Utility Closets
For habit stacking purposes, we’re referring to utility closets as the ones you don’t use daily. So your linen, front hall, cleaning supply or mudroom closets would all be included here. As they’re likely not top of mind since you don’t use them consistently, it’s important to implement decluttering when you do use them. Grabbing clean sheets to change your bed? Take just five minutes to edit your pillowcases. Pulling your raincoat out for the first time in the spring? Go through your umbrellas and trash the broken one and donate the one with the business logo you never use.
Change Your Habits, Change Your Life
The examples are endless but you get the idea. 5 minutes here and there, added to what you’re already doing can literally change your life. If you feel like you don’t have time to have a decluttered and organized home, you may need to find small periods throughout your day rather than big chunks of time that never materialize.
If habit stacking is too slow for you and you need a transformation asap, contact us today! We can declutter your entire home in a fraction of the amount of time it would take for you to do it on your own. Our team of experienced professionals has seen every situation imaginable and handled it with ease.
