We all remember the person in class with the gorgeous, color-coded notes, the highlighters in every shade, and the perfect penmanship. Malinda Moseley wore the badge proudly growing up, even earning praise for a meticulously packed suitcase during summer trips to visit her grandmother.
After college, Moseley spent her career in nonprofits, supporting attorneys through the local bar association.
“My husband is an entrepreneur at heart—I am not,” she admits with a laugh. “I liked the steady paycheck, the 401(k), all the security. But he was really encouraging in getting me to step out on my own.”
With a growing family and a dream to have more flexibility at home, she pursued a career centered around her passion for organization. She quickly learned that her skill was unique and could be a beneficial service for many.
“The thought of doing something you love and getting paid for it was foreign to me,” she says. “But once I understood that it wasn’t easy for everyone, it was a revelation.”
Nest Home Organizing debuted in 2016 as a professional service helping Middle Tennesseans regain control of their spaces. Malinda helps her clients not only bring order to their homes but create a tailored system that makes tidying and upkeep feel more manageable.
“I do an initial consultation over the phone to understand their pain points—what’s frustrating them most, how they feel in their space,” she explains. “If they’re calling me, they’re ready to do something. But it can be overwhelming, so we always start small.”
One of her go-to starting points? The infamous junk drawer we all have.
“Empty it out, sort like with like, and get rid of what you don’t need,” she advises. “Then, create zones for what’s left using things you already have—Amazon boxes, cardboard dividers—before running out to buy new containers.”
If organization is on your vision board this year, Malinda encourages you to press pause before running to dreamy container stores. While we’ve all likely fallen victim to the perfect pantries and random restocks splashed all over social media, buying the latest and greatest in bins and organizers isn’t always necessary.
“I shop within the home first,” she says. “Once I see what they already have and what works for their space, then we can talk about additional storage solutions.”
While professional help is certainly available, there are a few tips Malinda shares for anyone interested in tackling a home organization project on their own: one: start with small spaces, preferably something that’s a pain point, remove everything, then identify what should stay or go; two: understand that home organization is a process, and that the systems put in place now are always changeable; three: create a “home” for everything.
“Once you use something, it should have a designated place to go back to,” she shares.
Organizing can be a daunting task, but homeowners don’t have to go it alone. As a member of NAPO (the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals), Malinda adheres to a strict code of ethics, ensuring confidentiality and a judgment-free partnership for all her clients. And any items no longer needed will be donated to a charity of choice.
“A lot of times, people say it’s just nice having someone there with them,” Malinda adds. “Someone to encourage them, to be a cheerleader. It can seem like a scary process, but it doesn’t have to be.”