About

Hi there! Welcome to Almost Practical.

My name is Neena Nandagopal and I am a CPA turned professional organizer and blogger.

I am a former member of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers – both the National and Connecticut chapters).

On this site I share my best tips for improving your organization and personal productivity.

These include ideas for

• home organization,
• time management and productivity,
• organizing paperwork and digital organization,
• managing a busy family including organizing your kids.

Because I know first hand about how much time meal planning and preparation take – I also include a section of easy recipes on this blog.

On the home front – I am married to my wonderful husband, have four amazing young adult/teenaged children, and a Shih-Tzu fur baby.

My superpower is being spatial – somehow I can always pack a lot of stuff into a small space.

When it comes to road trips – I'm the one that packs the trunk. 😉

How to Work With Me

I offer professional organizing services for homes and small businesses in the Fairfield County CT area, and virtual organizing with clients in other geographic locations.

If you would like to work with me you can click here to schedule a “Get Acquainted Call”.

Why is your business called “Almost” Practical?

People ask me this question a lot.

My friends have always described me with some  synonym of “practical”:

• sensible
• responsible
• level headed, etc.

Never wild and crazy or whimsical.

I generally take it as a compliment.

But, honestly, when I think of practical – it sounds so boring.

You see, I do have a creative and somewhat impulsive side that can be at odds with what might be sensible.

And sometimes that creative/impulsive, “just gotta have it” side comes out ahead.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, I go with practical but there is that one percent when you just have to go with your gut.

So, “almost” practical seems perfect.

It gives the impression of reliability but leaves the door open for creativity and doing things that don’t always make the most sense but just feel right.

Think about all the decisions that you make in life.

• You gather all the pros and the cons.
• You narrow down your choices.
• And then you have to pick one.
• Just one.

Generally the last two choices left standing are both pretty good.

So you go with your gut.

When it comes to organizing, routines, and productivity – setting up and following all the processes may seem cut and dry but there is another element to it.

In Marie Kondo’s blockbuster book – The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up – the question that she begs you to ask as you declutter is “Does it spark joy?”.

That’s not practical.

That is Almost Practical.

My Path to Organization

People think that organization and productivity come naturally to me but that is not entirely true.

I have always been attracted to ideas, products, and strategies to keep things in order but there have been times in my own life when the overwhelm has just taken over.

Not too long ago I was a stay at home mom with four young kids and my whole life was sort of a mess.

Literally.

There were 6 people living in our small house and all of our stuff was cluttering up our space and my mind.

No matter how hard I tried to get organized, there were still papers and things everywhere.

I was missing deadlines, due dates, and important events because of disorganization.

One day I woke up and realized that I was spending more time finding places for stuff than I was living life.

Something had to change.

At that point I dug in deep and did a few things:

• First, I gave myself grace and accepted that I was one person and there was only so much that I could physically and mentally accomplish on a daily basis,
• Second, I prioritized the things that I would do,
• Third, I methodically worked through my piles of physical and mental clutter and created systems that I could use to keep the order going forward.

It wasn't easy.

We all have so much to do – and sometimes we look at the mountain of stuff that needs to happen and just think that there is no way that it is all going to get done.

That feeling of being completely under water is defeating.

Once I was on the other side of overwhelm I knew that I could help other people achieve more balance in their life through decluttering – which is why I decided to join NAPO and become a professional organizer.

I hope that this blog will help you find strategies that you can put in place in your own life.

Welcome!

So, allow me to extend a warm welcome.

If you like learning about useful ways to make your life more efficient, be sure to follow along by subscribing to the Almost Practical newsletter.

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