What’s the difference between decluttering, organizing & tidying?
Decluttering, organizing and tidying are terms that are often used interchangeably, but they are actually quite different. While they all involve improving your space, the “how” and “why” of each activity is distinct and should happen in a particular order if you want to get, and stay, organized.
Step 1: Decluttering
(verb)- to remove unnecessary items from a place
Decluttering is the process of getting rid of things you no longer need or use. This could mean throwing out old clothes, donating books you've already read, or tossing expired food from your pantry. Decluttering comes FIRST! If you don’t do this step first, all you do is shuffle clutter around from one spot to the next and never create enough space for your belongings. The goal of decluttering is to reduce the amount of stuff you have, which can help you feel less overwhelmed and more in control of your space.
Step 2: Organizing
(verb)- to arrange into a structured whole
Organizing, on the other hand, is the act of putting the things you do want and need in their proper place with the use of functional systems. This could mean hanging your clothes by color, setting up a system for handling household paperwork or putting your kitchen utensils in designated drawers. Organizing should always come after decluttering. The goal of organizing is to make it easier to find what you need, when you need it and to make sure everything has a “home”.
Step 3: Tidying
(verb)- to arrange something in a neat and ordered way
Tidying is the third step where you complete quick tasks that help to maintain the systems you put in place during organizing. When everything has a place, tidying becomes a quick action you can do each day to reset your spaces.
In short, decluttering is about creating space; organizing is about maximizing space; and tidying is about maintaining space. If you do these three tasks out of order, or skip one step altogether, you will constantly be spinning your wheels and feeling like you are getting nowhere on your road to organization. That’s not to say you only have to declutter and organize once and then everything will work out. But, if you take the time to do the first two steps thoroughly and revisit them a few times a year, you will find that the only step you have to do daily will be tidying.
How can a professional organizer help with decluttering, organizing and tidying?
As it sounds, a professional organizer is someone you can bring into your home to help you get organized. But, professional organizers also help with decluttering and tidying as well. They can help with any stage of the process, as long as the other stages have been done. Perhaps making decisions about what to declutter is difficult for you so it would be helpful to have a professional assisting with the task of decluttering. Maybe you feel pretty good about decluttering things but you just can’t figure out what systems to put in place in certain areas of your home to help keep it organized. This is when a professional can come in and help you create ways to use your space differently and suggest products that would be a perfect addition to your systems. There are also many professional organizers that help with tidying side of things in the form of maintenance packages. In this case, the organizer has typically already helped you declutter and organize a space and they come in seasonally to help spruce it back up. I highly recommend hiring a professional if any of these areas are frustrating you or leading to feelings of overwhelm. We love to help turn people’s chaos into calm!
Happy Sprucing!
