Decluttering vs. Organizing: Why You Need Both—But in the Right Order

We just had the most fun decluttering for this awesome couple in completely life transformation. She and her husband are up and moving to Belize! WOW Im in live change envy.

She wanted to provide her friend and co-workers and opportunity to buy anything she was not taking with her. So we got to work.

We had to separate out what was important and what had to go. Lucky for us we had an entire basement to work with and set up take zone and a go zone.

While this situation may not be your exact situation the steps still apply when decluttering and getting organized comes into play.

When it comes to creating a calm, functional home, the words decluttering and organizing often get tossed around as if they mean the same thing. In reality, they’re two distinct steps—and understanding the difference can be the key to transforming chaos into clarity.

Decluttering Comes First

Often we go into peoples homes who have spent a tonne of money investing in organizing tools without even knowing what they need. Before you even think about buying new bins or rearranging your shelves you need to start with decluttering. This process is letting go of items that no longer serve you—whether they’re broken, unused, or simply don’t fit your life anymore. Decluttering is about making decisions: what stays, what goes, and what gets donated or tossed.

To move quickly and efficiently on this step its important to have helpers. One to keep you focused on decision making only and the other to help with the bagging , boxing and removing of the no longer needed items.

The goal is to pare down to the essentials and the things you truly love. When you declutter first. When you declutter you are creating space. When you have space your items are easier to see and easier to categorize and organize.

Tips for Effective Decluttering:

• Start small—one drawer, one shelf, or one category at a time.

• Sort items into categories: keep, donate, sell, or discard.

• For the keep items, start creating zones or categories, like with like.

• Be burtally honest about what you use and value.

Decluttering is a one-time decision for each item. Homes are living breathing things. Things come in and things go out. Keeping on top of simple decluttering and organizing are key to staying on top of things.

Organizing Comes Second – Creating systems and process.

Once you’ve decluttered, it’s time to organize ! This might mean grouping similar items together, labelling containers, or arranging things so they’re easy to access and put away. One of the keys to great organization is to have function. Without sustainable systems that function your organizing system is bound to fail.

You only know what you need once you know what you have to organize, You also need to know where things are going to live.

Once you have a solid idea of what’s staying, you can star to see what you need. Is it baskets, bins, or boxes? What size? Should they be open or closed, stacked or not stacked.

Function Function function – It’s key to ask yourself how you use the item.

Tips for Smart Organizing:

• Focus on function: make sure your system is easy to maintain and fits your lifestyle.

• Label containers and shelves for quick identification and easier upkeep.

Organizing isn’t about making things look pretty for social media. It truly is about making things function for you.

Ive had clients who want their kids lego sorted by colour and others who just want to toss it in a bin and call it a day. Either can work, it depends on you and what matters to you. Do you have the time to maintain a colour coded system? If the answer is not that system won’t be practical or sustainable.

Why the Order Matters

Its important to declutter first or you will end up moving things from one spot to another, never really solving the problem of too much stuff.

I had a potential client call me as she wanted her home organized. EVERY single cabinet cupboard and nook and cranny was jammed. I asked her how much of this did she want to get rid of. Her reply None of it.

Needless to say this is not an organizing project, this is a pull it out , categorize it and jam it back in to an over stuffed cabinet, closet, drawer .etc.

Organizing is truly about creating functional working systems not jamming as much into a space as you can. We turned down the project as there was no way we could fix her problem.

Great organizing systems are intuitive, simpler and more sustainable in the long run. It also saves you time, money, and frustration—no more buying storage solutions for things you don’t even need.

When You Get Stuck

If you find yourself overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to ask for help. A friend, family member, or even a professional organizer can offer support and keep you motivated. Remember: progress, not perfection.

The finish line

Decluttering and organizing are both essential to creating a peaceful, functional home Start by letting go of what you don’t need, then create systems for what remains. When you have Less stuff, organizing becomes easier—and your home becomes easier to clean, more peaceful and more relaxing