Declutter FIRST, Organize SECOND
You may think that just by the title of my blog, Organizing Life With Less, that I am always about just organizing. As much as I LOVE to organize, one thing that I am just as passionate about it organizing my life with LESS. I feel I cannot fully organize our home (which in reality I am never done doing), until I get rid of all of the unnecessary. I have been in this process for a few years now, and I am still not done. In fact, I have a large box in our spare room, filled with items for donation.
I feel the best way to organize, is to declutter first. To start with LESS, so that it is easier to organize in the end. We are all sinking in our possessions, wondering where they all came from. Wondering how in the world, our homes ended up looking like they do. Well, I have to admit, it is the choices we have made, to allow EACH and EVERY one of those items to step foot into our homes.
Here is the problem with JUST organizing:
1. We spend too much time and money looking for the “right” tool to organize with. So we buy more bins. More boxes. More organizers. But all we are doing, is just shifting our stuff from one place to another, in hopes of finding a permanent home for it.
2. Organizing is a never ending job. Think about it – as soon as another item comes into your home, you have to rearrange what you already have, to make this item fit. You are only re-situating all of your possessions from one location to another. Is this your idea of simplicity?
3. Organizing doesn’t stop you from buying more. In fact, organizing can end up making you buy MORE because you are trying to find that right item to make your stuff look more neat and presentable.
That is why I strive to organize my life with LESS. How many of your possessions are boxes, that are maybe seen once a year, if that? We close the lids on the them, shut the flaps, as to hide all of our unnecessary belongings. Out of sight out of mind, right? But what we fail to do by just putting our stuff in boxes is decide what is most important to us. What is truly important? Do you only keep what has value to you?
That is why decluttering before organizing is the answer. Think about organizing a space that has less “stuff”? When you declutter and get rid of items, they leave your home, and you never had to deal with them again! There is a certain level of freedom that comes along with that. That is why organizing your life with LESS, offers a life of simplicity. Your stuff isn’t screaming in your face “organize me” as it sits unused and in the wrong place. Imagine a home of simplicity where every space is decluttered AND organized? In order for this to happen, start the decluttering process first (link).
