Declutter Vs Rearrange Clutter: The Mistake You Didn't Know You're Making

Decluttering is a necessary project for many people who might find themselves crammed in by too much stuff. And when you go to alleviate the problem, you might make a crucial but common mistake: buying organizing and storage products before you actually do the hard work of decluttering. Without this important step, you just give your clutter a shiny new home when you move it into a box or bin. Not only does this process not help you actually declutter, but it also wastes your precious time and energy. You may even waste extra money on storage solutions you do not really need, which can be avoided if you simply declutter first. After all, fewer items to store means less need to buy storage. 

We've all been taken in by the vision of perfectly organized, labeled, and pristine closets on social media. You might dream about creating the look for yourself and start by getting the bins and boxes to make it happen. The organization aisle in some stores is enticing anyhow, as it evokes promises of a more organized, less-stressed you, meaning soon your cart is full of bins that will hold more than just your good intentions. There are a variety of strategies that work best for decluttering your home, from KonMari to Swedish death cleaning. Each has a different approach toward decluttering, but they all share one core focus: physically removing items from a cluttered, disorganized space, not just collecting them in a new storage container.

The point of decluttering properly is to make a decision about every item, no matter what it may be. If you keep everything in your home and just plop it into bins, then you're rearranging the clutter. You haven't actually solved the problem. Once you decide to declutter a space, no matter how small, start in one area – whether it's a drawer, under your kitchen sink, or clearing off a countertop. Look over everything within that space, and evaluate whether you want to keep it. You can think about when you last used the items and if they're actually serving a purpose. If the answer is no, let them go.

For instance, maybe you want to start by decluttering and tidying your junk drawer. Resist the urge to buy a fancy divided organizer and instead sort through the items first, getting rid of expired boxes of matches, random take-out menus, and anything else that just takes up valuable space. After you finish, you can then use a drawer organizer to corral the remaining things. The same goes for your closet, dresser drawers, desk, and any other space within your home. As you complete each area in your home, consider what type of organization product you might need for the space or whether you even need one at all. You might have decluttered so well that you decide a pricey basket or bin is better left at the store.