So you have decided to tackle the project of getting your house organized. Woohoo! What’s the first thing you do? Is it:

a. Go to the container store and buy a bunch of organizing bins.

b. Pick one area of your house and pull everything out to painstakingly go through each item.

c. Hire a professional organizer to do everything for you.

If you picked b, ding ding that would be the correct choice!

Most people think that they need to purchase bins and organizing products before starting an organizing project. However, purchasing any organizing products before decluttering is a mistake. Instead, pick one area of your home and pull everything out of the cabinets, drawers, closets, etc and go through each item one by one. Make five piles (keep, trash/recycle, donate, sell, undecided). Be honest as you go through your things and add each item to the appropriate pile. It is a time-consuming process at first, but it will save you time in the long run. Maybe I’m a weirdo, but I love this process. I find it sooo satisfying and therapeutic. Turn up your favorite tunes, make sure you have a block of several hours free and get to it! When you complete one area of your home then move on to the next. Continue the process until your whole house has been organized. The key is to declutter in sections and complete one section before moving on to the next to prevent feeling overwhelmed. You will feel so good when you are done, I promise. 

Now I’d like to address the other two options. The problem with choice A (purchasing organizing containers) is that it may be unnecessary. If you purchase organizing tools before you know what you actually need, then it makes the problem worse. Also, having bins can sometimes encourage you to hold on to items that you don’t actually need or use because is out of sight. Just because you have a place to store something doesn’t mean you should. 

The problem with option C (hiring an organizer) is that to be truly effective, an organizer needs the client to go through the process with them. Most people will hire an organizer thinking that they don’t have to be involved and that their house will just magically be perfect. While it is possible, it’s just not very effective. Why? Because YOU need to be the one making the decisions about what stays and what goes. Organized clutter is still clutter and a crucial part of the organizing process is eliminating that clutter. An organizer can be there to help you with the process and hold you accountable, but the participation of the client is necessary. 

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home organizing

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