Decluttering Vs Organizing: What's The Difference & What's Right For You?

Decluttering and organizing tend to go hand in hand and you've likely seen more than a few articles on the value of doing both. While they go together, organizing and decluttering aren't actually the same thing. Decluttering involves removing unnecessary or unwanted items from your house, while organizing involves creating a system for storing and accessing those items you've opted to keep.

Both decluttering and organizing can give you a calmer and less overwhelming home, but only decluttering will actually give you fewer possessions. It's therefore generally recommended that you declutter before you begin organizing. By first removing the unwanted or unneeded items, you can then design a system that makes sense for storing and categorizing the belongings you've opted to keep. Of course, if you already live a very minimal lifestyle and don't have any unwanted or unneeded possessions, then you can simply jump right to organizing, but for the rest of us, at least a quick declutter is generally best since it helps you avoid storing items that will never be used.

There are a variety of different decluttering methods, from the classic KonMari method created by Marie Kondo, to the dramatically named Swedish Death Cleaning method. The thought process to follow when deciding what to keep and why varies a bit from method to method, with Marie Kondo recommending getting rid of possessions that no longer "spark joy" and the Swedish death cleaning technique focusing more on freeing your loved ones from the stress of dealing with your unwanted clutter later in life or after your death.  Of course, those are far from the only decluttering techniques available, but regardless of the specific method you follow (if you opt to follow a specific method at all), the goal is to part with objects that are no longer serving you and no longer have a place in your life or your home. Be sure to go through all your possessions when doing a thorough declutter, including those stored in basements, garages, and storage centers.

Decluttering doesn't mean you should just throw everything in the garbage, though. Really, few, if any, of your items should end up in the trash. Instead, look for ways to donate when possible. You may even find that you can sell some of your things you no longer want and make a few dollars off of your unwanted items.

Once you have the possessions you want to keep, you're finally ready to begin organizing. You may have thrown similar items into piles together during your decluttering process, but now is the time to figure out the best way to store them. While there are a variety of stunning organizing and storage products available, you don't necessarily have to buy anything to organize. You likely already have totes, baskets, and boxes, and thanks to your decluttering efforts, they should no longer be overflowing.

When organizing, be sure to think about when, where, and how you use your items and create a system that is practical and realistic for you to maintain. Storing holiday decorations in the kitchen year round while utensils and other everyday items live in the basement isn't likely to work well or last long. Once your items are decluttered and organized, be sure to be thoughtful and intentional about bringing new objects into your home, so you don't immediately end up filling your house with new clutter.