Organizing—decluttering will change your life.

I have been organizing and reorganizing spaces since the start of the pandemic. I’ve taken it a step further and it’s become a hobby for me (more on that here, here and here). I know I am not alone in my desire for organization because Instagram’s favorite home organizers have 6.6 million followers! It’s aesthetically pleasing and even has kids wanting to “organize” their spaces1.

This experience of being in a constant state of trial and error of organizing and optimizing spaces for the past 3 years has finally yielded me the life-changing benefits of “organizing”, and I am not done yet! Because of my organizing efforts, I can comfortably host people whenever I want, travel more easily, have more free time to do my hobbies, operate at a lower stress level, and was able to move at a moment’s notice.

The benefits are worth the work but it isn’t always easy. And it definitely doesn’t happen overnight, or in a 20-minute episode on Netflix. Professional and DIY organizers say the most difficult parts of their projects include figuring out where to start, finding the time, and finding affordable ways to get it done. Hopefully, you started organizing last week with your underwear drawer and got a dopamine hit that is lingering this week. Let’s celebrate that and keep it going with 3 ideas to help you prime your brain to be ready for your next dopamine hit by way of an organizing project:

1. Find your “why”

Honestly, when I started organizing I didn’t know why I wanted to. And that’s okay. It’s okay if you don’t quite know yet either. I now know what I gained from minimizing my extra belongings and can now better articulate why this was important for me to do.

Here are some of the reasons I hear about why people want to simplify, minimize, downsize, and/or organize their possessions:

For your loved ones.

This one is a bit morbid but stay with me. Inevitably, when people pass away their loved ones are left to sort through their possessions. If you have been through this process before, you already know it is not easy. This is a hard task made even more difficult while you are navigating through the process of grief that comes with the passing of a loved one2. Similar to planning a will, taking care of your physical possessions while you are living will ease the burden on your loved ones who are left to clean up after you. I promise you that this will benefit you while you are living as well, but it certainly is an added perk to rest easy when you’re gone.

To ease the stress at home.

I have vivid childhood memories of scrambling in the mornings while rummaging through my belongings to find the right outfit for the right sporting practice. I do not wish that feeling of panic on my worst enemy. Throughout my young adulthood, I struggled mightily with keeping track of my phone, keys, and wallet. These are little things that amounted to unnecessary turmoil in my life that expanded beyond the walls of my home. There are other hidden ways that clutter curses us that are harder to realize including your own happiness, relationships, time, self-confidence—not convinced yet? Watch or listen to The Real Cost of Clutter.

To enjoy what you have.

Do you feel like your space is shrinking? It’s just not working the way it used to? Instead of looking to upgrade your space, you might need to pair down your belongings. Get creative. Investing time into analyzing your possessions and enjoying what you have has the potential to save you enormous amounts of money- from saving the costs of an expensive move to furnishing a larger space. Focusing on enjoying what you have will also curtail spending habits as your shopping habits shift.

Stress-Free Hosting.

Are you stressed when friends and family stop by with little warning? Relatable. Need a backup location to host book club? You can do it! Why? Because your house is as calm, cool, and collected as you are and it feels good! Having your home organized with systems in place that make sense for you will make hosting a breeze. All you have to do is hang up a banner to host a birthday party? Sweet!

For Financial Freedom

As noted above, living in a small space helps you keep costs down. Decluttering and organizing will help you optimize the space you have making it more comfortable for you, for longer. You will also curb your spending habits as you learn to realize buying unnecessary things is working against your desire to be organized.

You might be able to take your stress-free hosting to the next level and be able to host your own home on Airbnb or VRBO when you are out of town. If your area has a big event that generates a lot of visitors this might be a worthwhile side hustle. Especially if your home is already in great shape after decluttering- maybe all you will need is a lock on a closet door and you will be good to go! If your home is really polished you can rent it out for hours during the day for business meetings and photoshoots to occur in.

To prepare for a move.

People move all the time, and they should. There are a million different reasons to move and it doesn’t take much to realize that it is much easier to move if you have less stuff. Especially, unwanted stuff. The added stress, expenses and energy to move stuff that you don’t want is not worth it. If it no longer makes sense for you to live in a large home that you once raised your family in- you can move. If relocation presents itself to you, imagine the freedom of not worrying about what to do with all of the unwanted stuff. Ditch it now and move more freely in whatever direction is right for you. Even if you don’t move, you will reap many benefits of living in an organized environment.

2. Understand that organizing is a moving target

You do not wear the same size clothing your entire life, and you do not always have the same interests. Your career, the people you live with, habits, and hobbies will all evolve. That’s one amazing part of being human. We are incredibly adaptable and can morph into many different environments and situations.

We need to allow what we surround ourselves with to evolve and change alongside us. You will declutter and organize now and it will be a huge accomplishment- but your work won’t be done. You will fall out of love with rock climbing and decide to invest in some specialty bakeware to nail your sourdough bread recipe. With all of these shifts, the way your space is organized will have to change in order to keep your life in an optimized state.

It’s easy to watch an episode of reality TV where lives are transformed in 22 minutes and want that. I’m here to tell you- that’s not the case. And even those beautifully organized spaces can be set up destined for failure if you are not invested in evaluating the way you need those spaces to continue to work for you. Let’s focus on making our home work for us instead of always having to work for our homes.

3. Focus on shifting habits

People tend to believe that they are either organized or not. This fixed mindset isn’t going to work for you. You can be an organized person if you want to be. And you will be better for it.

While you slowly but surely organize everything in your home, you will slowly and surely reap the benefits of having an organized home. Don’t believe me? I decluttered my phone last January and reduced my screen time by hours every day. After decluttering my pantry my grocery bill has decreased and I have reduced food waste. I’m eating healthier and exercising more. I’m all around more conscious about my spending habits- with how I spend my money, time, and energy. I want this to be your experience, too.

I promise that if you commit to focusing on the little things you will make progress towards shifting your life in the direction you want it to trend towards.

You will be able to:

• Manage your laundry cadence
• Manage all of the dishes in your kitchen
• Feel good in all of your clothes
• Prioritize how you spend your time
• Save money, and work less, and
• Decrease decision fatigue

Just be warned: It will take time. It will not happen overnight. But, if you stick to it, and focus on changing your habits- it will happen for you.

Maybe you have another idea of why you want to declutter and get organized.

I mentioned the benefits that decluttering has had for me. Since I have simplified my kitchen accoutermente and pantry I have been eating healthier and working out more. I even sleep better at night. It’s hard to understand how so much good can come from something as basic as simplifying possessions. I didn’t know exactly why I wanted to simplify when I started. Here is your homework: figure out your “why”.

Love ya,

Laine

1 More accurately stated, my middle school students wanted to “organize” their stuff but what they actually wanted was 7 of each item they owned in different colors so they could be “organized”.

2 Decluttering after the passing of a loved one is an enormously difficult task. If you are at the beginning of your decluttering journey, I would never recommend starting with sentimental things. If you must because of an imminent timeline, consider walking through the space you are responsible for decluttering and choosing 1-2 things (don’t be too rigid here if it is too difficult!) in each room or area you are in charge of and saving only those things. If you can, allow other loved ones to do the same. Focus on things that remind you of the person or that person held very dearly, especially if they are irreplaceable and useful. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking about the monetary value of things. Stay tuned for more on this because I have some ideas on how to deal with heirlooms and other more sentimental things.