Danica Carson, creator of Hack Decks™, specializes in creating simple and effective ways to help others live their lives with less stress and more enjoyment. Focusing on pain points such as getting organized, becoming a mother, going off to college, and coming up with fresh ways to connect, Hack Decks™ provides a shortcut to a happier, easier life.
You hear professional organizers use the words clutter and declutter all the time. But what do they mean?
According to a Google search, the following definitions apply:
Definition of clutter
Clutter means mess, jumble, litter, heap, tangle, welter, muddle, hotchpotch, hodgepodge, mishmash, confusion, medley. I prefer the word confusion to mess. I even like hodgepodge and mishmash. You see, cluttered is the way we feel when things are out of order. It causes confusion.
Which brings us to the second part of the definition: disorder, state of confusion, and litter. Again, I focus on disorder and state of confusion. When things are out of order (disorder) they cause a state of confusion. Removing the confusion is the next definition we will explore: decluttering.
Definition of decluttering
The definition of decluttering is the process whereby you decide whether the things in your environment are clutter, and if not, where they belong in your home. Acting on that decision is part of the decluttering process. The process of decluttering will help you make permanent changes and enable you to understand why you have clutter in the first place. Is it because of a lack of time, indecision, or something else? Going through the decluttering process will help you determine the answer to this question.
The job of the professional organizer is to make order out of chaos
The job of the professional organizer is to create harmony and order out of disorder and chaos. This includes reducing what makes your space messy. It also includes removing that which is not useful or does not bring you happiness, and over which you have deferred making decisions. A lack of decision-making is often the cause of things piling up around your home, within your environment, and may even extend to places outside your home.
Professional organizers can help
As a professional organizer, I believe that clutter is a symptom and not a cause. Clutter is a result of not making decisions, or not making the right decisions (no judgment) about the things in your space. Reasons for failing to make these decisions include lack of time, facing the anxiety that clutter causes, or living with someone who prefers to keep things the way they are.
What is important to note, however, is that clutter is about how you feel in your space. Everyone has very different ideas about what constitutes a cluttered home. For some, a cluttered home can be when there is a chair in a room piled with clothes. For others, it can be when they realize they are having to create pathways through their stuff.
Clutter is different for everyone
Clutter is different for everyone, and only you can decide what constitutes clutter in your environment. Having the help of a professional organizer can help with the decision process. This helps you let go without guilt, shame, or any other emotions that come with decluttering. Professional organizers also help you feel good about what you’ve decided to keep and assist you in finding the proper home for your items within your environment.
A common factor in people wanting to declutter is that they often feel overwhelmed or “suffocated” by their space. Your home should be a place where you can breathe easily, and the stress of the day falls off your shoulders as soon as you cross the threshold. Your office space should be somewhere you feel efficient, productive and in control. At home, it is a place to unwind and feel calm, rather than stressed and anxious.
Call in a decluttering expert to help you figure out how to declutter
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it may be just the time to call in a decluttering expert. The Uncluttered Life, Inc. offers in-home and virtual decluttering sessions. Our virtual sessions are conducted by FaceTime and are a convenient and inexpensive way to get your space in order. Contact us to get a free evaluation of your decluttering needs. We are always happy to help create order out of chaos.
Read more from Danica Carson
Danica Carson, Co-Owner and Creator of Hack Decks™
Danica Carson is the Co-Owner and Creator of Hack Decks™, a line of prompt cards designed to simplify life and reduce stress. Hack Decks™ is owned by The Uncluttered Life, Inc., a boutique organizing company based in Dallas-Fort Worth specializing in optimization, efficiency, and home function. The flagship product, Declutter Deck®, was created as an exclusive tool for clients to get and stay organized in all aspects of the home.
