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Thinking about decluttering and organizing your home? Organizing and decluttering are two closely related activities, but they are not the same. Nonetheless, many people tend to mix them up. They may use the terms interchangeably, approach them in the wrong order, or think that one is vastly more important than the other.

Given that, you already know my stance on this matter. Neither organizing nor decluttering is more “important” than the other. Both are important activities, and they go together like bread and butter.

Having said that, I would say that most people probably overlook decluttering more than organizing. This is easy enough to understand. There are a lot of videos on YouTube showing off clever organizing ideas.

There are also more products to sell related to organizing than there are for decluttering. You do not really need any special supplies to declutter; a few plastic bins or bags to sort out the items you are getting rid of and take them to the thrift store is sufficient. So more people are motivated to produce content which pertains to organizing than decluttering.

Basically, organizing just sounds more fun. And in general, it is a lot more enjoyable to find places for your treasured possessions than it is culling through those possessions trying to figure out what you do and do not really need.

But you will never truly get organized at home if you do not first begin by decluttering. You will have too much dross in your way. You will waste time organizing stuff you have no use for, and never get around to organizing the items you do use. You also may still end up with a “cluttered” look because you just have too much stuff in your life.

I am not a minimalist in general—I enjoy my possessions. So when I tell you that decluttering is something important to do before you try to organize, it means a lot more than it might coming from someone who enjoys getting rid of stuff.

When you declutter, the following good things all happen:

• You ultimately spare yourself from a lot of ongoing, unnecessary organizing work.
• You re-evaluate what is important to you. This may help you cut back on unnecessary acquisitions going forward.
• In some cases, you may rediscover possessions you forgot about and realize you do not want to get rid of. They can then bring more value into your life.
• The things you no longer need can go to someone who does need them. No matter where you live, there should be a thrift store nearby where you can donate.

So whether you declutter your home in 15 minutes a day or take some other approach, it will pay off in big ways.

Remember, this does not mean that decluttering is “more important” than organizing—but it does come first. Once you have decluttered, you will finally be ready to organize effectively for a beautiful, functional home!