So many rules, challenges and styles have emerged; it’s hard to keep up with them all. And so it goes, decluttering is decluttering, no matter what it is called.

The systems would be created to accommodate their lifestyle and ideas would be introduced with the goal of being able to return to baseline with no more than a few minutes of their time each day. Home organizing systems are great, but maintenance of those systems is key to get from clutter to calm.

Decluttering and downsizing are words that you have probably heard countless times. It has practically become a national pastime to engage in one or both activities these days. Although they are often used interchangeably, there are subtle differences between the two and each speaks to its own purpose.

Let me first say this post begins with a somewhat shameless plug. Rightsize Today to Create Your Best Life Tomorrow, by Marni Jameson recently came out, and I am in it. I met Marni a few years back when she contacted me as a professional resource while working on another piece of writing. The subject matter could not have been timelier for me, as my personal and professional lives collided.

For professional organizers, the entire month of January is practically a national holiday. It’s GO Month! In other words, it is Get Organized Month. GO Month is an initiative of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) that celebrates how NAPO members (like me!) improve the lives of their clients by helping them create environments that support productivity, general health and well-being. 

‘You should get rid of that’. In the case of downsizing and decluttering, how do we get out of the way of what we should keep or get rid of? Applying the principles of preference, passion, and priority can help. It’s another tool in the decluttering and downsizing toolbox that helps steer our decision-making toward solutions that are meaningful and intentional.

Another year of learning and growing is in the rear-view mirror. The kiddos have been bringing home worksheets, reports, artwork, event flyers and more all year long, evidence of a jam-packed academic year. But wait there’s more!

Clutter comes in so many different packages. What one person perceives as clutter, another does not. We all define it differently. We have our own tolerance of it, and so the volume of clutter is also different for each person.

Life happens and our best intentions get interrupted, circumstances change, and we need a reset. Sometimes, the organized needs reorganizing.

Clutter is a popular word, and it is often said that physical clutter equates to mental clutter. It also comes in many forms: physical or visible, mental, emotional, and digital, to name a few. It is whatever keeps you from living the life you want to live and from accomplishing what you want to accomplish.