Declutter, systemize and organise

[MrsBird03]

Hi all,

I have been following lots of decluttering threads and religiously watching Sort your life out in a bid to actually sort me life out.

I've noticed on the show and lots of decluttering blogs that people say you can't systemize or organise until you have finished decluttering. Can I ask what this means in reality?

I have gone through every room, removed the items I don't want etc. So now it is time to systemize and organise? What is the difference between the two? And does anyone have any tips for these? On the show, it looks like Dilly goes around with a label machine but am I missing something?!

Thanks in advance, my brain is just feeling overwhelmed l!

A lot of it is thinking about where and how you store stuff. Giving prime 'real estate' space to the things you use most and thinking about how and where you use things and keeping them in sensible places to make it more likely that everyone in the house can and will put things away.

Does it mean
systemise - work out the system
organise - put it in those right places?

I think of it as :
Declutter - remove all items you do want, need, love.

Systemise - arrange your house and storage around your needs.

Organise - put away remaining items into the new storage systems so you know where everything is.

Totally with you on this! Going round each room and must have thrown away/donated hundreds of items at this point but there is still too much stuff in my house

Is systemise having things in a way that suits your household? So in mine shoes always off at the door.
though that’s the only system have!

Is systemise about processes? So laundry for example - how do you sort, wash, dry clothes efficiently? Is there a dedicated space, systems in place for everyone to get their dirty clothes to the laundry without it spilling over the rest of the house. A routine for keeping up with it all? Organisation would be baskets dedicated to each person in the family for their clean clothes, a place to put the ironing etc. Storage for detergents and the ironing board. It's rearranging furniture to get best use out of rooms etc.

I think you do have to declutter - a house can only hold so much stuff and most of us just have too much. It's hard to bake a house organised if you've got more possessions than there's room for.

I've been doing my house for a while now, just getting rid of clothes that don't make me feel good or are scruffy. Putting clothes into storage that I think I might use later on, only keeping each season's clothes in the wardrobe so I can see what I have and not have to sift through summer dresses to locate my coats etc.

It's gradual but you really can't organise when there's too much in the house.

Laundry great example.
obviously I don’t have one for laundry!

Then you haven't chucked enough stuff out.

I find it hard letting go too. Especially early childhood atuff. Way too sentimental!

Ah fab! Yes that makes sense! I think that will be my plan tomorrow maybe starting at the front door and working through how our house works or should work! I guess things like the cupboard closer to the kettle.should be the one for teabags, sugar etc.? Maybe I need to think about the most obvious routes for everyone in the hope it gets stuck to! Task for the morning!

Highly recommended filling dilly on instagram (Declutter dollies).

If it is a psychological reason for the cutter listen to The Declutter Hub podcast.

The Mina list on Netflix is interesting. They do a game where for each date of the month you get rid of that many things. I love it. First 1 thing, 20th 20 things. It has changed our home.

Fab thanks, I think I have successfully managed to pare down the belongings although I'm sure there is always room for improvement. It's the systems and sticking to things, making sure everyone puts things back in the right place or grouping obvious stuff together that I want to nail now.

I mean someone has unloaded the shop and put sanitary towels under the kitchen sink despite there being a basket in the bathroom cupboard.... maybe I just need to declutter family members!

I’m guilty of putting bathroom things in the kitchen.
Watching for inspiration. Systems sounds like a good way to begin.
For me it’s getting ready for work. If I had that system sorted I might feel more organised instead of chaotic.

I just think I've never developed the getting ready for work routine as I'm destined to win the euromillions and become a lady of leisure! Well that's what I tell myself!

😂 yes that’s a good reason.
Someone I know kept talking about winning the lottery and they actually did!

Yes you need to have a good,ruthless clear out first, otherwise organised clutter is still clutter