The Truth About Home Organizing: It’s Not What You Think
So many people have been misled by popular and social media into thinking that professional home organizing is something that it’s not. Take The Home Edit, for example. I do not have a problem with The Home Edit. In fact, I am instantly drawn to and cheered by bright colors, so their rainbow organizing theme is aesthetically appealing and joyful for me. My eye is also drawn to things that are well-ordered in visually appealing containers.
But I’m also the kind of person that, if I’m sitting at a café table that’s not at a perfect 90-degree angle, I need to straighten it before I can relax and focus on the person I’m with. Also, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, while bright rainbow colors might give me joy, they might be a total turnoff to someone who prefers more muted earth tones.
Social Media vs. Reality
There is also the fact that social media is a lie. By and large, people are putting their best foot forward and displaying something beautiful for you to see that most likely does not reflect the reality of their day-to-day life. This is absolutely true of home organizing. Unless you are able to commit a majority of your time to maintaining a color-coded, perfect-looking system in your home, then that is simply not realistic. And who wants to spend all their time that way anyway?
No. This article is to share with you what professional home organization is truly about, and it’s almost never aesthetics.
The Real Reason People Call a Professional Organizer
In my experience as a Chicago home organizer, most people who contact me are experiencing emotional and psychological distress as a result of their things. In most cases, this situation has been building for months, if not years. They likely have tried to correct the problem many times and in many ways, to no avail. If they live with other people, there is likely conflict in the home as a direct result of their stuff.
It’s also likely that they are missing out on activities as a result of the situation:
Missing vacations or events to stay home and deal with stuff
Ceasing to host family and friends for gatherings because they are embarrassed about the state of their home
Struggling with a move and realizing that every square inch of storage—closets, attic, basement, and garage—is stuffed full of years' worth of deferred decisions, and the thought of downsizing or packing it all up gives them a panic attack
You see where I’m headed with this: home organizing, at least as it concerns me, is rarely about making things look pretty. Rather, it’s about stemming the tide of stuff and getting real relief from something that has been tormenting you for a long time.
Function Over Aesthetics
Secondly, home organizing is about creating more function and ease in your home. Our homes are there to make our lives easier, not more difficult. Yet, sometimes the way they are set up makes this very difficult.
For example, perhaps you need a battery for a flashlight but cannot find the right size because you do not have a designated place for storing batteries. As a result, they are littered throughout the home in various “junk” drawers and cabinets. This is incredibly common. Now extend this scenario to almost every category of item in a home, and you’ve got complete chaos.
That’s why the typical American spends 2.5 days looking for things in their home each year. This, too, is very stressful.
So, do I love pretty boxes, bins, and color coordination? Yes, I absolutely do. But do you know what I love even more? Mental health and functionality.
When I need something, I like to be able to lay my hands on it immediately without searching, digging, and having things topple on top of me.
I like to feel peace and relaxation in my home after a long day of work.
And I like others to feel this too.
This is what I help people achieve as a professional home organizer.
My Process as a Professional Chicago Home Organizer
My process always starts with a needs assessment so we can identify what’s not working and clarify your goals. This is followed by decluttering and categorization of items.
A typical workday for me looks like this:
I see two clients, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
I bring large blue IKEA bags, which I buy in bulk, to each appointment.
I typically leave my morning appointment with my car so full of donation items that I need to drop them at a donation center before my afternoon appointment.
Once we’ve fully decluttered the spaces in question, we move onto reorganization. That’s where I help you find the best homes for all of your remaining items.
For example, batteries:
I make sure ALL of your batteries are located in one place.
I ensure this location is the most convenient and logical spot for when you need one.
If necessary, I use a shoebox or purchase an attractive, perfectly sized container to keep those batteries from moving all over the drawer and getting lost under other things.
This is the purpose of containers: to make your life easier. If they are also well-made and attractive, all the better. But you can use old baskets, boxes, and containers for this purpose too.
The Common Pitfall: Buying Products Before Organizing
It’s very common for me to start with clients only to find that they’ve purchased many organizing products over the years in an attempt to solve their clutter problems. Unfortunately, this usually only adds to their clutter problem and rarely helps.
That is why I never start a session focused on the products clients will need. I have no idea what products they will need until we have done the other steps. Put simply: you can’t organize clutter. If you try, you will fail.
The Two Biggest Roadblocks
Two scenarios can make it hard to complete or maintain this process:
Difficulty letting go of things: If a client cannot bring themselves to declutter, they will likely continue to have the same problems. I can guide and remind them of their goals, but ultimately, the decision is theirs.
Shopping addiction: If someone has a true shopping addiction, they may refill their newly decluttered and organized spaces in due time. That’s okay; it just means they might need additional support beyond a home organizer.
The Future of Home Organizing
People often assume they are the only ones with a “secret” clutter problem. They think home organizers are mostly sorting books by the colors of the rainbow. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Clutter and “stuff management” is becoming a nearly universal problem in American homes.
I predict that one day, it will be as normal to have a home organizer as it is to have a cleaning service, nanny, or lawn service. We live in a consumer-driven culture where we are marketed to almost constantly. The good news?
Once you’ve spent hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on a home organizer to transform your home from cluttered and chaotic to peaceful and functional, you will change your consumption habits. Watching years of impulse purchases leave your home in giant blue bags is eye-opening.
Home organizing isn’t just about tidying up—it’s about reclaiming your home, your time, and your peace of mind.