Stop Organizing Your Stuff and Start Facing It

Clutter Is Not the Problem. It’s the Symptom.

Have you ever thought: “If I just got more plastic bins… if I just labeled them better… I’d finally feel more organized and in control”?

I’ve heard this countless times from clients over the years and honestly, I’ve even said it to myself before.

But here’s the truth I’ve learned from decades of designing and decluttering homes:

Clutter isn’t the problem. It’s the symptom.

That’s a hard pill to swallow, especially for those of us who grew up in an era where stuff meant success, security, and status. But let’s be real, no amount of organizing, color-coding, or pretty baskets is ever going to give you the freedom you’re craving.

Because if organizing were the solution… you’d be free by now.

Why Organizing Isn’t the Answer

Let’s be clear: there’s nothing wrong with wanting order.

A well-organized pantry makes cooking easier.A tidy garage feels good when you drive in each day and helps you find things when you need them.A neat closet makes mornings simpler.

But here’s where we get stuck:

Organizing often becomes a distraction.It gives us the illusion of progress without requiring the harder decisions.It moves things from one place to another instead of letting them go.

Think about it: how many times have you “organized” your basement only to realize it looks the same six months later?

That’s because organizing doesn’t address why the clutter is there in the first place.

Why We Hold On: The Emotional Baggage Behind the Stuff

Clutter is rarely about the items themselves. It’s about the emotions and unmet needs beneath them:

Fear of scarcity: What if I need it someday?Guilt: It was a gift from my kids. How could I let it go?Identity: These books show who I am and what I’ve learned.Security: If I have more, I’ll feel safer in case something happens.Love and loss: If I let go of this, I’ll lose the memory that comes with it.

When we only focus on organizing, we avoid facing these deeper emotions. But ignoring them doesn’t make them disappear—it just buries them under neater piles.

👉 If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend Joshua Becker’s The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own.

The Organizing Trap: Perfectionism in Disguise

Organizing often feels productive, but sometimes it’s just perfectionism dressed up in pretty bins.

We spend hours creating “the perfect system” or shopping for the “perfect containers.” But underneath it all, we’re not dealing with the real cause of the clutter.

Perfectionism keeps us stuck because if we’re always organizing, we never have to face the scarier step: deciding what stays and what goes.

A quick story:
I once worked with a woman who proudly showed me her garage. Every tool was labeled, every shelf was color-coded—it looked like a magazine spread. But she admitted she hadn’t parked her car inside for ten years.

Her “organized clutter” still filled every square inch. Organizing gave her surface-level control, but it robbed her of what she longed for: simplicity, space, and ease.

The Moment of Truth

Here’s what I want you to hear: Getting organized might actually be holding you back.

It focuses on appearances instead of transformation.It delays decisions you already know you need to make.It distracts you from asking the deeper questions:Why am I afraid to let this go?What am I really trying to hold onto?What would freedom look like if I owned less?Why Decluttering Is Different

Decluttering isn’t about making your stuff look better.
It’s about making your life feel better.

When you declutter:

You make real choices about what matters most.You face the stories and emotions behind the stuff.You stop rearranging your past and start designing your future.

Decluttering is uncomfortable—but it’s also where the real breakthroughs happen.

My Own Wake-Up Call

Years ago, I was that woman with too much.
A big house. Fancy things. Closets overflowing with clothes I never wore.

I thought organizing would fix my overwhelm. But the truth? I wasn’t willing to face why I kept accumulating.

I believed more stuff would make me happy. It didn’t. The more I accumulated, the emptier I felt.

It wasn’t until I downsized, decluttered, and moved into a tiny apartment that I finally discovered what had been missing all along: freedom, peace, and pure childlike joy.

Owning less helped me value what I had more.

Are You Stuck in the Organizing Trap?

Ask yourself:

Do I spend more time moving things around than letting them go?Am I waiting for the “perfect system” before I start?Does my house feel heavy even when it looks neat?Am I afraid of what I’ll feel if I start letting go?

If you answered yes to any of these, chances are you’re stuck in the organizing trap.

A New Way Forward

Instead of chasing organizing systems, try this:

Start small. Let go of 10 items today.Sit with the emotion. Ask what story you’re telling yourself about that item.Reframe it. Instead of “I’m losing something,” say: I’m gaining freedom.Visualize. Picture the lighter, freer life you’re moving toward.

Decluttering isn’t about erasing your past—it’s about making room for your future.

👉 Another book you might enjoy: The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do by Cassandra Aarssen.

Final Word

Baby Boomers, we’ve reached a season where more isn’t better anymore.
We don’t need bigger houses, fuller basements, or more bins.

We need less. We need space. We need freedom.

Because clutter isn’t the problem—it’s the symptom.
And once you face what’s underneath, that’s where the real freedom begins.

So stop just organizing your stuff. Start facing it.
And ask yourself: Are you ready to stop organizing… and start living?

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