Thinking you can get more organized

This must be at the top of this list because it is probably the number one mistake people make again and again. By getting more organized, you basically bring a ton of pretty containers to “organize” your stuff.

But does it really help you, or are you just justifying buying those cute little boxes MEANT for organizing things in your home? Because even if it looks prettier, it will only add more stuff to the space, which will make the whole problem so much worse.

That’s the thing with this strategy: instead of addressing the issue, you’re simply adding more elements to it and wasting additional time and money in the process.

How do I avoid that?

Decluttering and organizing, as far as I can tell, are two separate things. Decluttering must occur before organizing begins; otherwise, it simply won’t work. If you have too much stuff and that’s the problem, then you need to come up with a plan of “attack” that would involve getting rid of stuff before you even consider organizing what’s left.

Promise yourself you’ll perform a major cleanout of the space before you even consider bringing one more item into your home.

Now, without being the devil’s advocate, I really can’t move on to the next point until I show you these storage bins. Aren’t they really pretty?