The Difference Between Declutter and Unclutter

The Super Organizer explains The Difference Between Declutter and Unclutter.
alottofhelp.com/thesuperorganizer
follow on Facebook @thesuperorganizershow 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
It is Wednesday, Febrady, twenty six, twenty twenty five. I'm
James Lott Junior, the super Organizers The SAS Show with
James Lott Junior. We are in our tenth season heading
towards my anniversary show later in the year. Uh, it
was your first time personally coming to this. Hi, nice

(00:25):
to meet you, am. I would you think of organized
would look like? I don't know, but I can tell
you I'm very unique in the business and I've been
so wonderfully embraced by our business and outside of it,
and I've i had a chance to have lots of
experiences because of this. And this leads to my thanks

(00:47):
and gratude that I give before I start every show,
which is very important. I'm a different the very beginning
and it's my history was so I want to give
thanks and you know, gratude to any other black organizers
out there. I know a lot of you and a

(01:07):
lot of them. I know a lot of all of
them out there. When I first started, there wasn't as many.
Now there's more as an organization about it, NABRO they
have they have their own association for Black profession Organizers.
I'm so happy that they're in existence. I'm so glad
to see there's more organizers out there of color period,

(01:29):
and just because it's Black History Month, it's for I'm
just proud to see more black organizers out there, because
organizing doesn't be any doesn't have any color. It doesn't,
you know, love color. And I also want to think
actually the women who were who were not black, but
there were there were, there were women who started this
kind of industry back in the eighties were in the

(01:52):
forefront of organization and productivity, and back then he called
it time management. I'm grateful for you also because you
started a street to help other people. This industry is
all about helping others, whether it's business, personal, professional, home.
It crosses so much stuff and it crosses everything. So

(02:13):
I feel a gratitude to you also for actually starting
a like say, this is in the industry. You can
make money from this, you can help people. We can
teach classes and have conferences and be on television and
write books and be out there. It's all those early
pioneers who are doing that. I'm just I'm you know,

(02:34):
And for me it's Julie Morgistern, So shout out to her.
Still don't never know my show and on the incoming APRO,
which is the biggest, the largest professional organization association, the
National Association Proteining Organizers, the incoming president is black. I

(02:56):
never thought i'd see that, never thought I see it
as She'll be on the show thanks week. We're all
that's all I's learned. That's the all the things. I'm
very excited, very excited. I just can't even tell you excited.
I love that I am going to talk about something
we can continue. We did desk organization last time, and
I want to continue to talk about organization because it's

(03:18):
just so important. Someone said to me, this is this
is inspired a blog post of mine. Actually I have
a presentation on this, but I inspired a blog post
of mine and the show. James. I hear the word declutter.
They're not organizers, say, I hear a declutter, Like, what

(03:43):
does that mean? But did I hear the word unclutter
the same thing? So I thought, that's actually a great
place to start. And I can tell you right now,
unclutter and declutter are cousins of each other, but there
are differences, and so we can talk about that today

(04:09):
on the show. There's some basic terms is basic terminology.
But the basic terminology is so major in the movements
of getting organized. That's right, and that's crazy. That's how
that's how it works. Unclutter my basic definition from what

(04:29):
I've studied and learned and done the last sixteen years
in this business. And I have a definition, smer. I'm
looking because I took notes. I have notes. That's why
we'll make sure I get the points right for you
all at home. Unclutter means removing unnecessary and disorganized items

(04:49):
to a to create a cleaner, organized environment. And I
keep this point. In fact, it often why am I
so dark? They all they'll we have? Is it something
I'm getting getting light? I guess it's the middle the day,
you guys, I'm filming, filming this. It's kind of crazy. There,

(05:09):
I guess a little better. I guess here's a key
component of the difference. So remember this part. It often
focuses on the act of reorganizing and and tidying up
and cleaning up. If you have to reorder stuff of
what you have, it's the act very much of that.

(05:35):
So on it's like so it's like you're you're undoing
the clutter. You're undoing. The key things could be shifting
items that make space function better, moving things around. For me,
it's repurposing and and up cycling, taking something going. Let's

(05:56):
see something I don't think sitting right here, so we're
and eyes on my own anything right here? Oh, I
had milk and this jar. Now it's a change thing.
I put change in here, and can't we see it?
But I put change in here. Now, that's so that's
kind of a repurposing of an item that's I had

(06:18):
sitting here. I love the glass bottle and I didn't
want to throw it out, and it's nice. It's decorative too,
But actually I'm using it for a function. I save change.
I throw a change in there. That's something there, organizing
a story, belongings neatly. It's Uncluttering could be thought of
like like the spring cleaning we do in March, you know,

(06:40):
or you know, after the holiday. It's like it's spring cleaning.
It's kind of tightening up now. Something you remember. Also,
when you clutter, doesn't mean you're throwing away. Does always
means that, So that's that's so. Just keep in mind now, declutter,
because I read this down here, Declutter means making decisions

(07:02):
about what is truly necessary and removing seah. I'll tell
you one that you know discarding donations are selling. I
have an always sort of purpose or bring value. Its
key component is actively reducing the number of possessions. So
un is to to unclutter, and declutter is to also

(07:30):
as to declare, meaning to take things out. There's too much.
Unclutter is I stuff rule for this stuff, but it's
kind of an it's kind of it's all miss all
over the place. Let me find a way to make
it neater and tidier and have it here in its
one little section. Declutter is I have twenty of these,
get rid of nineteen. Now. They claim decluttering is much

(08:00):
more transformative process than uncluttering. I guess, oh yes. But
also taking doing anything in your home, whether it's to
d or un clutter something means to move things around,
to get rid of something that was in a space

(08:21):
that we used to have get there. Maybe you had
all the stuff spread out. You're like, put skin in
my nerves is a room for my partner, my lot,
But now you have to group it together in something
and you're like, I'm not used to that. It still
takes thought t d or uncluttered still takes thought. And
if you're used to people say organized chaos, put in

(08:41):
quote air quotes where my desk is a mess, but
I know where everything is to actually put it all
in tidy that make it all neat And where did
the scissors? Where did I put this a where did
that go? And becomes It's still it's still a thought,
it's still a process. It's still a thought. Decluttering, of course,

(09:05):
one of the major I said things are sort of
purpose any more. People I might only think of Marie
Condo and her tidying up and Camary method, which I've
had on the show for you know about that. But
things bring me joy or not. I do have some
things that stopped working for me, and yeah, I guess
in some form they stop bringing me joy, but I

(09:27):
wasn't thinking of it in terms of that so heavily.
But there are things that that stopped, and there are
things that do bring me joy. I got a new
bed mattress, and I'm very happy with it. It makes
me I have a new couch, it makes me very happy.
My pillows make me very happy. So she's right on
some though, there's some things that make you happy. There
are makes me happy. And I've been uncluttering a lot

(09:51):
of stuff. More than decluttering, I've been actually finding spaces
that actually makes sense and using certain items. I was like, oh, yeah,
I have I have these drawers that were empty, and
I was like, my but and I had, so I
had all these drawers are empty in this big giant
wood buffet. It's like it's from the it's from the
seventies and we love it. We're keeping its a great

(10:12):
condition by something because I took it. So I decluttered
a long time all the crap that was in there.
So I just just drawers open. I was like, why
don't I take some of this stuff off the counters
my kitchen that I don't use all the time, but
I use certain times of the year. Put them in
the drawers. It was like a revelation. So they're being

(10:34):
used and I use them sometimes cause I do cooking stuff.
So there's stuff I can get to. I can use it.
But I don't need them out taking up other spaces.
So I uncluttered them after tea. So I decluttered first,
then uncluttered second, to make sure we get this going.
Uncluttered focuses on organizing rearranging often a lighter, more frequent process,

(10:59):
less emotional challenging which I don't know. That helps maintain
short term tidiness, which in some cases that's fine. I say,
should do stuff that helps your tomorrow self. That means
the future. You want to do something that you do
it now. My client's are is I want work hard now?
Is save you later. But if that's all you can

(11:20):
maintain right now, we've had some really rough stuff here
in Los Angeles, I get it. Decluttering is focusing on
discarding a donation can't be a more intensive occasional process
often deals with sentimental attachments, aims for long term minimalism
or reduce access. I would say that's for both. Let'll

(11:43):
say that's for both. So I like such a course
on this. You can always contact me a lot of
help dot com and I will I can teach the
course to you. But what I will share with my listeners,
you guys are my wonderful valued listener. Part of the
unclutter process is, you know, identify the area. It could

(12:09):
be a drawer shelf by me and doors by a door.
Put like items together, see what you have, and then
organize and arrange it and sometimes you may need an
outside bend or a tray you know you know that's
or just you know many many an aide to help

(12:31):
you organize it through dividers or maybe not. You just
you can actually be fine, and then just try to
if you have to schedule it, even if you have
to put out alarm, try to keep an eye. If
it's something you frequently use, a certain drawer or a
certain shelf or a certain cabinet. I always say at

(12:53):
least once, start out once or twice a month, checking
it out, make sure anything's fine, it's not too crazy.
That's just maintenance. Everything us maintenance. Now, Now when you
want d clutter the same things you got to get,
you got think about a goal. What is your goal?
I want a kitchen that functions when I cook, I

(13:14):
can grab what I need, not to take very little
time to look for it, but also have space for it.
That's a very easy goal. It's a very I say
easy goal, meaning okay, it's very clear. Okay, I got that. Now.
The hard truth is now you figure out how to
make that come to life, and that is going through

(13:35):
everything you have. Do you need five spatch lists? I
learned that throughout a couple. I need them. Do you
need all these forks? You need all these spoods? You know?
All these plates? When was that time you went through
your plates? How many plates do you have? Some get chips,
some get this, But do you have you need eight plates?
It's also a thing too I always talk about, is

(13:56):
you know, it's life changes. Life changes all the time, right,
and and what was needed ten years ago may not
be needed now. Maybe you were married, maybe the kids

(14:17):
were at home. Now you're by yourself, and when you know,
it's about downsizing in general, just like oh I'm any
this huge house, somebody's here anymore, you know, or or whatever,
or doing this to apartment when you're down the same
thing with your uncluttered, decluttered situation. Are you cooking less?
Are you cooking more? Is there a situation in the kitchen?

(14:39):
Is mobility different? Your health and mobility? Do you need
things more accessible to where you are? And no. One
of the things that I had to learn, and I
jump on this all the time. If I were a
shorter client or a taller client, I was like, oh yeah,
I gotta oh yeah, I gotta make things eye level,
like you know, you don't get to the top shelves,
but you can't maybe you can't go on a steps
ladder anymore. So you put stuff way up there you

(15:00):
can just hardly ever use. But you don't get rid of.
There's seasonal. You get somebody younger to come to your house,
you know me, and I take it down for you.
But it's all if you have to look at your
health situation, or if you have kids. You still have
kids now, babyproofing and stuff like that. Is it now
more of how do I where do I keep things?

(15:21):
Where life changes and so your situation changes too, and
how you live changes. Keep those in mind, so how
you live, what your schedule is now you're working all
the time, you're rarely home. I mean all kinds of
things come up, right. You got to make sure that
your kitchen, your bathrooms, your living everything kind of reflects
your lifestyle. They've given time and that's just something I

(15:45):
just I you don't tell that very much enough. Life
does change. It was long, I know, right past your
lessons for today. It's like this nice little episode. I said,
next week, I have a great guess. I'm so excited
I did to have her on. We'll talk more about
why I'm not gonna tell you what it is. I said,
she's will be coming in convert to the name, but

(16:06):
you made know who she is by we're just saying that. Well,
we'll have a great show next week talking about that,
and I guess we continue My tenth season of doing
the show. And it's also my anniversary as just a
host period now my anniversary of the show. My honor
is a host. I started hosting videos and podcasts in
twenty fifteen this week twenty fifteen when I joined after

(16:28):
Buzz TV, and when I was after Bus TV, I
was there for six years and I did over eight
hundred and eight hours of programming. I created all these shows.
I am just flabbergasted at I've continued. I'm still here.
It's a wonderful thing. And I think all of you
at home or work wherever you are, watch and or

(16:51):
listen to these shows, especially this one. This was ten
years old. Also, we couple show to train ten this
year and this is one of them. But I can't
belie events. I'm still here. I'm still here. Good times
about it. I mean, look, celebrate it. We survived pandemics, epidemics,
I've survived personal tragedies, health issues, bals palsy like a

(17:15):
lot has gone in ten years, and you guys been
here with me this whole time, so thank you or nubule,
but either way, thank you so much. The graduale goes
to you also for supporting the show. And I had
all signs of stopping. I have more to say in
this space. I am not done. Check out have articles
all over place, from homes and gardens to apartment therapy

(17:35):
to I'm gonna start posting them on my website, a
lot of heelp dot com. I just haven't done it
because I was just busy dealing with a leaky a
roof that collapsed so here in LA I haven't deal
with that. But I have all kinds stuff coming up
this year that I'm working on. If you want to
hire me for speaking engagement, I'm a keynote speaker. I've
done it many times. I cant about any subject you
want to talk about. In terms of organization, a space,

(17:57):
a self care space must are certified divorced coach, life
coach and talk heights of stuff organization, contact me and
let's talk. I love you anywhere. It's so much fun.
I'm James, a super organizer. We'll talk to you next time.