Like a fine wine, your decluttering and organizing skills can improve over time. That’s certainly been true for me. As a 20+ year professional organizer, I’ve:

✔️ learned more tips & tricks

✔️ learned more about my clients’ wants & needs

✔️ learned what works in the real world

The result of all that learning? My STACK method of decluttering. I’ve written about STACK before but let’s review.

S – Space Insight

T – Today You

A – Align & Achieve

C – Clutter Cleared

K – Keepin’ It Great

Where The System Fails

To be clear, STACK doesn’t fail. It’s a proven methodology that works for everyone in every space. Bold statement, I know, but it’s true. However, each step must be done in order. When someone tells me they’ve tried to declutter but it doesn’t work for them, I know they’ve probably jumped right to C – Clutter Cleared. They’ve started moving and discarding things without considering S, T, and A which leads to chaos and not accomplishing your decluttering goals.

What Is Space Insight

The starting point needs to be S – Space Insight. It’s important to have a clear vision of the purpose of each space in your home to get that THIS-is the-home-I-want feeling. Space Insight means considering:

~ What is the purpose of the room or space

~ What are the physical dimensions of the space

~ What are the physical limitations of the space

Purpose of the Space

Thinking about the purpose of your space becomes the guide to what belongs there and what doesn’t. You don’t necessarily have to throw away things currently in that space that don’t match your purpose. If it makes sense to keep them, move them to their proper home.

Pro tip: If you’re just beginning to declutter, it’s possible you haven’t figured out where everything goes yet. That’s OK. Move those items to where you THINK they’ll go and deal with them later. It may feel like you’re just moving your mess around but don’t worry. You’re making a mess to clean up the mess. DO stay on track to keep decluttering and deal with those other areas as soon as possible.

What are the physical dimensions of the space

You may be a total fashionista, but if you share a small closet with your spouse, you’re limited by the dimensions of that space and need to be mindful of what you keep. But, that’s not all bad.

Think about clothes shopping. When you go to a store with racks crammed with clothing, it’s too hard to find what you’re looking for so you head to a store that provides a better shopping experience. It’s more fun to shop when there’s room to see the clothing and easily pull out what you want.

What are the physical limitations of the space

Physical limitations are the characteristics that make a space less usable. Examples include:

~ cabinets that are so deep you can’t reach anything in the back (often seen in kitchens)

~ high shelves if you’re short and low shelves if you’re tall

~ attics, basements, garages, and sheds that are hard to get to or hard to work in

Multipurpose Spaces

It’s OK to assign a non-traditional use to a space. If you live in a small space, you probably have to. It’s also OK to assign multiple purposes to one area although it’s typically best to limit it to no more than three purposes.

Be specific when you’re defining what lives in a space. Sometimes you might think this is a no-brainer. Don’t believe me? Quick . . . what’s the purpose of your kitchen? Did you have a quick ‘duh’ moment? Here’s why it’s important to be specific: sure, your kitchen is probably for cooking. But, it may also serve as family office space if you have a small desk there. By specifying that one of the purposes of your kitchen is to handle family correspondence, when you find office supplies in other parts of the house, you know where they belong.

Another space that can often serve multiple purposes is a guest room. Unless you have frequent guests, this is a great space to use for things like off-season clothing or infrequently used items from other spaces such as the kitchen.

Space Insight Failure Stories

Wondering what happens if you skip over Space Insight and go straight to decluttering? Let’s take a look.

Space Insight is the cornerstone of decluttering. By defining the purpose of each room and understanding the physical constraints of your spaces, you set yourself up for success. While it’s okay for a space to serve multiple purposes, maintaining clear boundaries ensures your home remains functional and clutter-free. Take the time to consider Space Insight–I promise it will save you time and frustration in the future. 💖