Decluttering your entire home is a difficult, timely and personal process, especially when it involves parting with sentimental items you’ve collected over the years. Whenever you’re editing or organizing, remember to give yourself patience and grace — the process can quickly become overwhelming if you take on too much at once. The good news? Once you set up practical organizing systems, it should be easy to keep your house tidy.
From time management and impulse shopping to getting distracted by social media aesthetics, we’re sharing the common mistakes professional organizers are sick of dealing with. Plus, they’re offering simple solutions for avoiding these major no-nos.
Trying to Declutter in One Day
From cluttered entryways and crowded kitchen cabinets to overflowing closets, clutter may accumulate quickly — but it takes time to declutter and organize.
“Many times, clutter stresses people out to the point where they feel like they need to get rid of it immediately,” says Sarit Weiss, founder and lead organizer at Neat & Orderly. “Organizing is a process of planning, decluttering and implementing, which can take longer than expected and cause people to burn out and abandon the project altogether.”
SOLUTION: Start with small, achievable tasks and take regular breaks. Create an organization schedule that involves tackling one room at a time.
Tidying up Clutter Instead of Tossing It
Always start by decluttering, which allows you to purge your belongings and free up space. “Many people try to organize without getting rid of unnecessary items first, and it can end up being a waste of time and feel very frustrating,” says Elsa Elbert, organizing expert and founder of Composed Living.
“If you constantly feel like you’re picking things up and relocating them, it might be because tidying doesn’t work without organizing first,” adds Laura Kinsella, founder of Urban OrgaNYze. “Tidying is helpful for daily maintenance, but without an organizational plan, it becomes a draining, never-ending cycle.”
SOLUTION: Address the root of your challenges first, whether it’s eliminating unwanted items or investing in storage solutions. You’ll find that daily tidying becomes far less exhausting.
Taking Everything out of Drawers, Closets, Etc.
While clearing out a closet or all of your kitchen cabinets can be helpful for categorizing, it can also create stress. “Many people believe they need to empty everything out of the space they are organizing,” says Nichole Gehman, professional organizer and founder of Organize by Designe. “This applies to linen closets, bathroom drawers, dresser drawers, master closets, etc. This can be a huge mistake because they become overwhelmed, quit, then feel like a failure.
SOLUTION: “Try focusing on just one drawer or shelf at a time. This approach helps you avoid feeling overwhelmed, allowing you to accomplish more,” says Gehman.
Focusing Too Much on Aesthetics
Before shopping for chic organizational products your favorite influencers are promoting online, consider if they’ll actually improve your everyday routine. “While social media can offer eye-candy-like inspiration, it’s crucial to ensure those ideas truly fit your daily needs and intuitive habits,” says Kinsella. “Organizing is a deeply personal process that requires understanding your own routines, challenges and preferences to create systems that are intuitive and easy to maintain over time.”
SOLUTION: Create practical organizing systems that enhance your daily routine, then make those systems as aesthetically pleasing as possible.
Rushing to Buy Organizers
“We often see clients purchasing bins, baskets or other storage solutions before understanding exactly what needs to be stored,” says Elbert. Without a clear sense of what you’re organizing, these items will end up adding to the clutter rather than solving the problem at hand.
“I see this all the time — I’ve even done it,” adds Bohne Leah of Be Organized Method. “It’s so common to rush out and buy the organizational product when we get the urge to organize… Then we get home and find we have too little or too much stuff to fit, or we simply didn’t get the right thing.”
SOLUTION: Declutter and categorize before shopping for storage solutions, like bins, baskets and organizers. Once you are ready to invest in organizing products, always measure to ensure they maximize your space.
Creating Systems That Are Hard to Maintain
Whether it’s an overly complicated bathroom organizer (hint: way too many sections) or heavy bins at the top of your closet, organization systems don’t work long-term if they’re difficult to maintain. Items you use regularly should be accessible, so it’s easy to quickly put them away — even when you’re in a rush.
Especially when it comes to your closet, pantry or kids’ spaces, you should always anticipate getting more items. “A big mistake is not planning for future growth,” says Janelle Lam of Straighten Up Home. “Your space needs to be flexible enough to accommodate more items down the line” — or else you’ll get stuck in a cycle of constantly re-organizing.
SOLUTION: Invest in the proper storage solutions, considering your current lifestyle and whether they can grow with you in the future. Make sure everyday items are accessible and easy to put away when you’re done.
Not Giving Items a Practical “Home”
Again, a big part of maintaining an organized home is organizational systems that actually work long-term. It shouldn’t be a hassle to store your makeup after getting ready in the morning and it shouldn’t take long to return spices to the kitchen cabinet. “Make sure the place you designate for your items is the most advantageous place for them,” says Weiss. “For example, if you keep your pots and pans at the far end of the kitchen away from the stove top, it can be impractical to walk each pot to the stove.”
SOLUTION: When designating a home for every item, make sure that item can be quickly and easily returned “home” — especially if you use it on a daily basis.
Letting Clutter Accumulate, Again
“Organization is not a one-and-done task, but an ongoing lifestyle,” says Kinsella, who periodically rethinks her organizational systems, especially around the holidays. “If your space feels overwhelmed and categories start overflowing, it’s a clear sign it’s time for an edit. Respecting your space’s limits and reassessing boundaries as new items enter keeps everything manageable.”
SOLUTION: A daily reset is so important! Once you have everything in place, spend a few minutes each day putting things back where they belong.
Alyssa Gautieri (she/her) is the associate lifestyle editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers all things home and interior design. Prior to joining GH in 2022, she wrote for publications including ELLE Decor, Chairish, BobVila.com, Unique Homes Magazine and LODGING Magazine, in addition to crafting product copy for home brands like BrylaneHome and VIGO Industries.
