DECLUTTERING AS A BUSINESS

People who help individuals declutter their life are called Professional Organizers and as the name suggests – someone who organizes objects and spaces (physical or digital) as a profession or the technically accurate definition of National Association of Productivity & Organizing (NAPO),

• A Professional Organizer supports evaluation, decision-making, and action around objects, space, and data; helping clients achieve desired outcomes regarding function, order, and clarity.
• A Productivity Consultant supports evaluation, decision-making, and action around time, energy, and resources; helping clients achieve desired outcomes regarding goals, effectiveness, and priorities.

Yes, it is a real business with real opportunities albeit not a well-known profession in Singapore or Malaysia. It’s a concept that we are all familiar with, considering how families have the annual cleanse before the new year. Not to mention the trending KonMari method of sparking joy. 

This is a bigger problem for many young families than it was decades ago when families had bigger houses with more space. With the COVID-19 stay home order, mess is further magnified as we spend all our time at home and scramble to stash our dirty laundry before that important Zoom Call. once beloved items become an eyesore as they clutter up the space leading to poor mood and low energy.

There is no “best” way to start decluttering, all the professional organizers recommend to just start, pick a section and start categorizing the clutter into categories. The number of categories differ by each organizer, but the bare minimum seems to be these 3 

1. keep, 
2. let go, 
3. maybe.

However, each organizer has their own philosophy behind their method that helps clients get settled for life by building the right mindset to make these habits that last a lifetime. For example, Marie Kondo’s is to only keep items that spark joy, which I believe is one of the biggest reasons her method became so successful. It considers the emotional ties with the item instead of just when was the last time it was used. 

Of course, there are other professional organizers who have different philosophies that also achieve results of decluttering such as “the most organized man in America” Andrew Mellen’s Organizational Triangle and Shira Gill’s minimalist ethos. 

Although decluttering is often seen as a personal endeavor at home, it is actually also a popular service sought by corporations that need help organizing their workspace to increase work efficiency.

Decluttering has also been promoted to improve mental health. An uncluttered mind is a clear mine and this comes by clearing out the clutter in life, freeing up your mind for what matters most. 

Inspired by Marie Kondo, I once set about decluttering my own home, a cosy apartment in Damansara. Instead of finding it a chore, I discovered layers of emotion attached to the layers of clutter. Some were playful, annoying, and some were pieces of nostalgia. Deciding what to keep and what to let go was some of the most emotional moments I had in that month. In the end, having disposed of some, and packed up others for long term storage, I rented a car and drove my boxes of nostalgia to a storage facility nearby. At the end of it, my entire apartment, and a part of me felt like a new start in life had begun.

Professional organizing is only the beginning and there are so many ways to branch out further. You may  even opt for interior design where you take a proactive approach to optimizing your living space to stay organized.

This is the best time to dive into decluttering. Without meaning to, you could find yourself turning this passion into a profession. Try clearing out all the non-essentials items from the space you spend the most time in the day temporarily and see how that makes you feel. If you feel good and energized, it is high time to reevaluate what stays at home.