The difference between clean and organised home

Having an organised home seems to be a hot topic at the moment. I’ve noticed that there is a bit of confusion and misconception between a clean home and an organised home.

The process of organising and cleaning are often grouped together, as if they are one and the same. If I asked you to describe an organised person, you may conjure up an image of a person with an immaculately clean home and a thoroughly used day planner. These individuals can be organised, but not always. The scope of organising is so much wider.

In reality, a clean home and an organised home can be very different things

You can have a clean home which is organised.

You can have a clean home which is disorganised.

You can have an organised home which is untidy or dirty.

You can have a disorganised home which is untidy or dirty.

Why is this?

According to the Oxford Dictionary, to organise (or organize) is to arrange systematically or to create order, where the word clean refers to something that is free from dirt, marks or stains.

Narelle Todd, former President of the Australasian Association of Professional Organisers (sadly, now defunct) defines being organised very succinctly and I really like her definition.

Being organised has nothing to do with the cleanliness of your home or how often you use hand sanitiser. Being organised simply means being able to find what you want when you want it.

An organised home has organising systems in place so the home and life of those living within the home functions in the way they need it. The benefit of having an immaculately clean home diminishes quickly if you are not able to find the items that you need when you need them.

There are many more benefits of being organised. It can create calm, can reduce your anxiety or stress, give you more control over your life and most importantly can give you more time to do the things you enjoy doing.  You can read more about the benefits of being organised here.

Sounds good and would love to become more organised – but not sure how?

I can teach you. There is no one size fits all answer. Everyone is unique with differing life circumstances, therefore everyone’s approach to becoming organised should be unique – but I can assure you that it is a learned skill and everyone can learn to become more organised.

My passion is teaching others to become more organised. During a professional organising session with The Organising Bee, we tailor our service to meet your needs and structure the professional organising session to meet your individual organising goals. Depending on your goals, we can support you to declutter, sort your belongings and put in place organising and storage systems which are practical for your needs and lifestyle.  We can also help you to manage your schedule. A major focus of each professional organising session is on guiding you and teaching you strategies so at the end of the project you not only have a beautifully organised and functional space, but have new tools and strategies to help you to stay organised.

If you are located in Canberra and interested in booking a professional organising session with me, you can do so here. If you are not located in Canberra, there are a lot of very talented and experienced Professional Organisers all over Australia. You can find one in your local area by visiting the IOPO Professional Organisers directory or Find an Organiser Directory.