What is the first step in the general strategy for solving a linear equation?

1. Start by tidying each side on its own before moving anything across. 2. That means clearing parentheses and combining like terms. 3. Only once both sides are simple do you begin collecting variable terms. _Source: OpenStax Intermediate Algebra (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 "Solving Linear Equations", section 2.1 Use a General Strategy to Solve Linear Equations_