When you hear the phrase “decluttering and organising your home,” you may feel apprehensive. It sounds like a lot of hard work, and the idea of completely purging your home and living with the bare minimum doesn’t appeal. No! That is not what decluttering and organising your home is about. You should feel zero guilt about owning things. Think of it more as a home edit. Doing a home edit and getting organised can drastically improve your quality of life.
In today’s article, we look at the philosophies and mindsets of Instagram organising divas Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin. Clea and Joanna are co-founders of the home organisation company, The Home Edit, and they also co-host the Netflix series ‘Get Organised with the Home Edit.’
Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, who are organising influencers, star in a Netflix reality show, where they transform clutter from both celebrities and regular families into functional organised spaces.
Organisation vs. minimalism
Organisation is often confused with minimalism, when, in fact, they are two very different things. As Shearer and Teplin put it, “You might define minimalism as living with less, while organisation is an efficient and orderly arrangement of things and tasks. Minimalism is a design style and a lifestyle choice. Being organised doesn’t mean having less; it means being careful about what you own.
The home edit.
Editing your home should be a feel-good task, after all, as Shearer and Teplin put it, ”You should fill your home only with things you like, need, or find sentimental.”
When assessing whether to keep a particular item, ask yourself if you truly do like it, need it, or if it is sentimental to you. For example, yes, I do still really like this blouse (although I haven’t worn it in ages), or yes, these batteries will come in handy one day, or yes, my wedding dress is very sentimental to me. But if you’re unsure about an item, it’s time to go.
The golden 80/20 rule.
One of Shearer and Teplin’s core beliefs is, “It’s okay to own things!” You should feel absolutely no guilt about owning things that make up your life. However, this does bring us to one of Shearer and Teplin’s most important philosophies—the golden 80/20 rule. Shearer and Teplin further explain that you either acquire the item or the space, but not both. Unfortunately it is just simple science—an object takes up a certain amount of physical space, and inevitably even the largest home will one day run out of space.
To avoid this ‘bursting at the seams’ D-day, Shearer and Teplin say you should live by their 80/20 philosophy. Keep your home no more than 80% full and reserve 20% for breathing room. Clea and Joanna describe an overly full home, a bit like overeating. It is uncomfortable. “If you have no breathing room, you have no options, and that is no way to live.”
Tips on how to avoid running out of space.
Shearer and Teplin suggest a few tips to make sure you don’t run out of space:
- Never buy more hangers. You get what you get, and you don’t complain.
- Contain everything so you know when you’ve exceeded your designated space.
- With every new purchase, ask yourself, “Where is this going to live?” If you don’t have the answer, it doesn’t go home with you.
- Set aside time once or twice a year to revisit and edit your home.
How to organise your stuff.
No matter how large or small your home is, we all have to contend with physical things. We all battle with where to put them, what to do with them, and how to contain them. Shearer and Teplin say the best way to organise any space is to make it functional first and then as pretty as possible. If you solely focus on enhancing the aesthetics of a space, it may not function effectively, resulting in a chaotic mess.
When considering smart systems, it is helpful to think in terms of zones, the boundaries that will contain your different kinds of stuff,” say Shearer and Teplin.
Not only do zones give items a designated space, but they also hold you accountable not to exceed that space. Shearer and Teplin suggest following their three-zone principles to make sure your organising system works:
- Contain the entire category. Don’t separate like things. For example, arranging some snacks in one section of your pantry and others in another. You’ll risk losing items or buying duplicate items because you can’t see what you have in one glance.
- Establish a flow that makes logical sense. Your goal is to create an order for your zones that’s logical to follow. For example, your skincare routine cabinet or drawer should flow from your morning routine to your night routine.
- Consider who is using the space. Where and how you position your zones is important. Do you need to keep items on low shelves so that children can reach them, or should you place items on high shelves to keep them out of children’s reach?
Not only do zones provide items with a designated space, but they also hold you accountable for not exceeding that space.
Contain the entire category together. Don’t separate like things. This way, you won’t lose items or risk buying duplicates.
Fineline is the perfect partner to help you organise your home.
Fineline Wardrobe Solutions is the ideal partner for organising your home. We are the masters at built-in storage solutions, not only in your bedroom but anywhere in your home. Think of storage in a hallway for linen and towels, pantry storage, storage in your bathroom, or even in your garage. In any space that requires storage to organise things—we are the professionals. Our built-in cupboards are customised and made to measure, so they fit in any space, and the internal configuration of shelves, drawers, or hanging spaces is designed specifically for your needs.
Storage that is functional and beautiful.
Fineline’s cupboards not only function effectively and systematically, but they also have a strikingly beautiful appearance. We only use sliding doors across our cupboards. Sliding doors save space and work well in tight areas. Our sliding doors can be finished with any colour or material, from mirrors and glass to solid-coloured melamine or wood veneers. A combination of materials can also be used to create a unique look. Once you have cleverly organised your things in your Fineline cupboard, simply slide the sliding doors closed so that your home looks elegant and tidy.
Organising for how you really live.
As Shearer and Teplin believe, “It’s okay to own things as long as you respect your items and your space. Cramming things into corners and overstuffing drawers is not a solution.
Now that you’re feeling motivated, resist the temptation to throw everything on the floor in your kitchen. Like all projects, if you bite off more than you can chew to start, it probably won’t succeed. Shearer and Teplin’s advice is, “Starting small and working your way up is the best way to ensure a successfully organised space.” Organising a single junk drawer might seem like a small project, but it can be just as transformative as organising a large space.
For more information on how Fineline Wardrobe Solutions can create the perfect storage solution to help you organise your home, give us a call today!
For more creative tips and ideas, look at our trendy blog.
