The Home Edit Life and Why It Actually Works
I reorganized my pantry this week.
I reorganized my closet the week before that.
I’m moving through my house and organizing every door, closet, and crevice.
Why am I doing this?
Well, it all started with a book.
Last month, I read the book, The Home Edit, and I have to say, I’m hooked.
Let’s Talk About Clutter
In America, we have a serious clutter problem. Most of you, when looking at a space in your home, would come to the conclusion that your house has clutter.
Now, don’t get me wrong, clutter is a part of life.
Throw kids in the mix, and clutter increases more than what you think.
But, listen, it doesn’t have to be the focal point of your life.
Remember that.
Your clutter does not have to control you. I am realizing that now, and I have to say, it’s life-changing.
It's scary to think most Americans believe their house will always have clutter.
11.1% of households across the country rent a storage unit. This means some people don’t even have the space in their homes for all their stuff.
Also, 54% of Americans are overwhelmed by the amount of clutter they have, and 78% of those people do not know what to do with it.
Many people are doing what I did for years.
Putting random stuff in random-ish places, hoping you’ll be able to find it again.
Mothers put a lot of pressure on themselves to keep a Pinterest-esque home.
The internet really doesn’t help with that.
Social media reality is the edited version of life, and not realistic or manageable.
That’s why I always felt inadequate when it came to organizing. In my mind, I thought if I couldn’t reach the standard of perfect organizers, then I shouldn’t do it at all.
Being stressed out by living in your own home is a real thing. Because our stress is directly proportional to the amount of stuff we have.
Do you ever get the overwhelming urge to throw everything out?
Ever feel like throwing all your kid's toys out and starting over?
How about the junk drawer that lives in every American household?
Don’t you want it all to go away?
I promise you’re not alone.
The Home Edit Life
I read a book called The Home Edit, and it is literally changing my life.
I’ll explain the process and tell you why it worked so well for me, and why it’ll work for you too.
Step 1 - Take Everything Out
Take everything out of the space you plan to organize.
Literally everything.
This was always something I skipped when I organized a space.
I would tell myself:
“I don’t have the time..”
“I can’t face the mess when it’s all spread out..”
“Maybe I can make it just clean enough without taking everything out..”
I’m telling you right now if you are thinking the same thing I was while organizing a space…
Stop.
And take everything out.
It works.
Something happens when you force yourself to face the chaos and mess.
You are forced to look at the completely emptied space and begin to envision what will be able to fit into the space.
If you give yourself enough time, things will begin to fall into place.
Step 2 - Pare Down
This is such an important step.
Have you ever looked in your closet and found those jeans you continue to hold onto?
Maybe they’ll fit one day, maybe they won’t.
But, you continue to hold on to them. You’ve moved twice, and the jeans traveled with you, not once have you worn them in ten years.
Let them go.
Those stale chips in the pantry?
Throw them out.
The hat you received as a gift but never wore?
Give it away.
These items are getting in the way of things you actually use and want. They are clouding your space and making it more difficult to find what you need.
Did you know that the average American spends 2.5 days a year looking for misplaced items?
This continues to happen because many Americans have a hard time paring down.
We hold onto things.
We carry our baggage with us in the form of clutter.
I’m totally guilty of it.
In the past few weeks, as I am paring down my belongings, I am finding a new sense of peace that I didn’t know was possible.
I didn’t believe I could be an organizer, ever.
So, if you don’t believe you can organize, just know if I can do it, so can you!
Step 3 - Put Into Categories
After you have gone through your things and pare down, it's time to put your items into categories.
The Home Edit helped me with this because I would often get stuck on how to group things.
The book divides your house into sections and gives you possible categories depending on the area of your house.
For example, when I reorganized my bathroom, the book recommended the categories:
bath and body
face
dental
hair
It also has examples of more specific categories for each space if it works better for you.
I found this helpful because I would often be too specific or not specific enough with my categories. This would lead to putting items into categories that didn’t make sense for everyday use.
I would continue to misplace items, and because there wasn’t an established system, the space would soon be chaos, once again.
Sigh.
This book is the resource you need if you have "category fatigue" like me.
Believe me, there is hope for us!
Step 4 - Organize in bins
After you have your items in categories, decide what kind of bins you’d like to organize your things in.
You do not have to break the bank, I promise you!
Organizing items to look for while shopping:
Clear bins in several sizes
Clear trays for drawers
Lazy susans
Hooks for hanging
Wire baskets
Places to look for organizing supplies:
Walmart (they sell The Home Edit storage bins)
Target (Brightroom and Up&Up)
THE DOLLAR STORE! (small clear bins, buckets, etc)
Amazon (they have just about everything)
Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
It just has to work for you and your household.
Consistency is key! You’ve got this.
My favorite organizing supplies:
Step 5 - Label
Don’t forget to label!
This is now my favorite part of the organizing process.
As soon as everything is in its place, it’s time to label bins, shelves, and trays with labels that make sense.
I keep my label categories fairly broad to make sure I leave room for new items to enter into that category.
For example, the following categories for my pantry are:
Snacks
Breakfast
Pasta
Condiments
Cans
Drinks
This way, I can fit all non-perishables I buy from the store into these categories. Also, they are easy to label on the bins or shelves.
I decided to buy a label maker to make most of my labels consistent, but you can also buy labels and write on them.
You can find my label maker here.
But it’s definitely not essential.
I mostly find using my label maker as a little reward for myself!
So, if you like that kind of thing, I love mine– feel free to check it out.
What Next?
I get it, you’re tired of your clutter!
You’re ready to start your home-organizing journey.
The Home Edit is the place to start.
Believe me, if I can do it (a Type-B, hot mess, zero routine, lazy gal) you can do it too.
I promise.
As you go through the process, you will continue to find peace in the chaos.
Because there will still be chaos.
But there will be less clutter, less stress, and more time for the things that matter.
Get your copy of The Home Edit here.
You won’t regret it!
Sources:
https://www.thesimplicityhabit.com/statistics-on-clutter-that-will-blow-your-mind/
https://www.mother.ly/home/its-science-clutter-can-actually-give-you-anxiety/
https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/study-reveals-the-most-common-items-that-go-missing-at-home-246906
