Kit L.

Blog to put my kindle notes in one place without the need to search for them using Jekyll 4, minimal-mistakes theme & Github pages.

5 minute read

The Home Edit – home organizers to the stars with 1.5 million Instagram followers – show you how to organize every area of your life, from hobbies and activities to work and office spaces, luggage and travel and so much more. The Home Edit are starring in a forthcoming Netflix series, produced by Hello, Sunshine.

Notes from “Shearer, Clea; Teplin, Joanna. The Home Edit Life: The Complete Guide to Organizing Absolutely Everything at Work, at Home and On the Go. Octopus. Kindle Edition.”

An Incomplete List of THINGS YOU THINK YOU NEED but 99 Percent of the Time DO NOT

  1. Pumpkin puree that will expire before next Thanksgiving (you didn’t make that pie last year, either!)
  2. The same goes for those cans of condensed milk
  3. Souvenir cups from theme parks (that’s what photos are for—your old soda cup is not a memory)
  4. Anything that’s missing a part (you are probably not going to a repair store to fix your blender—just get a new one you will use)
  5. Every vase that has ever arrived with a floral delivery. (p. 22)

ORGANIZATION vs. MINIMALISM

You might define minimalism as living with less, while organization is an efficient and orderly arrangement of things or tasks. Minimalism is a design style and a lifestyle choice. But to be organized does not mean you must inherently own fewer things. It just means you need to be thoughtful about what you do own. You need to treat your things and your space with equal respect. (p. 26)

Top 5 Tips to AVOID RUNNING OUT OF SPACE

  1. Never buy more hangers! You get what you get and you don’t get upset.
  2. Contain everything so you know when you’ve exceeded your designated space.
  3. With every new purchase, ask yourself, “Where is this going to live?” If you don’t have an answer, it doesn’t go home with you.
  4. Set aside time once or twice a year to revisit and edit your spaces.
  5. Wear a shock collar that physically stops you from leaving the house and buying more items. (p. 29)

START WITH SMART, Then Make It Pretty

We firmly believe the best way to organize any and every space is to first make it as functional as possible, then make it as beautiful as possible. If you start with what’s smart, you can always boost the style after the systems are in place. And trust us, you’re bound to make it pretty anyway because you’ll love your space more than ever.

When considering smart systems, it’s helpful to think in terms of zones, the boundaries that will contain your different kinds of stuff. (p. 55)

  1. Contain the entire category. We really don’t enjoy separating like items. Putting some snacks in one area and some in another is panic attack territory. You risk losing the items, or buying the items again because you can’t take stock of everything at a glance.
  2. Create a flow that makes logical sense. Your goal is to create an order for your zones that’s intuitive to follow. To use the pantry analogy again, the food zone would have a day-to-night flow, from breakfast items to dinner items, and snacks can flow into sweets.
  3. Consider who is using the space. We say this a lot, but it’s worth repeating. Where and how you position your zones is key to successful maintenance. Do you need to keep items on low shelves for your kids to reach by themselves, or on a high shelf out of their reach? (pp. 56-57)

PURSE POUCHES

You never, ever want to leave the house without at least two protein bars, a pack of almonds, and low-carb tortillas (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!). (p. 111)

TIPS ON KID CLUTTER

  1. If it’s broken: It goes in the trash. Immediately. You will not fix it, you can’t donate it, and your best friend’s daughter doesn’t want a broken toy!
  2. If it’s missing a part: See above.
  3. If they’ve outgrown it: You can either (a) hold on to it for your next child, or (b) pass it on to a friend’s appropriately aged child.
  4. If they love it but you don’t: They get to keep it. . . . Yes, it’s your home, but it’s their childhood. The second they lose interest, however, it’s fair game. Grab that donation bag!
  5. If it’s too special to part with: You never, ever need to get rid of things that are special to you. Ever! But it’s imperative you store these items in a way that honors their importance. Whether it’s their first blanket, their childhood favorite toy, or a graduation cap and gown, it should all be binned up and labeled. Otherwise, you are just letting your most sentimental items gather dust and will eventually lose track of where they are. (p. 157)

The FINISHING TOUCHES

Be spatially aware. Look at the entire space before implementing anything. You want to make sure you are taking advantage of all available room evenly.

  • Think in odd numbers: 3 baskets on a shelf look a lot better than 4. If you need to fill the space, center the baskets and spread them out evenly.
  • If you can stack, stack—but always think about visual weight and distribution beforehand. You don’t want things to look lopsided or top heavy.
  • Allow some breathing room. Negative space can be a good thing, especially when it gives you room to grow (remember the 80/20 rule?).
  • Use clear containers to add depth and make a small space appear larger.

Uniformity is key. Pick your products wisely and consistently. Having mismatched pieces makes a space look disheveled and disconnected.

  • Determine the aesthetic of your home or space and let that style lead your shopping decisions.
  • Pay attention to the smaller details like type of handle and textures. If you decide to mix products, just make sure the items look intentional together and don’t confuse the eye.
  • Mirror same or similar items to create balance in a room (aka symmetry!). To avoid monotony, play around with varying heights and shapes—as long as the two items look somewhat similar, they’ll balance each other out.

ROYGBIV whenever possible. If it makes sense, go ahead and line things up according to the rainbow. Many times, this is part of a functional system, but sometimes . . . it’s just for fun.

Add a label. Much like the rainbow, most of the time a label is part of a system that helps keep the space organized. But sometimes, a label can be used just for its aesthetic value and that’s okay, too. The better a space looks, the more likely you are to maintain it.

Wipe down surfaces. It may seem obvious, but cleaning your room—especially the windows and glass cabinets—goes a long way in making a space feel tidier. (pp. 279-280)

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