3 Minimalist Habits from a Professional Organizer

We are honored to have a guest blogger Josie Floyd from Superfine Home give us some tips for a more organized and decluttered home.

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Hi there! I’m Josie Floyd, founder of Superfine Home, a home and life organization service based in Seattle + Brooklyn, available anywhere. Follow me on Instagram for daily live-better-with-less tips and inspiration.

Springtime is the perfect time to declutter your living space. After you’ve done the hard work (or hired someone like me to help you!) and are feeling jazzed about your recent home transformation, you might be asking yourself, but how will I maintain this organized, tidy, clear space in the long term? Clutter is inevitable and can build up quickly, which is why establishing a few mindful habits and systems at home is absolutely essential to keeping that organized balance in place. Here are three habits I recommend instilling into your daily routine, for best results: 

Habit #1: One in, one out.

Prior to purchasing a new item, think about where it will live, and what it’s replacing within your existing home. Adding stuff, and never subtracting, leads to an inevitable surplus and mess. Finding your own personal balance of just the right amount of items for your space can take a while, but eventually you’ll find the sweet spot that works for you and realize you’ve found that perfect equilibrium.

Habit #2: Look for quality, not quantity.

I always recommend that my clients replace disposable daily utilitarian items with well-made, sustainable pieces, as your budget allows over time. This practice saves you space -- a handful of Junes reusable totes take up 1/20th of the space of 100 messy plastic grocery bags! -- and money in the long run. The same goes for other kitchen items, like plastic food containers, paper napkins and ziploc bags. By using sustainable, eco-friendly alternatives for some of these items, you’re doing the environment a favor too and producing less waste.

Habit #3: Love it? Then use it!

Owning less and keeping what you have tidy allows you to quickly recall where things are located so you can spend less time searching and more time living.  So start using the items you’ve been saving for ‘someday’! Today is the day. I encourage people to display the items they love front and center in their home, that way you can actually see it and use it. Continuously rotating items within your space can also help you better understand what you gravitate towards and are using more often.

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Thank you Josie! Shop Josie's favorites, Junes Carry-All's and The Black Square Mesh. And do check out Superfine Home and follow her Instagram feed. She has a true talent for organizing and helping you figure out the things in your life that are important.