A place for everything and everything in it's place.

Do you have serious aspirations to Kondo your life, but find yourself getting stuck on the daily grind of surface-level tidying before ever diving into the meaty sorting-all-the-things kinda organisation that you know will save you time, money, and energy in the long-run. Same!

Instead, we find ourselves perpetually stuck in a space where we have far too many cabinets or drawers (or rooms) dedicated to hiding piles of our precious stuff and most of the family has no idea where anything is - out of sight, out of mind. Great design and joinery will help with this BIG time, but the onus is inevitably on the user to ensure that what’s inside counts.

Enter Friend of Mosh Home, Julia Osburn. Julia is the sort of productivity ninja who carries the same level of A-Grade organisation through all aspects of her life - hence why the Melbourne-based professional’s able to hold down a position as GM at a major sportswear brand AND run a home organisation side hustle, Light Space Home, too.

This is Julia’s passion project - helping people cut through the noise and overwhelm of the reams of ‘stuff’ we naturally accumulate and create a simple storage system that works for them and helps them live their best home life.

We love this so much that we desperately wanted more deets on her method to counter our own clutter madness. Julia spoke with Mosh Home about how starting small, engaging in serious prep and keeping a solid collection of containers on hand can set you up for success.

Let’s do it!

Okay - hypothetical scenario. I opened the door to our ‘spare’ room and there is stuff everywhere. I feel SO overwhelmed. How on earth do I sort this crap? (Asking for a friend, of course).

Ha! Close the door! No, but seriously, before anything else - set yourself up for success. Do you have the time and mental energy to do this today? Yes? Cool, let's go!

Start small, maybe one surface first. Let's tackle what's on the bed. Once that is done you have a surface to help sort your other items.

What do you think are some of the common challenges or mistakes you've seen clients make on their home organisation journey (or perhaps prior to hiring you)?

Pressure or guilt. Almost all the clients I work with are naturally organised people, but life is busy, and things can quickly get out of control. I would suggest first to be kind and forgiving to yourself and remove the feelings of guilt around organisation.

You don't have to throw everything out! There is a common misconception that to be organised you need to be a minimalist. Your things are precious and if you need or want to keep them, there is no reason not to! Objects all hold energy, so it's important to assess what items are of true value to you, and let go of the things that are not.

Sustainability is a big consideration for so many of us, and I meet a lot of people that are keeping items for ‘just-in-case’ or because they are ‘too good’ for the bin. This is where we can lean into charity store donations, local recycling centres, or local buy-swap-sell pages to re-home items.

Finally, taking on too much at once, without good preparation, can leave you in a bigger mess than when you started. Organising is best done in small, controlled batches.

You've been tasked to organise a house. What's your preferred approach? By room or by item category?

I would definitely start with small bites and good preparation.

Think about your time, try the best to find a block of the day that you can be uninterrupted. Schedule a break for a cup of tea as needed!

A room like a kitchen or laundry can take up to 3 hours depending on size, so we don't want to take on too much at once and feel overwhelmed. You can run the risk of disappointment later in the day.

Before anything else, set up a zone for rubbish, recycling, donations/gifts and items to sell and items to keep.

Without a place for items to land, it's easy to just be moving things around a room with little progress! From there, it’s about pulling everything out, and beginning to group things in categories.

Remember, we want to think about each item as we pick it up and decide ‘am I keeping this?’ - and if yes, add it to its category.

Once everything is grouped, it's time to move the items you are keeping into containers or sections, label them if you can (it can help your family keep things organised too!) and then put them away.

A clean, organised home fosters a sense of calm and comfort.

We all know the saying 'tidy home, tidy mind'. Why do you think it matters so much?

Our brains are naturally programmed for order, so a messy or disorganised space can send a subconscious signal that there is work to be done and that can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety.

A clean, organised home fosters a sense of calm and comfort, which can then contribute to better sleep and a more positive mood. Additionally, you're more productive - wasting less time looking for things!

What are your pro tips for storage? Kitchen? Bedroom? Bathroom? Miscellaneous? Any must-have items to make it easier?

It sounds so basic, but it's all about containers! Tubs, trays, or even the little pink boxes your Mecca delivery comes in. Don't feel like you need to spend a fortune on matching sets - even just a shoebox can do wonders.

When you can have each category contained (and, even better, labelled!) it's so much easier to maintain.

We believe everyone deserves a home that looks good, feels great and simply works, and so we’ll keep feeding you these sorts of Jules-like pearls of wisdom if it means we’re getting you closer to your best home life.

See more of Jules work @light_space_home_

An organisation expert's guide to 'living your best home life'.