Netflix's 'Get Organised with the Home Edit': Fantastic or Fantasy
Is this what hiring a professional organiser is really, really like?
Netflix is blowing up with it’s new show, organising celebrities with enormous walk-in wardrobes of gowns, designer bags and shoes, as well as some normal people for good measure.
Confession time: this kind of thing is not my cup of tea (moi, a professional declutterer…??). I watched the show at double speed to kind of get it over with after multiple friends and family members sent me links to it.
I think these women are masterful at what they do, no doubt about that - but I want to share what is TV magic and what you could actually expect from a session with a real-life organising professional.
My clients are present for the whole session (no big tearful reveal)
The show depicts celebrities popping off for lunch and in the space of two hours and entire wardrobe is organised to perfection. However, because I focus mainly on the ‘Edit’ portion of the process, I work with my clients for the duration of the session.
This is because it’s the client who decides what they want to keep and discard. I coach them through the decision making process, brainstorm solutions to problems (like, what if I need a slow cooker in the next 6 months for a party) and advise them on the best way to dispose of their discarded things. I focus on helping clients take control of their stuff and changing their relationship with their things so they can make space that is easy to keep spacious forever more.
Sure, there are tears sometimes, but it’s the client who is the hero, who is doing the transformation as much as me.
Before
After
2. Decluttering takes longer than 2-3 hours
The nature of a 20 minute segment dedicated to transforming a room (with the help of assistants, movers and carpenters) is that it looks quick and easy. This is the magic of television and follows from extensive planning and emotional investment, unfortunately.
There is no shortcut to decluttering your stuff, unless you take a radical approach to it! However, the hours put in are hours very well spent as they will change your life forever.
I work with clients in 4-hour blocks and recommend at least 4 sessions to make a dent in a very cluttered space.
3. I empathise and cheer on my clients without judgement
I was disappointed to see the hosts of the show making jokes and comments about the items found in the clients’ homes, like pet ashes or snake skin boots.
I understand their discomfort, but I can’t condone their open judgements both to their clients and behind their backs to camera. My role is always to advocate for the client, to step into their shoes and solve problems from their point of view. I approach unusual items with gentle questions.
I never assume anything is rubbish. It is my job to hold space for the client to feel safe, excepted and hopeful. You will not hear a judgemental word from me in any session.
Now to my praise of the show!
4. Each client is unique and will get a custom service
I was impressed by the crafting of solutions in the show, that were uniquely tailored to each client - this is something I do too. It’s a treasure hunt to find out what is essential, what should be zoned and what needs a system in every home.
Everyone has a different lifestyle - a hiking enthusiast needs a mud zone for their boots, and a place to store walking sticks and kit bags; someone who struggles with their health needs well organised medicines and comfort items, like blankets and hot water bottles.
It’s my job to tease those things out so we know what needs to be stored in ease to reach places, what can be left on high shelves for occasional use and what can be sent to a new home. The Home Edit did a great garage conversion where everything was easy to find on one large wall of boxes.
5. You have to choose your stuff or the space
I was delighted to hear Joanna say, on numerous occasions, that sometimes you have to make a choice - your stuff or the space. This was a welcome element of realism as they squashed more and more handbags into Rachel Zoe’s walk-in wardrobe.
There is always a compromise when you downsize your stuff, and I enjoy the process of finding that balance point (as I said, treasure hunt!). You have to choose a life of not having everything you need for every possible scenario, but the magic is in realising that it’s not so bad when you don’t e.g. you have a once in 10 years huge party and you need to rent or borrow more plates and glasses.
There are downsides to keeping your things too - more cleaning, more stuffing, more arguments, more stress.
6. Calling out the need to maintain systems and spaces
The ladies hit the nail on the head with this one, returning to tweak even the most fastidious client’s homes. Even when you make a fridge perfect… it gets used, things get moved, things creep in.
Any space must be maintained because our lives are not static - we move, more little people live in the house, paper keeps coming through the front door! That’s why the ease of placing things back in homes and labels to help you remember where is so helpful.
It’s also very important to think about how things are coming into the house and to become a home bouncer - school notes, freebies, gifts... shopping habits, all need to be reconsidered for this new found space to stay spacious. My goal as a decluttering coach is never to leave my clients dependent on me, but to impart a skill, advise and belief that life can be different and better.
Are you received and wondering how to get hold of me to start decluttering your home, without judgement and without crazy expectations of perfection? Get in touch and let’s set up a call.
Did you like the Netflix show?
Stay safe and see you next week,
Suzy xx