Do you ever feel like you're constantly putting things away, only for them to end up out of place again, leaving your house in a perpetual state of messiness?
I used to struggle with this too, until I stumbled upon a simple concept that revolutionised how I create functional systems in my home.
It never occurred to me to mentally assign labels to different zones and items in my house, but once I started doing this, everything began to flow more smoothly. Home organisation became a game-changer for me. It's such a simple practice, yet it makes all the difference!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Simple Home Organisation Concept
Examples Of Active And Passive Areas
Organise Your Home Based On Behaviour
Extra Tips To Kickstart Your Home Organisation
Common Pitfalls To Avoid
Best Approach For Effective Home Organisation
A Simple Home Organisation Concept
Active versus passive zones
Let discuss the concept of passive and active zones within your home. Let's use an example to illustrate this. Imagine your kitchen cabinet, the one you use daily for cooking and kitchen activities. By definition, this cabinet is known as an active zone since you frequently use it and the contents inside are in constant motion. Items like pots, pans, and kitchen utensils are perfect examples of these frequently used items that move between the cupboard, stove, fridge, sink, dishwasher, and back to the cupboard.
Now, let's consider the special crock pot that you only use once or twice a year for your Christmas Feast. Since it's used infrequently, it falls into the category of passive items. Similarly, you might have extra attachments for your food processor that you've never used, making them passive items too. In this case, it makes sense to move these passive items out of the active cabinet and into a more suitable storage area. Have you considered that cabinet at the end of the hallway, the one rarely opened? It would be an ideal spot to store items that are only used occasionally, keeping them easily accessible yet not taking up valuable space in your active kitchen cabinet.
This example may be simple, but it demonstrates how this concept can be applied to various scenarios in your home. For instance, storing your winter clothes in your everyday closet during the summer months or placing everyday items on higher shelves to free up more reachable space. By implementing these strategies, you not only optimise the functionality of your living space but also maintain an organised and efficient home environment.
Examples Of Active And Passive Areas
Active Zones include:
The kitchen and its cabinets (unless there is a dedicated passive cabinet in the kitchen)
The sink area
The bathroom
The main entrance doorway
The walk-in robe or closet for everyday clothes
The laundry area
Active Items include:
Keys (as they travel with you)
Plates, pots, cutlery (used daily or weekly)
Clothes Beauty products, hair dryers, straighteners, etc.
Gym/exercise equipment (can be active or passive, depending on your situation 😂)
Passive areas examples include:
An unused spare room
A cabinet in the hallway
Storage beneath the TV cabinet (typically)
Under-bed storage
Higher shelves in bedroom dressers
Passive items examples include:
Your camping gear
Your grandmother's crockpot
Spare parts for a food processor
Thermoses
Seasonal clothes not currently in use
Organise Your Home Based On Behaviour
Often, we try to force ourselves into structures and systems that feel unnatural, resulting in a temporary adherence followed by a return to old habits. A prime example of this is the entrance hallway. Where do we instinctively place our keys? Where do our bags end up? Where does our coat naturally find its place? This becomes more challenging with children, as it can easily become chaotic.
The best approach is to observe where people naturally drop their belongings. If the kids tend to toss their bags into a specific corner, consider placing a chair there for the bags to rest on, creating a neater appearance. If the coats consistently end up in another corner, that's the ideal location for a coat stand. And if the keys are consistently dropped on a particular countertop, consider placing a bowl or hooks on the wall nearby. By aligning the system with existing behaviour, we can create a more harmonious and organised environment.
Extra Tips To Kickstart Your Home Organisation
Start small: Tackle one area - like your entryway or a single kitchen cabinet - before overhauling the whole house.
Zone labelling: Even a sticky note reminder for “active” vs “passive” spaces can help the family learn the new system.
Review seasonally: At the start of each season, check if some items can swap between active and passive storage.
Storage aids: Baskets, bins, and labels make transitions smoother - especially for kids or shared spaces.
Get everyone involved: Explain the active/passive concept to housemates or family members to keep everyone on the same page.
Common Pitfalls To Avoid
Overcomplicating the system: If the new setup feels too strict, it won’t stick.
Ignoring natural habits: Forcing shoes into a cupboard if they always pile up by the door rarely works - embrace what’s already happening!
Letting passive items creep back in: Check your active zones regularly to clear out anything that doesn’t belong.
Trying to do everything at once: Organisation is a process - celebrate small wins!
Best Approach For Effective Home Organisation
Once we grasp the concept of active and passive zones, solutions to existing challenges naturally emerge. The key lies in observing and improving the organic flow of “active” things and removing any "passive" obstacles in our path.
Though this may seem logical, mentally distinguishing between what is active and what is not helps us identify areas for improvement. I hope you find this insight helpful as you organise your home.
Best of luck!