Tidying Up: The Konmari Method
My new Netflix Addiction is Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. If you haven't checked it out, but are looking to start the new year with less clutter and a more simple and purposeful home, it is worth checking out. You will know after the first episode if this is for you or not.
There are many things about The Konmari Method that I really like and some things that seem a bit goofy, but the basic idea behind Marie Kondo's tidying up principles is to assess each item in your home and figure out if it "Sparks Joy." I have not done the entire tidying up process as of yet, I am in the beginning stages, but just looking around my home and using this vernacular has already helped me to realize that there are plenty of "things" and "stuff" that hold little to no meaning to me and NEED TO GO.
This is completely different from any other decluttering mantra I have personally used before and I will tell you why. I have decluttered my home drawer by drawer, closet by closet and even introduced different organizational systems to help keep things in their place. Normally this process is done by me asking questions like, "do we need this?", "have I used this in the past 6 months?", "will I need this some day?" and so on and so forth. NEVER have I asked myself, "does this spatula Spark Joy?" Why haven't I asked myself this before now? Because no spatula sparks joy! Oh wait though, I have 4 spatulas, and out of the four of them, which one do I use the most, like the most and couldn't live without? That is the one that SPARKS JOY.
Let me give you another example, with clothing. I was going through my t-shirt drawer just the other day and asking myself the regular, "when was the last time I wore this?" or "did I even know this was in here?" That allowed me to get rid of 2 t-shirts. Then I looked at the quality of each one and got rid of another couple simply because they had holes or a rip or whatever. I went through the very same, already decluttered, drawer using the question, "does this Spark Joy?" and you wouldn't believe the results. I got rid of 7 more t-shirts! Why? Because although I could associate a memory with them or I remembered who gave them to me, these memories and gifts didn't actually mean they were sentimental or had value to me. I am not saying this with an ungrateful heart, just that being able to remember who gave you something or where you were when you bought something doesn't equal JOY in having it. That being said, those same things can play a part in an item sparking joy for you as well, but it takes holding each individual item in your hands and asking yourself if you could take it or leave it.
This is where it gets goofy, yet makes total sense in my brain. So you are to hold each item and truly assess if it Sparks Joy for you or does not. If it does, keep it. If it does not, thank it for what it has provided you and let it go. Thanking your clothing seems damn ridiculous, BUT psychologically I do think it will help me down the road when deciding if I should even buy this article of clothing when shopping in a store.
Another thing that Marie Kondo has the person do is to get EVERYTHING of a certain category and make one huge pile. Clothing will go on the bed for example, this helps you to see and acknowledge how much you actually have instead of going room by room and determining what is an acceptable amount of stuff per drawer or closet. Yet another thing that seems silly BUT in trying this method, it will hopefully play a part in what kinds of things you choose to bring into your home later on down the road.
I do believe that these psychological aspects will help me with the process of ridding the house of excess and dwindling it down to a much more manageable amount of stuff. This will free up time so I don't feel like I am constantly putting things away, cleaning or constantly decluttering. I am actually looking forward to taking these steps with my whole family in an effort to simply our lives. Also, I feel like it will teach them how to manage their own belongings instead of the current system in which I am the one managing all belongings and organization there of. It gets old knowing I am the only one who knows where stuff actually is or goes around here so taking this step is a breath of fresh air for this Mama.
Stay tuned for either positive, negative or indifferent reviews!!
There are many things about The Konmari Method that I really like and some things that seem a bit goofy, but the basic idea behind Marie Kondo's tidying up principles is to assess each item in your home and figure out if it "Sparks Joy." I have not done the entire tidying up process as of yet, I am in the beginning stages, but just looking around my home and using this vernacular has already helped me to realize that there are plenty of "things" and "stuff" that hold little to no meaning to me and NEED TO GO.
This is completely different from any other decluttering mantra I have personally used before and I will tell you why. I have decluttered my home drawer by drawer, closet by closet and even introduced different organizational systems to help keep things in their place. Normally this process is done by me asking questions like, "do we need this?", "have I used this in the past 6 months?", "will I need this some day?" and so on and so forth. NEVER have I asked myself, "does this spatula Spark Joy?" Why haven't I asked myself this before now? Because no spatula sparks joy! Oh wait though, I have 4 spatulas, and out of the four of them, which one do I use the most, like the most and couldn't live without? That is the one that SPARKS JOY.
Let me give you another example, with clothing. I was going through my t-shirt drawer just the other day and asking myself the regular, "when was the last time I wore this?" or "did I even know this was in here?" That allowed me to get rid of 2 t-shirts. Then I looked at the quality of each one and got rid of another couple simply because they had holes or a rip or whatever. I went through the very same, already decluttered, drawer using the question, "does this Spark Joy?" and you wouldn't believe the results. I got rid of 7 more t-shirts! Why? Because although I could associate a memory with them or I remembered who gave them to me, these memories and gifts didn't actually mean they were sentimental or had value to me. I am not saying this with an ungrateful heart, just that being able to remember who gave you something or where you were when you bought something doesn't equal JOY in having it. That being said, those same things can play a part in an item sparking joy for you as well, but it takes holding each individual item in your hands and asking yourself if you could take it or leave it.
This is where it gets goofy, yet makes total sense in my brain. So you are to hold each item and truly assess if it Sparks Joy for you or does not. If it does, keep it. If it does not, thank it for what it has provided you and let it go. Thanking your clothing seems damn ridiculous, BUT psychologically I do think it will help me down the road when deciding if I should even buy this article of clothing when shopping in a store.
Another thing that Marie Kondo has the person do is to get EVERYTHING of a certain category and make one huge pile. Clothing will go on the bed for example, this helps you to see and acknowledge how much you actually have instead of going room by room and determining what is an acceptable amount of stuff per drawer or closet. Yet another thing that seems silly BUT in trying this method, it will hopefully play a part in what kinds of things you choose to bring into your home later on down the road.
I do believe that these psychological aspects will help me with the process of ridding the house of excess and dwindling it down to a much more manageable amount of stuff. This will free up time so I don't feel like I am constantly putting things away, cleaning or constantly decluttering. I am actually looking forward to taking these steps with my whole family in an effort to simply our lives. Also, I feel like it will teach them how to manage their own belongings instead of the current system in which I am the one managing all belongings and organization there of. It gets old knowing I am the only one who knows where stuff actually is or goes around here so taking this step is a breath of fresh air for this Mama.
Stay tuned for either positive, negative or indifferent reviews!!
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