Get Unstuck Through KonMari Spring Cleaning
Clutter Is Not a Storage Problem…
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
[Affiliate link]
Do you have too many things?
Is it possible that clutter is…
Impacting your ability to move ahead,
Be it personally or professionally,
Marie Kondo’s organization method,
Is like no other you’ve read/seen before.
Try to envision your home for a minute,
With just belongings that you love,
Only items that bring you joy,
It no longer contains gifts or purchases,
You feel obligated to hold onto,
You have just the right number of items.
Marie Kondo
How do you imagine it feels to live in such a place?
Would you like to experience that now?
You can create that peaceful serene atmosphere,
It may take between a few days to six months,
But as per Marie, once you employ her approach,
Your living space is forever clutter-free!
Want to start KonMari spring cleaning? Click on my 1st linkedin post ↓
Recreate Your Future with Marie Kondo’s Art of Tidying
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Reference: Kondo, M. (2014). The Life-changing magic of tidying up. Ten Speed Press. Berkeley. [Affiliate link]
I love this approach to decluttering…thanks!!
Thanks, Nancy
It was my pleasure. I love this approach as well. I find it an inspiring combination of mindfulness, gratitude and a bit of reframing thoughts/habits that helps you reconnect to what’s meaningful.
I’m in love with the sweetness of this approach!
I’m so glad, Sandra. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts about Marie’s joyful approach to organizing one’s home!
I recently finished reading this book and it has already changed my life. I hang onto too many things, literally and figuratively, out of a feeling of guilt or obligation. It could be a gift I received years ago, or it could be a commitment that is making me miserable. I also tend to attach emotions to physical objects, and I feel guilty about the waste of throwing things away.
I had read a bit about the book, and thought that her practice of saying “thank you” to items you are discarding sounded a little silly, but I actually found it very soothing when I tried it. These items have already served their purpose in my life, and I can appreciate them and let them go. Before I was even finished reading, I started looking at my life through this lens and realized I don’t have to do things that are not making me happy. I decided to close up my Etsy shop and stop accepting freelance writing work.
Luckily, I’m not supporting my family through these means, so I didn’t have to think about the lost income. But I had never fully considered ending those projects because thinking about it made me feel like I had failed somehow. I realize now that they were fun to try and I learned a lot in the process of doing them and met many new people, but I am no longer getting any enjoyment from them, so I can let them go.
Hi Nicole,
Thanks so much for sharing how what a powerful and inspiring impact reading Marie Kondo’s book has had on your life.
How wonderful that you no longer feel obligated to hold onto items you purchased or received and that the expression of gratitude for the item having served its purpose (or taught its lesson) helps with the process of letting go.
And how powerful that you were then able to incorporate the concept of joy into the rest of your life and cease working/engaging in activities that were no longer joyful. This means that you are now open to partake in other activities that will lead you to experience more happiness (while beforehand Etsy and the freelance writing projects were preventing you from doing so).
I’m so happy for you !
I too have found Marie’s sweet approach most inspiring and liberating; hence my need/desire to write the above poem (as well as the one on linkedin). My home is being transformed… and the lens through which I’m viewing the world is changing as well 🙂
I love this approach! Staying in tune with what is really important. Emotional wellness & respecting, taking care of our environment impacts how we feel. Great post.
Hi Laurel,
I’m so glad that this approach resonated with you. Yes, you hit the nail on the head. This approach helps you get to the place where you are in tune with what’s really important. With the excessive overload of life, we sometimes lose that connection and forget and/or are no longer in tune.
Also, thanks so much for your kind feedback!
I personally love decluttering!
We’re on the same wave length. I wrote a post on a similar theme this week – how our physical space impacts mood.
Hi Sharon,
Yes – I totally agree with you – it is precisely because our physical space impacts our mood so much that we will be tremendously impacted if we only surround ourselves with items that fit the criteria of sparking our joy!
How funny that we were on the same wave length 🙂 Could it be the spring air? I will make sure to pop over and visit.
By the way, if you have a chance, I’d love to hear what it is that you personally love about decluttering?
Hi Dorlee,
I remember hearing some designer talk about decorating – her comment was that when you gather the items you love in your home, it all goes together. Marie takes this further with her approach to tidying, aka decluttering.
I love the point she makes that it isn’t an on-going job. Organize well so that things have a place. Energy is then freed up to focus on the things that are important.
Does she offer suggestions on how to address tidying up when other family members are resistant to it?
I love my books, but last week, I actually gave a box of books away. Next up, teaching materials.
Thanks for sharing, Dorlee.
Hi Marianna,
Thanks so much for joining the conversation 🙂
Re the idea of gathering the items you love, yes, it really does start making you so much more conscious of everything you have in your home… everywhere. I wish had taken pictures of how our home looked before I started so that the changes that have taken place would be very clear cut (in a before and after type of way). I’m finding myself even applying the Japanese way of folding… It’s all so much more organized, pretty and relaxed.
In terms of suggestions about tidying vis a vis other family members, Marie suggests that you focus on tidying your area(s)… typically when the other family members see you spending so much time and effort tidying your areas, they will naturally start tidying their area(s) as well.
The expression “be the change you want to see” is true… I have not asked anyone else to tidy [yet] but my tidying activities have been noted… and to my delight, seem to be encouraging other family members to engage in tidying as well ! 🙂
Wow, Marianna – that’s wonderful that you managed to give a whole box of books away. They gave you pleasure and/or taught you lessons and now they are off to teach or provide pleasure to another family !
How will you go about deciding what to keep/discard re your teaching materials? If/when you come up with your system, could you please come back to share?
I think your rationale is likely to be helpful for me when I must go through my undergraduate/ graduate school materials…
Best,
Dorlee