Tidying Up—KonMarie style'
So I just finished reading Marie Kondo’s book The
Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. My sis-in-law, Christina, was the one to
introduce me to it. She loaned it from the library and seemed quite excited. I immediately
read all the reviews on Amazon to see if it was something I wanted to read. The
reviews were definitely intriguing. While there were a lot of amazing reviews
by ecstatic people who seemed to have really changed their lives, it also got a
lot of “Throw out what you don’t love--sums it up. Don’t bother waste your
money”, kind of reviews. One reviewer suggested that Marie get some counseling
as obviously she must have issues since her fascination with tidying/organizing
and dealing with things began was she was barely five.
I had heard things from various friends about other
tidying/cleaning/organizing methods—but none of them sounded interesting to me
at all—usually because they stated the obvious, and I was already doing them.
Anyways, after reading the reviews, I thought it couldn’t
hurt to read Marie Kondo’s book. I was definitely curious now. It was then that
Christina stuck it in my hand to borrow when I was watching the kids on the
lawn one afternoon. I’d better read it quick!
Most nights for the last few weeks, after the internet has
shut down, forcing me to head to bed, I’d pick up the little book, and read a
chapter or two, or just a page, before falling into bed.
I enjoyed Marie’s stories. I think this is the book I’ve
been needing, to help me manage my stuff better, and get back on top of my
home, and life. While you probably could sum up the book in one sentence as “Keep
what sparks joy and toss the rest.” There is actually quite a bit more to it
than that. There is a proper order of sorting and tossing/keeping. And there is
a proper way of keeping. When the order is followed, you start with the easy
things and by the time you get to the more difficult things to tidy—you have
become an expert tidying decision maker.
I must admit there are some things that I was a little
skeptical about. And some of the suggestions simply don’t work for my American
household. She thought it was ridiculous that someone would have 80n rolls of
toilet paper in their house. But when you live two hours from town, and get to
Costco about once a month—with a household of 6…. Yeah. We probably have about
that much.
At first I thought that putting all your clothes upright in
the draw, and folded, (no socks tucked in each other.) I just couldn’t imagine
how this could be the best way to go. Wouldn’t things fall over?
Well I thought
I’d go ahead and give it a try with my socks for starts:
Then I moved on to my swim drawer:
And my PJ Draw
This drawer is kind of empty. After throwing out all the PJ’s
that were loved-out, there wasn’t much left. There was also a pair in the laundry
when I took this photo.
But it really is nice to be able to see all the socks I
have, and select which ones I really want to wear, instead of just grabbing
what’s on top and neglecting what’s on the bottom. I love that I can see
exactly what swim stuff I have. I love that I can see all my PJs. I’m really
quite surprised at how much I am loving this!
Marie talks to her house, and her things, and she recommends
that we do that to. This is not something that I tried or ever will try. But I
do see the benefit of showing gratitude and appreciation for the things in her
life—whether it is something that she is tossing—thank you for the service you
have given me, or whether it is something she is keeping—thank you for being
there for me, and serving me today. I’ve changed this around a little bit for
myself. Being grateful is a wonderful thing, and expressing these thoughts has
positive effects upon our minds. So instead of thanking the item—I thank God. After
all, He is the giver of all good things.
I have gotten rid of quite a few bags and trash, bags to
donate, items to pass on to friends etc. I see how this method could entirely
change a person’s life. When the place is totally tidy—it’s much easier to
clean. When the place is clean and tidy, the air is fresher. When the place is
clean and tidy, and the air is fresh, your thoughts are more positive. Live is
just better.
I think I emptied the vacuum cleaner 4 times today! I was
able to get in a lot of nooks and crannies that I wouldn’t normally get to.
If you get a chance to read this book, The Life-Changing Magic
of Tidying Up. I recommend it. When you have kids around there will always be
tidying to do, but if you follow her advice, it will be minimal and manageable.
.JPG)
