The book is written by Marie Kondo, a Japanese woman who grew up with a passion for organizing. She was a somewhat strange child who preferred organizing her teacher's supplies during recess to playing outside with other kids. She's also just had her first child a few weeks ago and many who follow her are anxious to see how having a child changes things for her. While reading, one can easily form a picture in their head of who Marie Kondo is, this odd woman who stores her wallet in a shoebox under the bed. As anyone who has children can attest to, life changes dramatically after children and the way you think you would do things is often far different from the parent you end up being. I'm sure that the pre-baby Kondo probably thinks she will apply her current methods to kid stuff too. And maybe she will...maybe her perfectly organized and put together self will have a perfect baby who never has colic or reflux or other illness which requires many hours a day of ignoring any chores other than tending to baby. But more realistically, she will have to adapt and learn to work around additional clutter, a demanding schedule of feeding, diapers, etc. I'm betting even this woman will end up with a pile of laundry at some point that she feels she should try to get done before collapsing in bed. But all of this remains to be seen at this point.
As you read, you may thing that some things seem outlandish....emptying your purse at the end of the day? Thanking your clothing? All I have to say is TRY IT. What will it hurt? Just try it, you may be surprised.
Here is my brief outline of the book:
Why do I want to tidy up:
-I can't function in clutter
-makes me irritable
-waste time and money with things not getting done
-don't sleep well
-embarrassing for others to see
-often don't invite others over
-I just feel better in a clean, fresh space.
Reasons to get rid of things:
-cease to be functional
-out of date
Look closely at what is there.
****Choose what you want to keep, not what you want to get rid of.**** (this is one of the MOST important things to remember)
Does this item spark joy? Touch each item.
Category, not place/room. Clothes, not closet. ie: You sort all of the clothes in the whole house, rather than clean the closet out.
Pile everything in one place, ie: all the clothes in the house from every place they are kept. It is the only true way to tell what you really have and to keep from moving things from one pile/place to another.
Search every room for items in that category.
Do not start with what is hardest, ie: momentos.
With each item:
-function
-information
-emotional attachment
Sort in this order:
Clothes
Books
Papers
Misc (called Komono in Japan)
Photos/Momentos
Don't let your family see what you are getting rid of. Don't sort other people's stuff, only your own, but don't show them what you are getting rid of, they will try to convince you to keep some things.
Don't pass on your junk to other people, it is NOT blessing them, it is giving them junk. They may feel obligated to keep.
My fears:
-waste
-not having something that I need
Are these worth the negative feelings I have about clutter? Emotional cost is high, clutter stresses me out and causes me to waste my time cleaning all the time, and the gain (to not waste, or to make sure I have what I need) is very small. I can always purchase an item if I find out I need it later.
It is not everybody else's fault that the house is cluttered. It is mine. I used to blame it on the kids, but when the kids went to college/military, I still had clutter.
Deal with your own stuff, the rest of the family will follow (they have).
Urge to point out someone else's mess is a reflection of your own space so if you feel this urge, go clean your own space.
Stop giving it away. Nobody else wants it. They keep it out of obligation. This doesn't apply to donating to a thrift store, this applies to giving a bag of clothes to a friend who you think could wear the same size.
Start early in the morning while your body and mind are fresh and you aren't already feeling frustrated.
If something is hard to get rid of:
-why do you have it in the first place?
-when did you get it?
-what role does it play in your life?
-where did you buy and why?
Every object has a role to play. It gave you joy when you bought it. It taught you that that style doesn't suit you. Has it already fulfilled its role?
*****To cherish what is important, get rid of what isn't.***** (2nd most important point for me)
*****Getting rid of what you don't need is NOT wasteful or shameful**** (3rd most important point)
-I have kept many, many items because I spent the money on it and to sell at below what I spent or to simply give it away made me feel ashamed that I had wasted money on it and I felt obligated to keep it.
Let things go with gratitude. It sounds funny, but it works. It WORKS.
Sorting clothing:
-Tops
-Bottoms
-Hang Up
-Socks
-Underwear
-Bags
-Accessories
-Special (swim, uniforms)
-Shoes
Anything found after a category is sorted gets discarded.
Do off season first. Would I wear it right away if the temp changed?
Loungewear- DO NOT save worn items as loungewear. Don't keep it to relax in if it doesn't bring you joy.
-Time at home is precious, still valuable, dress in items that bring joy. You can find clothes to relax in that are nice and still comfortable. Is hanging out at home in stained and ripped clothing who you want to be identified as?
What you wear at home effects your self image.
Wear nice pj's - sleep better. Not old ratty ones, be attractive.
Two storage methods for clothes:
-Fold
-Hang
Use fold as main system
-saves space
-forces you to handle it
-makes you pay attention to holes, frays.
Learn to fold properly.
-Store things standing up rather than lay flat.
-More compact, more folds.
Goal: Fold each piece into simple, smooth rectangle.
-fold each lengthwise side toward center, left hand and then right hand sides of shirt.
-tuck in sleeves, doesn't matter how you fold sleeves.
-pick up short end of rectangle and fold towards other short end.
-fold again in halves or thirds
-number of folds adjusted so that when the item is standing on end, it fits the height of the drawer.
-if too loose or floppy, its not folded right.
Paperwork center "in box"
-to deal with asap
-receipts
-deal with at later date
Always try to deal with paperwork asap, don't make it wait, deal with later box is for things like forms needed for an appointment, a place to store papers until a specific time and date.
Search Pinterest for interesting storage systems
Counseling?
Holidays/Big Event Anxiety
Jen Hatmaker -Big Day Sabotage
Journal.
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