Tidying Up ala Marie Kondo Style

I’ve read her book, and last week started watching her show on Netflix. Marie Kondo has a way of making you get excited to clean. My husband took the boys out of the house last night for the Monster Jam truck show, so I decided to tidy up my closet. And now I want to do the rest of the house! Who am I?!

The idea is that you bring everything in a category (clothes, papers, books, etc) into one place. Seeing everything piled up makes you realize what you have. I was overwhelmed with both gratitude and guilt. More on the guilt in a sec. You pick up each item and hold it individually to see if it “sparks joy” for joy for you. If it does, you keep it. If it doesn’t, you thank it for being a part of your journey, let it go, and move forward.

As I was midway into the process, I stumbled upon this old birthday card, and a message that my dad (who passed away 4 years ago) had written in it. We call those instances angel winks around here. Somehow he still manages to share his wisdom and let me know when I'm moving in the right direction.

During this process, I learned that by thanking each piece, you honor the item and the reason it was in your life. Did I learn my lesson to never buy that type of shirt again if it still has the price tag 3 years later? You bet I did! Great, then thank it for teaching the lesson and release the guilt and the shirt together. Bonus points for recognizing that if you are donating items, you are sparking joy for someone else, and the item can serve purpose once again.

Do move forward in this, I had to ask myself: What do I want to take into my future to create my best self? Here’s a peek at my tidying journey! As you can see, I added a new step to the process: Beer and mini frozen tacos...hey, they bring me joy! Thanks Stella Artois and Trader Joe's (and Marie Kondo of course) for bringing me through the finish line.

And Voila! I just love how I can see and feel the textures of each piece in my closet now. They seem happier to have a little more room don’t ya think?

Plus, I was able to notice a pattern. Apparently it brings me joy to have a little nuance of lace, ruffles, pops of color, monochromatic patterns, and basic comfort pieces. For the gym, I kept clothes that make me feel powerful and strong. For sleep, I found that gentle, feminine or cozy pieces sparked joy.

It will will make it a lot easier to shop moving forward so I won't fall into the trap of buying things because they are a great deal. I'll now make more purchases because they are a great deal AND they spark joy! :)

Have you you tried this? How did it go for you?

#tidyingup #mariekondo #closets #organizing #organization #ellimoon #clean