When Marie Kondo's book ' The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.' was published in 2014, i took to her instructions like fish to water. Why? Mainly because i like to be organised, focussed and disciplined in all that I do. So, while some may disagree with some of her methods, I welcome them like a breath of fresh air.
Her methods remind me very much of my mother's. My mother was so organised, nothing was ever out-of-place. I loved going into her bedroom to see everything neatly laid down. Every piece of clothing was ironed, folded or hung. Her wardrobe could have won a Blue Ribbon.
I never heard her asking us to tidy our rooms because she taught us well. A sty is only for pigs.
On 1 January 2019, Netflix released a series called Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. I was hooked.
It was so much nicer seeing her KonMari method on screen than reading about it. In the series, Kondo visits various American family homes full of clutter and guides the families in tidying up their houses through her KonMari method.
At least now in Ireland, when I talk about her method of organising, I no longer get the quizzical look of 'Marie who?' Even charity shops are happy that they are getting more donations because of her mantra, 'if it no longer sparks joy, pass it on'.
It is interesting to note that the act of decluttering and organising brings about a whole host of really positive effects that are totally unrelated to material possessions.
When we decide that we have what we need, we are no longer swayed by that sale or that bargain. We can walk away from temptation. We are not bothered if the Smiths have a bigger car, a bigger house or a swimming pool.
When we fold our clothes neatly in a visible way or put our things in boxes, we know exactly what we have and there is no fear of buying something that we already have.
It is about putting our house in order.
Strangely enough Marie has received letters from her clients that they have decided to give their marriage a second chance or have the guts to walk out of a bad relationship. On the surface, such decisions seem to be so far removed from just folding clothes or discarding.
The way I see it, the basic principles are the same.
It is all about choices and decision making. We choose to keep what sparks joy and we choose to let go what don't. We make the decision to discard stuff that we have not used for a long time or have become obsolete. Sentimental things are the hardest to let go, but it gets easier through practice.
i have so much fun organising my stuff and the best part is looking at all things arranged neatly. Not just for a day, but for the next day and the next. Because tidying is a habit and once it is formed you just cannot stand mess. An extra bonus is you know exactly where everything is kept and you make it a habit to return anything that you have taken back to its original station.
Decluttering and organising frees up the spirit. Strange but true.
Because everything is spick and span, there is calm and a sense of rest.
There is a feeling of emancipation.
