Marie Kondo

Have you heard about the book Marie Kondo wrote called The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up- The Japanese art of decluttering and organizing ?

It really is life changing and it is one of those books that I want to share with all my dear friends. I have always loved organizing and decluttering, well Marie Kondo, has loved it her whole life and now it is her profession.

Here are a few of her thoughts copied directly from her book:
"Every object has a different role to play. Not all clothes have to be worn threadbare. It is the same with people. Not every person you meet in life will become a close friend or lover Some you will find hard to get along with or impossible to like. But these like people, too, teach you the precious lesson of who you do like, so that you will appreciate those special people even more."

"When we really delve into the reasons why we can't let something go, there are only two, an attachment to the pas or fear for the future." 

"Once you learn to choose your belongings properly, you will only be left with the amount that fits perfectly in the space you currently own."

In a nutshell, she teaches the clients she works with to
1. Gather all the similar items into one place. The best sequence is to start with clothes first, then books, then papers, miscellany and lastly momentos.

So I gathered all my clothes, coats, shoes into one pile/area.

2. Then one piece at a time I held up the article of clothing and asked myself, "Does this spark joy?"
And it worked! I found myself discarding perfectly good pieces of clothes, that I wear but never feel good in or don't fit right or they have served their purpose.

3. Then I carefully hung up my dresses/sweaters (she suggests hanging light to dark). They fit perfectly on my side of the closet.

 

4. Then I folded up the rest. She suggests not folding items and then stacking them on top of each other but folding them so they stand up/lie down next to each other. See below (those are my workout/pj items).

 

This is another of her quotes "The act of folding is far more than making clothes compact for storage. It is an act of caring, an expression of love and appreciation for the way these clothes support your lifestyle." 

 How thought provoking is that? Much of her book focuses on giving thanks for our "things". It is a very cultural characteristic, that we don't see in America. I really loved her thoughts and I do feel freer after this process. Now I need to move on to books!

Happy Reading! Kirstin