Want to know what I did and didn’t like, and how I will change since reading Marie Kondo’s book? This is my take on the KonMari Method and how it is changing the way we live and think!
As I mentioned back here I read the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. There are so many different reviews on this book and why it does or doesn’t work, so I wanted to share my opinion too. While not everyone loves to read books on organization and cleaning, I love these types of books. I have read many and this is by far my favorite. Just like Marie Kondo points out in her book, organization is a skill that needs to be taught and learned. Although I am naturally an organized person, I learned quite a few things from the KonMari method.
My First Impression
My first impression of the book was that maybe the book was a little too ‘hippy’ for me. It seemed a little weird to have to hold each item to see if it “sparks joy”. In the end though, it made sense. If you just glance at the clothes in your closet or drawer, you might not find those buried items. Once I emptied out my closet and held each item, I could remember if I liked the item and why. Clothing that only matched one thing, could be worn only one way, or I never really liked how it fit was moved out. The same went for books, dishes, etc. If this method seems a little hippy, just try it. Change the wording and think “do I actually like or use this?” Instead of asking if it sparks joy. It might end up working for you!
Is It Life Changing?
It most certainly can be. I think a better phrase might be “Perspective Changing”. One of the best things that I learned is that all of our ‘stuff’ has a purpose. If you have an article of clothing you loved in the dressing room, but haven’t worn since, it has served it’s purpose by bringing you joy right there in the dressing room. Gifts that you didn’t really appreciate or don’t need: It served the purpose of bringing the gift-giver joy. Some items continue to serve a purpose in our lives (favorite articles of clothing, and other items that we use on a daily basis) while other things have served their purpose and don’t need to be kept around anymore.
Is It Practical?
Marie Kondo recommends starting in the morning and doing a full-sweep. If that were to happen for me, I would have to hire a sitter to remove the children from the house for at least a week to go through everything. This part is not practical for me. Because I have my entire house on a 6 month cleaning rotation, I am just going to implement this method as I deep clean each of these areas. I also do a clean sweep each evening and give special consideration to items that are continually left out or overlooked by the kids when they clean up.
Another thing to remember is that this method was originally developed by a single woman who lived by herself. If I did that, I’m pretty sure my home could stay completely clutter-free. Because I have many other people involved in this process, I have to understand that clutter will build up again (hence, my 6 month deep cleaning rotation) so I can tackle the problems while they are still small and manageable. I am excited to teach my children these principles and see how it impacts them. I have some children who have no problem getting rid of garbage, and others who save everything.
Where Have I Seen the Biggest Difference?
My home is pretty clutter-free to begin with, but I have a great talent for storing things in an organized manner. This method has helped me sort through items in my home and create more usable storage space. Now I have room for things that need to be stored for later use, rather than stored indefinitely.
I have a goal to keep my house orderly enough that anyone could come in and pick up right where I left off. I hate when we move and have those 2 or 3 boxes at the end that you just shove all the random stuff into. My goal with implementing this method is that I won’t have those boxes should we ever move again. The whole purpose of Marie Kondo’s book is to only keep things that bring you joy.
What Do I Hope For as an End Result?
Because of the nature of my life situation, I have to accept that this will be somewhat of an ongoing process. My end goal in all of this though is to eliminate piles. Although organized, I constantly have piles of things to be sorted and put away. If everything has its spot, there should be no piles. Rooms will stay clean. We will of course get toys and games out and play with them, but then they will get put away and the room becomes clean again. By the end of my next 6 month rotation, I want all piles eliminated. I can’t even tell you how excited I am!
