KonMari method has grown in popularity over the past year thanks to Marie Kondo’s book, ‘The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up’. The book has sold 6 million copies and offers 'Konverts' a life transformation. But decluttering isn't unique to Kondo. Cheryl Rickman raves about how clearing clutter can provide more mental energy in 'The Flourish Handbook'.
From the literature, I gained many tips to help me tidy-up and discard the clutter. These included:
Tidy by category, not location.
Tidy a little everyday.
Tackle one area a day.
Ask 'Does it spark joy?'
Discard anything that doesn’t bring you joy.
Learn that you can do without.
Don't grieve the things you let go of.
Don't save things 'just in case'.
How did I get on?
"Life truly begins after you have put your life in order."Tidying is an obsession. A compulsion. Addictive.
I've always really enjoyed it. I love tidying and organising and cleaning. But I don't like getting rid of things. I prefer to accumulate keepsakes and items that may possibly be useful someday.
Here's how I got on-
Monday:
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To help me focus, I got myself a free KonMari checklist from Jersha and Dup here.
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Tuesday:
I reorganised all my toiletries and my first aid bag. This included getting rid of all those free samples of makeup I had held onto over the years. Some unused products from subscription boxes went into a birthday present box for future gifts.
Wednesday:
My closet, wardrobe and shoes were all on the list for a good clear out on Wednesday. I sorted out my Winter clothes for storage until next Winter, got rid of my old bras that no longer fit, and packed some clothes for moving back to my family home.
Thursday:
I washed my lunchboxes, threw out old food from the fridge, took stock of my food store and tidied all edible items into the one cupboard. I love food, so this was an easy day.
Friday:
Today I tackled the hardest challenge of the week; my desk. My desk is home to work, blog, other work, and hobby items. It's also where I eat my breakfast every morning, do my makeup and eat most evening meals. It's a multi-functional feature of my room and the decluttering challenge I was most dreading. But I persevered and the result was a more simplified and organised work space.
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| My newly decluttered desk |
My storage boxes were full of so much junk. As I stated earlier, I am a nuisance for keeping things that may one day prove useful. This is particularly true when it comes to crafting. I hoard old magazines, empty toilet paper rolls, features, buttons, cards - EVERYTHING. My crafting boxes were in dire need of a good root through.
On top of this, I cleared out my bedroom back in the family home. Minimalism is an important factor in decluttering; so for that reason, I stripped my wardrobe of old posters and printables and flyers.One tip I would highly recommend, is to start with your bed. Having a made bed makes sorting through your belongings much easier. I used my bed to set books, crafting materials etc, before I sorted through them.
I organised my book case; organised by genre and author, and found some oldies to donate to charity shops. I love the end result.
Was it a success? Am I a Konvert?
I was committed to the challenge, and finally decluttering some of the unused items and keepsakes I have collected over the years was a huge relief. It allowed me to instill order and organisation (my favourite thing in the world); as well as freeing up space t actually dust my shelves, desk and wardrobe. So not only does my room look less messy now; it is also cleaner! I also love donating items to charity so finding so many unwanted and unused items for my local charity shop added to the feelgood factor.
Do I feel closer to happiness?
I felt a sense of calm once my room was in order, and I'm not going to lie, but I was not expecting that. Decluttering really was therapeutic for me, but I don't think that decluttering alone is enough to find happiness.
Have you tried decluttering? Are you a Konvert? Let me know in the comments below!
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