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I am not one that easily falls into peer pressure, however, the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (available from Amazon) is making its way around the blog-osphere and I just had to see what it was all about. After all, I am easily excited by words like “Tidy”, “Declutter”, and “Organize”; all of which appear in the title of this book, and, you know, “everybody’s doin’ it!”
A Very Brief Introduction to the KonMari Method
Marie Kondo has been studying the art of tidying since she was five. She shares numerous stories about her failed attempts to keep things organized, and finally decides to create her own method of tidying. The main concept is to only keep items that “spark joy”. I love the idea of being surrounded by things that bring a sense of joy! Marie encourages her clients (and readers) to start with clothing as it is often easier to let go of than more sentimental items. I thought I’d give it a try and share the journey with you.
My Clothes… In A Heap
In true KonMari fashion, I went through the house collecting every single piece of clothing I own. That’s right… every.single.piece. The rule is, if you forget to add an item to the pile, and discover it later, it is to be automatically discarded/donated. Lucky for me, I don’t have a ton of clothes. (Have I ever mentioned that I hate clothes shopping?)
Sorting The Clothes
Again, following the true process of KonMari, I touched each piece of clothing I own, and asked myself whether the piece brought a sense of joy. If I felt joy, I kept it on on the bed, grouped into categories: coats, long sleeved shirts, tank tops, pants, etc. If I felt no joy, whether because the piece was old and outdated, or because it was uncomfortable and ill-fitting, I tossed it on the floor. It’s a lot like pulling petals off a flower: “He loves me. He loves me not. Joy. No Joy.”
This process was eye-opening for me. There were some items I never wear, but when I held them in my hand, I felt joy. Other times, I’d touch something and really want to feel joy, but I didn’t. There were some items, like my snow pants, that did not spark much joy, but I kept them because, honestly, I don’t think there is a pair of snow pants in the world that are going to spark joy, and they are necessary in Minnesota! In the end I found all the clothes I truly love… well, those, and my snow pants.
Here’s What I Got Rid Of:
- 20 Pieces of Jewelry
- 29 Tops
- 11 Bottoms
- 3 Jackets/Coats
- 6 Pairs of Shoes
- 6 Pajamas
- 2 Robes
- 7 Scarves
- 2 Dresses
- 2 Skirts… and a partridge in a pear tree!
Here’s my “No Joy” pile:
The funny part is, although my closet and drawers are almost empty (no, seriously, you’ll see pictures in a minute), most of the clothes I am donating/throwing away are things I have had for at least 5 years.
Organizing and Storing Clothes
I have always been a hanger girl; anything that can be put on a hanger, goes on a hanger. However, I am going to try the folding method suggested in the book and see how I feel about it. The concept is the reverse of my own: anything that can be folded, gets folded, and only jackets, dresses, and “flowy” shirts get hung. Hey, I’m open to changing my ways in the name of keeping tidy and organized.
Another new practice I am adopting is storing all my clothes out in the open. I have always packed away my “seasonal clothing” because I am highly unlikely to wear a wool sweater in the summer, and equally as unlikely to wear a tank top in the bitter cold of winter. (Welcome to Minnesota.) Buuuuut… I do actually see the point of keeping all clothes ready and available. Example: My daughter and I took a trip to Arizona in January. Sunshine and 80 degrees calls for tank tops and flip flops. I had to go searching for all the summery items I needed. If they were out and available, it would save a little time.
Closet- See, nothing there!
Drawers- I might buy into the folding method after all. Don’t they look pretty?
Jewelry- Everything I Kept Fit On My DIY Necklace Holder
Organizing and Storing Socks
From this book, I learned that I am definitely not treating my socks with the respect they deserve. I keep them balled up in a row, which is apparently the worst possible way to store socks. #Oops!
I am adopting a new folding method in order to give my socks a little breathing room, but I am probably not going to be talking to them any time in the near future, despite the recommendation to do so. Instead of balling my socks like I used to, I rolled them together… yes, each and every one of the 9 pairs I actually kept (yes, only 9 joyful pairs of socks).
Alright! I’m done with clothing! Now I need to find some cute clothes that bring joy! Any suggestions?
Have you tried the KonMari Method? If so, what are your thoughts?
*** To see an update on my clothes tidying process and learn how I organized books using the KonMari method, you can go here: Organizing Books: The KonMari Method
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You did a great job! I totally love your idea. Next week is my “organization week”. I will try to do the same … JOY! NO JOY! 🙂 Best regards!
Good luck!
I don’t think I’ve heard of this method before, though it does sound interesting. I have done some major purging since Baby Boy came along (mostly because I no longer needed to have 10+ business suits, heels that I wouldn’t wear while Babywearing, etc.), but another decent purge of what brings me joy vs. what doesn’t might be nice. I can see this definitely working for me as a SAHM because I have things that re nice that I can wear, they’re not always as accessible as I’d like and my style has definitely changed a bit, too! 🙂
Honestly, I have loved a limited wardrobe. I have very few choices each morning (as you can see by the pictures), and it makes it easy to choose something to wear. It’s nice to realize that anything you choose, you actually like and want to wear. I am actually posting on the next section (books) later this week, and giving a little update on how the clothes are coming along. Thanks for stopping by and leaving some great comments! Hope you enjoyed your weekend!
I have to say I really like the folding approach of this method, but the sorting (and automatically getting rid of anything not included in the first pile) just won’t work in my house at the moment. With 2 little ones and 3 cats, something important is always in a most unlikely place!
I broke the rules too. I had my pile sitting there with all my “non joy” clothes and after a couple days, I really wanted to wear a pair of PJ pants I’d put in the pile. I figured since I really wanted them, they must evoke some joy, so I took them out and kept them. I think with all methods there’s a level of flexibility you take. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! Have a good evening Steph!
Another KMer! Yay!!!
XO Ellen from Ask Away
http://www.askawayblog.com
🙂
Such a great tutorial. Thanks for your inspiration! 🙂
Thank you for your kind words!
I read the book and found it interesting. I only have clothes I love now. Lots went to charity. I got rid of tons of useless paper too. Her style of folding I did not follow because I have a closet with double bars. I hang this season on the lower bars and next season on the higher bars. I did fold heavy fleeces her way for my grand. They look great and keep them neater. Interesting article as always
I am looking forward to continuing the process. I am totally a “let’s get rid of it” person, and my husband is not. I think her ideas on paperwork are so true, so I may read that part aloud to my husband in an effort to convince him that we really don’t need to keep everything. Wish me luck with that! Thanks for your comments!
Hi, Erin ~ I’ve been hearing a lot about the Konmari Method, too, and am hoping to jump in once the kids head back to school. I love the folding method! How awesome to see everything with one glance! I don’t ball my socks, so I have a bit of a start. :0) Thanks for sharing! I hope you’ll do more with the Konmari Method {I’ll live vicariously through you until my kids go back to school}!
I am kinda liking the folding too. So nice to see everything in the drawer. I was actually surprised that this process didn’t take much time… just an afternoon. I am planning on posting for each category in the book, so you can follow my KonMari journey. Thanks for stopping over! Enjoy your weekend Tiffany!!!
That’s a very interesting concept towards closet cleaning. I doubt I’d have much left if I followed these guidelines! I’ll have to look into this book–I’m intrigued.
I truly did have nothing left! The thing is that I would either wear clothes I didn’t like much or keep clothes I never wore just so I’d have something in my closet. It was super weird going in this morning to a basically empty closet, but in some ways it was nice to have just a few simple items to choose from. If you decide to try out the book. Let me know your thoughts.