Kathy Hamilton You probably know all about Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, the Netflix show based on the “Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” her best-selling book. Unless you’ve been living under a rock or don’t have Netflix that is!
What is Tidying Up with Marie Kondo?
If you are unfamiliar with Tidying Up with Marie Kondo I thought it might be useful to do a short introduction. Basically, Marie Kondo invented a decluttering method called KonMari that is designed to help you eliminate unwanted detritus from your life. I’m not claiming to be an expert here and if you want a more in-depth guide to her philosophy her book is probably a good place to start. Alternatively, the internet is full of useful and informative posts too. But for basics it’s worth noting that she splits her tidying up routine into the following sections:
- Clothes
- Books
- Papers
- Komono (miscellany)
- Mementoes.
It’s also worth noting that my experiment has mainly focused on “clothes” and “books” since I already have a hold on papers, komono and mementoes.
Rediscovering my clothes
I have fewer clothes now than I’ve ever had in my life. As someone who loves putting new outfits together and was regularly feeling wardrobe fatigue, this should be scary. But honestly, my wardrobe is still so full I’m starting to wonder how I even fitted everything else in before! You see, in January, worn down by wearing what felt like the same three outfits all the time I decided to pull every item of clothing out of my wardrobe and chest of drawers. Once this mini mountain of clothes was before me I took a moment to look at it. Wow, there was quite a lot. Not as much as I thought. But still, more than one person needs.
I started sifting through things asking myself A) if I really loved the item B) was I ever going to wear it and C) was it still comfortable/wearable. This is the key tenant of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo but I was still surprised to see how big my “no” pile was. It had grown to fill three bin bags! But I was even more surprised when I realised that the things that I had left genuinely excited me. Plus, it was really nice to be able to donate those clothes to charity. Now, with fewer things in my wardrobe, I am creatively challenged every day. I put together outfits I never would have before. It’s great! Do I miss the clothes? Honestly…I can’t even remember what I gave away. And that’s scary. We all fall into the trap of believing we need new things. But this process has shown me that I should only add things to my wardrobe that fill a gap or genuinely “spark joy”.
Evaluating the things that are important to me
Some of the biggest backlashes to Tidying Up with Marie Kondo have been towards her perceived attitude towards books. As a confirmed book lover and e-book avoider, I can honestly say that to begin with I agreed with it. “How dare you try to say I should throw away all my books!” I raged! Or more accurately, building a fort with said books and shouting “My preciousssss” at anyone who came within 50-feet with a bin bag. I’ve carried my books across seas. To and from every place I have ever lived. Simply having my favourites on a shelf makes a room feel like home. Books are my true loves. But. That doesn’t mean I’ve never given any away.
The whole concept of “spark joy” is to evaluate what possessions you genuinely love. When you do this you can separate the ones that have just been freeloading for a while. I got honest with myself and I admitted there are books on my shelves that I either: didn’t enjoy, did enjoy but will never re-read, or bought and will never read. Tidying Up with Marie Kondo invites you to take another look at why you’re keeping this deadweight? Once I realised Marie Kondo wasn’t telling me to torch all my books I was able to look at them with fresh eyes. The key thing I had missed is, no one is telling you to get rid of your favourites. You just don’t have to keep things simply because you have them. Having books will always be a comfort to me, especially now they’re all my favourites!
Surrounding myself with things I actually love
I think it’s become clear from the previous two sections but despite technically having less I am now surrounded by things I love. Since tackling my Tidying Up with Marie Kondo experiment in January my habits have changed. Honestly. I only bought one book in January. The same in February – so far. This may seem like a lot if you’re not a book hoarder like me! Trust me though, I was regularly buying five or six books a month and just stuffing them on shelves.
Evaluating what “Sparks Joy” really made me confront my consumerism. Was I buying things just to buy, or did I have a purpose for that purchase? In my 2019 Reading goals, I mentioned that I wanted to be more intentional about my reading habits. This included reading the unread books on my shelves. Using charity shops more and also trying out the library. Truthfully, I’ve yet to darken the doors of my local library! But I think it’s no surprise that bar that all the books I read in January were either gifts or already on my shelves! Plus, these good intentions are spilling into other areas of my life too.
More doesn’t always have to mean more
It seems counter-intuitive doesn’t it? We live in a world that is always encouraging us to buy more. To have more. But do you ever stop to think why? I know I didn’t. But having more things doesn’t equate to being more happy or satisfied or fulfilled. Will my love for nick nacks and trinkets ever die? Hell no! I’m always going to love patterns and frills. I aim to have an entire wall (or two) devoted to my books eventually. I can hand on heart say I’m not a minimalist! But I am going to try and be more mindful about the things I let into my life. Curating a life that “Sparks Joy” is my new goal. Not just buying more things.
