I urge friends and family in need to do "The Method" and let them borrow the book. My friend Particia's done it and loved it, I can't wait to share some before/after pictures of her home. I also joined some KonMari forums for inspiration and that's how I found Becca's gorgeous home! It's the perfect space to look at for inspiration as I get ready to go again. (And maybe you get ready to start on an organizing adventure of your own?) I'll let Becca take it away from here:
"Let’s talk about tidying up.
Confession time.
I know this is going to come as a shock to a lot of you but I have anxiety problems.
So in order to combat this I try to keep a tidy house. I don’t know why that helps me but it does. I’ve tried a lot of methods. At first, when the kids were babies I would sometimes just freak out and throw stuff away just to get it out of my house and out of my life instead of actually dealing with it.
I’ve lost a lot of things that way…ask my poor husband.
So after I could see that was not working I tried to turn to minimalism. I liked the idea of it but not the execution. To me, at first, it seemed like a way to breathe and get out of the big-better-more rat race. I like that idea. A lot. I’ve never been one to like a lot of things (ask my mom, even though she told me one day I would change my mind…I didn’t :p)
However, all the minimalist forums and Facebook groups I joined in order to find like-minded people seemed like a rat race in the opposite direction. It was a contest to see who could live with less stuff in the smallest space possible. I’m all for living with less! I love living with only the things I need/like and nothing more but it just wasn’t right for me.
One good thing did come from these forums though and that is the introduction to the KonMari Method.
I’m sure you’ve heard of it, or know someone who has heard of it. It’s all over the internet. The supposed Japanese art of tidying promising you that if you follow these steps it will transform your home for good! I admit, I drank the Kool aid (or…in my case coffee since I now only surround myself with things that spark joy!) But I admit, the book/method has merits. The reason I like it so much is because, unlike what I found in the minimalist world, it focuses on what to keep and not what to get rid of.
The process is “simple”. She breaks it up into categories – clothes, books, paper, and komono. Then you gather all of what you have that fits in that category and you put it all in one space. Then you go through each piece and see if it “sparks joy” If it does you keep it, if it does not then you thank it for the service it provided you and you discard it (via garage sale, trash, donation, etc).
Then when all is said and done then you find a home for all the joyous stuff you kept. See…simple. And so for the last few months that is what I’ve been doing and my home is wonderful! Everything has a space and I know where everything is!
It is staying cleaner, longer. It’s easier to clean up when it does get dirty! All in all I call it a big win! But my favorite thing is that I have surrounded myself with things that make me happy. I donated my “every day” use things and now I use the “to pretty to use” things. It’s wonderful.
So here is my home now. The pantry is organized in baskets by type (breakfast, grains, snacks, etc). All the drawers are divided an organized. All the rooms are clean and tidy.
I organized all the closets. I just thought I’d post about it to see if it helps anyone else!"
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Becca created a checklist here that you can use as you complete the method! She blogs here. If anyone else has home tours to share, please e-mail me, I'd love to share them!
With that, I must turn off the computer, rush to meet a friend for coffee and then help my mom KonMari our workspace!
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