An Unlikely Convert

For weeks now I have been on a righteous quest, to reorganize my home. The desire to dive into the deep end of home organization came from watching the show “Tidying Up” on Netflix. Marie Kondo is the host of the show, a noted home organization expert.  She has written several books on home organization, including “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”, which has been translated into English and several other languages.

Image source: https://kwprofessionalorganizers.com/2018/04/the-konmari-method/

When I began watching “Tidying Up”, I thought the show would focus on home design, building bookcases, adding storage solutions to suit people’s needs. To my surprise, however, the show focuses on what the homeowner already owns, what they already have for storage solutions.

In each episode, Marie Kondo arrives at a client’s home, and talks to the client about what their goals are for their home, now and in the future.

Also, Kondo takes a moment to speak to the house. Almost as in prayer, she finds the energy heart of the house, kneels on the floor, and offers a quiet statement to the home. Something along the lines of: “Thank you for providing for this family, for sheltering them in inclement weather, for keeping them safe, and for providing for their needs.” 

I have to say, I found the prayer to the home to be a bit much. I could not imagine why anyone would pray to a home. Yet, as I watched further episodes, this silent moment serves a purpose. This moment in silence is a method of declaring intent. It is as much for the residents in the home as for the home itself. It seemed to help the clients focus on their intention, as well as their desires for the work ahead.

Watching the show, and how Marie Kondo educates individuals and families on how to organize their possessions, 
I learned that the goal of the process is not to purge items from the home. Instead, the goal of organization is to bring peace where there once was chaos, organization where there once was clutter. To make the items in your home, and your home itself, to be a reflection of you.

Marie Kondo instructs each client she works with on the “Konmari” method, her trademark process for tackling clutter. In this method, one of the tenets of the method is the concept of “sparking joy.” The idea being, does the item you’re holding spark joy in your heart? If not, it is time to remove it from the home, as it no longer brings you joy, and no longer serves you. The item can then be donated, so it will spark joy in the hearts of others.

Once you have sorted through your possessions, and have kept the items that spark joy in your heart, they must now be organized. Marie Kondo shows each client helpful ways to organize items, using boxes, baskets, and the simplest of items already found in the home.

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I was skeptical of the methodology involved in the "Konmari" method, as it is a regimented process. However, I will now confess, before God and all, that by the end of episode one, I was a “Konmari” convert.

I had planned to start a project of my own, sorting through financial paperwork and bills in anticipation of completing this year’s taxes. I then thought to myself, if I’m sorting through paperwork, why not sort through everything?

When I sold my home for years ago and moved into a new home, I got rid of 90% of my worldly possessions. The task of sorting through items I now own was not as herculean an effort as it would have been in the past.

I began working on my house in January, primarily on the weekends. I began sorting through items in my home, using the patented “Konmari” method. I deviated from the process a tad, focusing on sorting items in different rooms in my home-the master bedroom, the walk-in closet, the spare bedroom, the kitchen, the pantry, the living room, the spare bathroom and on and on.

I must now confess that I am not a neat and organized person. Anyone that knows me can attest to this. One of my favorite quotes is: “Geniuses thrive on clutter.” If this is true, my intellect must rival Einstein’s. ;)  (A joke.)

That being said, I have to again confess that I found the “Konmari” method of organizing to be an uplifting experience! More than that, it was fun! “Does this blouse spark joy for me? No. Then out it goes! Do I need this purse anymore? Do I even want it? No. Then out it goes!”

The more I worked on this project, the more I was inspired to do the work. The more I completed, the larger the sense of accomplishment I felt having achieved my task. It took some time, but I successfully and meticulously went through my entire house.

While I had fewer worldly possessions to sort through, I found myself with an ever growing donation pile. This past weekend I took ten boxes full of donations to my local Goodwill resale store. For the first time ever, I found myself the lead car in a queue of cars waiting to donate material. 

Driving away from the Goodwill store, having donated all of my superfluous worldly possessions, I felt lighter in my being. I physically felt lighter. It was like an 800 pound weight had been lifted off of me.

As for the items that I decided to keep, I have organized them in a neat and orderly fashion, contrary to the entire fabric of my DNA. Everything I own is contained in another thing-a cubby, a plastic basket, a small box inside a dresser drawer, a small pottery bowl, etc. To give you an example, here’s a picture of my junk drawer:

In this drawer I have two long thin plastic baskets as well as a small red box to hold miscellaneous items. In this drawer are batteries, post-it notes, cord ties, spare cell phone cases, hand sanitizer, a keychain, a letter opener, an Energizer battery charger, small change, an address stamp, and more. Before using the “Konmari” method of organization, all of these things were scattered throughout the drawer. With this method of organization, I can see everything I have in this drawer and can find what I am looking for.

This is also true for everything in my home; I can see everything I own, and can find what I need in an instant. Because 
I gave each possession a physical place, I know where everything is, and where to find it at a moment’s notice.

It makes me think of the old adage, “a place for everything and everything in its place.” To me this phrase always sounded like a regimented practice of maintaining order in a militant fashion, a completely unattainable and unrealistic goal.

However now, this phrase has a new meaning for me. To me, it is a validation of the possessions I chose to keep in my home. Everything is in its place because I purposely gave it that place. It has a place in my home and a place in my life.

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The “Konmari” method of sorting through material possessions is genius in its simplicity. If you feel no happiness from an item you have, donate it. End of sentence. There’s no guilt, no fuss, no disconnect. I found that I in fact had things that did not spark joy in my heart, that I could truly live without. The items I kept, I kept them because they sparked joy.

The “Tidying Up” show has been such a phenomenal success that millions of individuals and families are sorting through their worldly possessions. As a result, resale stores like Goodwill, charities, consignment shops, are all doing banner business! Donating items helps the community while helping you live a clutter free life as well!

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Working on my home, and the material possessions within, has given me a newfound respect for my home. Everything in my home is there for a purpose. It is organized, and it will be easy to maintain in the future.

If you’ve read this piece and it’s inspired you to sort through your possessions, my advice would be to watch “Tidying Up” on Netflix. If you don’t have Netflix, you can find Marie Kondo’s books at your favorite booksellers or local library.

Who knows, maybe you too will find inspiration, and will become a “Konmari” convert as well.