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minimalism

What I learned from the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Sarah · Nov 6, 2015 · Leave a Comment

What I learned from the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying UpFirst of all, I’ve had a few moments of feeling like I’m the only person on the planet that hasn’t read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. That may be a slight exaggeration, but seriously, so many people have read it!

I’ve read several articles and blog posts, and while it sounded intriguing, I definitely wondered if I really needed to read it after I got all the basic tips from summaries.

My decision: If I could get it from the library, it was worth reading. I’m pretty sure the waiting list was around 200 when I put in my request, but it came up much sooner than I expected based on those numbers. Either that, or I’ve been busy enough that I have no concept of time (probably a little of both).

RELATED: Five simple reading strategies and where to acquire books

Feeling overwhelmed about how to organize and declutter? Ideas, tips and motivation to organize small spaces, kitchen, bedroom, closet, bathroom, office and more based on inspiration from the Konmari method, aka, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. #organization #declutter

If you haven’t read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, the basic premise is this:

Organizing (or tidying, as Kondo calls it) is a skill to be learned, but one that very few people are actually taught. And those of us who have been taught, or self-taught, are going about it all wrong.

She hypothesizes that once you learn how to tidy properly, you’ll only have to do it once in your life. Fairly radical. She also claims that she’s never had a client relapse.

Decide what to keep, and decide where to put it.

Then you’ll never need to tidy again. Simple and straightforward.

The emphasis on what to keep, rather than what to get rid of is unique. She talks about choosing based on what “sparks joy” when you pick it up. She takes a fairly broad definition of sparking joy – for example, a toothbrush sparks joy because it keeps your teeth healthy and prevents disease.

Woo woo…or not?

She does get a little out there, with her take that possessions and dwellings have feelings and should be treated accordingly. A little crazy. However, maybe it’s not so much of a stretch. I live with toddlers, so we regularly deal with possessions as if they were animate objects with feelings. And pretty much every children’s book, show or movie has at least one animated character that doesn’t actually have a personality or feelings.

I was expecting to think she was crazy for that part of the book, but honestly, the woo woo feelings part was more understated than I expected based on reviews. Maybe I’m more in tune with my inner woo woo than I realized. I’ve heard several people talk about how she talks about socks needing to rest, and while she does say that, her rationale made sense. The logic is that socks folded over on themselves are stretched out and that causes the socks to deteriorate faster than they would laid flat and then rolled together. Fair enough.

Can you really tidy once and be done?

While Kondo speaks of the importance of tidying all at once, she also says the one-time process takes an average of six months. Of course, the Type A in me immediately things, “Well, if she says all at once, then I should get it done in a week!” Hmm…maybe that’s part of my problem?

My biggest (but still minor) complaint about The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is that Kondo spends a great deal of focus on clothing, papers, and then has a very broad category of “miscellany” that includes pretty much all household items. My kitchen and garage have far more clutter and disorganization than my clothing and papers.

Once you ponder her claim that tidying is as much a mindset shift as a physical act, and the fact that she advocates spending six months tidying, her claim of no relapses makes more sense. If I were to spend six months straight systematically deciding what to keep based on what sparks joy, and then designating a specific home for each item, that would likely be long enough to truly go through all the items I own and fully curate them, as well as enough time for the new mindset to become a fully ingrained habit.

Of course, as with anything, there will be routine maintenance, but if a tidy mindset is in place, the routine maintenance will be a natural rhythm of life, and a major overhaul won’t ever be needed again.

With roughly six weeks until we move, I’m going to try a pass at tidying. The garage is clearly not my realm, so I’ll leave that one alone, but I’m committing to tackling my paper clutter and my kitchen.

Does clutter plague you? Have you tried Kondo’s method of tidying with any results?

What’s holding you back?

Sarah · Apr 23, 2015 · Leave a Comment

A few months ago, I did a Minimalism Challenge with a group of friends. It was a great way to stay on top of doing a little each day and making forward progress with small blocks of time. It also highlighted a few of my own weaknesses when it comes to many goal-oriented projects and tasks.

The big (oh-so-obvious) discovery: Lack of thorough planning ahead derails momentum.

How it Went Down

One afternoon, I was in a mad rush to get my house picked up and food made before some friends arrived for dinner. I’d had a great day: I got some solid work time in, had a fantastic inside picnic with my preschooler and did some fun outside play with both boys, and had adequate time left for cooking and a quick clean.

If that was the end of the story, I could bill myself as the poster-child for Rockstar Work-at-Home Mom. And who doesn’t want that?

What I hadn’t done was my Minimalism Challenge for the day.

“No big deal,” I thought. I’ve already got a picture of a few items I pre-purged, and I quickly found a few more in the kitchen as I was cooking. Side note: How is there always more in the kitchen? I grabbed my phone to snap a picture and was greeted with, “Cannot take photo. Out of storage.”

Well, crud.

I had been meaning to go through and delete a ton of photos from the phone, but hadn’t had a chance to verify that they’ve all made it to the computer. I didn’t have time to do it right then (See: “mad rush to cook and clean”). By the time everyone left and the kids were in bed, I had forgotten all about clearing space on my phone to take a picture.

Did I mention that my interim solution was to hide the items in our pantry so people wouldn’t see them sitting out and ask me why I had random items on the counter? Yeah, I’m crafty like that. And that’s the only definition of the word “crafty” that will ever apply to me.

Goal for the day missed. And double burden for tomorrow.

How I’m Learning (and You Can Too)

Have you found yourself in a similar situation? What is holding you back from reaching your goals is often a small piece of the puzzle. Unfortunately, this small piece of the puzzle is a momentum killer when not planned and accounted for.

BJ Fogg, the creator of Tiny Habits, advocates breaking things down into bite-sized goals, particularly focused on the one first step. For example, if your ultimate goal is to floss your teeth, start by making a goal to set the floss out on the counter every day.

Similarly, I would advocate that there are often “hidden” steps in our projects – those steps that we don’t consciously think about, but are prerequisites to our identified next action.

Is a hidden next action holding you back? | strategysarah.com

Think about a goal or project you’re currently working on.

What is the next action that needs to be taken to achieve that goal? Do you need to do anything else to make that next action possible? If so, that’s a hidden step along the way. 

In my case, the next action I had mentally identified was simply, “Take a photo.”
In reality, the hidden next action was “Make sure the camera/phone is capable of taking a picture.”

Subtle, but I hadn’t accounted for the hidden next action and it killed my momentum.

What is killing your momentum today? Can you identify any hidden next actions? What one small action can you take today to reduce or eliminate the hidden next action barrier? 

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Sarah Parsons Hi, I'm Sarah and thanks for joining me! I believe that as working moms, we don't have to be exhausted trying to have it all. Sure, we juggle a lot. That just makes us expert project managers, problem solvers and simplifiers. And if you feel like you're not an expert at any of that, well, you're in the right place. It is possible to manage our time well and thrive - at work, home and play. Let's do this!
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This has been a game-changer for my afternoons! I'm so much more productive when I manage my energy and don't try to just power through the slump. #workingmom #manageyourenergy #timemanagement
31 Timesaving Tools, Tips & Templates | strategysarah.com

31 Timesaving Tips, Tools & Templates

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The views expressed on this site are those of Sarah Parsons only, and do not represent those of any employer or client past or present with whom I have worked.
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