During the first two weeks of recovering from surgery I had the opportunity to binge watch several shows on Netflix. I heard several people talking about Marie Kondo and her organizational method which is considered to be simple yet innovative. My curiosity was peaked so I desired to see it for myself.
This binge-worthy Netflix show is called Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. There are 7 lessons through out the show that she teaches her clients. Here are 3 lessons which I have chosen to make a habit.
3 LESSONS LEARNED
- Letting Go is Hard – But vital. Marie asks everyone involved with making changes in their home, ” Does this spark joy?” See this question is asked when deciding if an item should stay or go. If the answer is yes, then you keep it. If the answer is no, then it goes in the pile to either sell, donate, or throw away. By touching each item it gives the owner a chance to visualize the usefulness and the positive emotions the item may spark, if any.
- Give Each Item Respect. Marie Kondo strongly believes in thanking each and every possession you own, whether you are keeping it or discarding it. On the show, the men had a more difficult time in doing this act of respect. It seemed to them to be ridiculously sentimental. The key here is to just simply show gratitude. Remember just because something is worn, broken, faded, missing pieces or has lost its style doesn’t necessarily mean you should forget the joy and memories it gave you.
- Small Changes Make a Big Difference. Anyone who has years upon years of stuff in their home will feel overwhelmed if they have to clean-out the entire house. Kondo suggests doing huge tasks in stages or specifically categories in an intentional order; which would be clothes, kitchen, books & then sentimental items.
Y ‘all, I was all in when watching this show. I had one goal for the next six months and that is to merge two homes together. I minimize my items every year, however my Fella has years upon years of stuff in his home that he has some connection too. I started feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with him saying that he was keeping everything. For real?… I ‘m sure you’re just imagining my facial expression.
So, after I fixed my face and checked my sensitivity meter. I backed off until I could work with him to figure things out. This is going to be a big task. I really wanted to see if her method worked, so I tackled the linen 
closet first.
Ladies…it worked and only took 2 hours to complete. I excitedly explained the process to my Fella for creating the two piles. And, guess what? He finally saw he was keeping unnecessary items and how not being organized caused him to purchase duplicate things that just sat in the closet with the tags on them. My Fella loved the outcome and now we have space for my linens.
Yes, it can be a challenge to change your attitude towards organizing, discarding, and cleaning up your possessions. However, implementing a process will help make tidying up easier.
Check the show out you might like it!
4 Responses
This is a great perspective with everything and everyone in your life..What value if any does a person bring to your life???
More food for thought!
Tara, this is an excellent question. For me people are so diverse in their gifts and abilities their value is guide by who they are. For example: the teenagers and young adults in my life are so tech savvy – they teach me quickly how to operate my new gadgets with out spending money to do so. Others individuals have wisdom from past experiences, give inspiration through prayer & biblical teachings, influence me professional with strategies and concepts that assist me to be a better leader & business owner. And, the value small children give to me simply put is to have fun & not worry what people think. A persons value in my life definitely looks different depending on who they are.
I would love to know, “What value if any does a person bring to your life?” Enquiring minds want to know!
Small changes are vital to get to the stage in your life. One step at a time, one day at a time..
Vanessa
Vanessa, this is so true. Yet, this very simple concept gets looked over when tackling large projects or events in our life. I’m sure you have even seen people get started at a simple manageable pace, but their impatience completely changes their progress, and then they’re walking around all jacked up and in a hot flaming mess. “Slow & steady wins the race.” Please continue to share your thoughts with me as I enjoy hearing what you have to say. And, thank for being a reader.