Tidying with Marie Kondo

Published: Wed, 07/29/15

Hi everyone, Hundreds of you responded to my spring survey... THANK YOU! I appreciated every single comment you wrote – including this one: “Just di

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Hi everyone,

Hundreds of you responded to my spring survey... THANK YOU!

I appreciated every single comment you wrote – including this one: “Just did Marie Kondo’s book and cleared out everything. So no longer in the market for your work.”

For those of you who haven't heard of this Japanese decluttering phenom, Marie Kondo is the author of the bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. She is taking the world by storm with the tough-love methods of a Ninja warrior. “Tidy in one shot,” she advises. “Discard first, put away later.”

Of course I had to find out what all the fuss was about, so I bought and read her book and put some of her tidying suggestions to the test in my own home. (I’ll try anything if it will love-up our home spaces and simplify our lives.) I even wrote a series of photo essays about my experience – complete with before and after photos of my drawers and closets and papers.

Whether you are a fan or not, read Kondo's book or not, you might be wondering how her methods of decluttering and organizing stack up with my own. The truth is, we both were organizational geeks as children. We both love nothing more than to deliver life-changing magic for our students and clients. We both believe that our homes and possessions deserve honor and respect.

And yet with all those similarities, our approach to managing unwanted stuff could not be more different.

So what gives?

Which way

Which way is better? Tidy in one shot, or bit by bit? Piles or patterns? Perfection or progress? Destination or journey?

If you're curious... you can read what I wrote about these differences by clicking HERE...

It will take you to my "before and after" photos series too. ;-)

Have a great month, everyone...

and happy tidying!

Stephanie

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Folding in The Spacious Way

For such a simple task, folding laundry (mindfully) and putting it away is one of the best practices I know to cultivate ease. I love it for what it does to calm the nervous system and quiet the mind. Until I read Kondo’s book I never thought that there was an art to it as well.

Closet-Before

BEFORE: Nothing here is clutter, but it sure looks that way when they’re piled up like this!

So I tried it one muggy afternoon. From socks to T-shirts, pants, sweaters, and scarves, I took everything out of my drawers and shelves, piled them on the bed, folded them the KonMari way, and returned them to their homes – all stacked neatly in vertical little bundles, as she suggests.

(You can read all the giddy and gorey details HERE)

I was amazed at the possibility that this much empty space could be created!

Until folding fatigue set in.

Closet-After

AFTER: Ahhh… so quiet

After I finished putting away the last item, my giddiness had faded into a blur of exhaustion. I was fried.

I’d be lying if I said it was a walk in the park. It was not. My body hurt from top to bottom. I could tell by the way I was feeling that I was trying way harder than I needed to.

Truth is I'm not sure that you have to get it perfect to receive the spacious benefit that the practice offers. If the KonMari way of folding feels too tight, rigid or OCD; too time consuming or too much to handle, my advice would be to dial back; to take as much time as you need; and fold the garment in a way that feels right to you (that isn’t shoving, wadding, jamming), and put it away with love.

I think that the “with love” part is the key here, not so much the perfect outcome.

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***
A Year to Clear Book

Click book to LEARN MORE

Week 10: Paring Down the Purse

"I reached between the seats to the backseat, where her purse was on the floor. It was the size of a grocery bag and it weighed a ton.

'What the hell do you have in this thing?'

'Everything'."

—Michael Connelly, The Gods of Guilt

A Year to Clear is now available for PREORDER here

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Stephanie Bennett Vogt1

Stephanie Bennett Vogt is a leading space clearing expert, teacher, and author with three books (and new one on the way). She brings over 35 years of experience to SpaceClear, a teaching and consulting practice she founded in 1996 helping homes and people come into balance.

Visit us at: www.spaceclear.com.

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