April 2016

It was around this time last Spring when I first heard about Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant, from friends who spoke her praises in an almost religious zeal. They described her methods as transformative. My friends started her method was nothing short of life-changing. They each described how they’d transformed their lives, homes, businesses, and marriages. They all told me this wasn’t a book to check out of the library, that this book was “a keeper.” And in case you have been living under the proverbial rock for the past two years, they were speaking fondly of Kondo’s 2014 book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, the decluttering craze that continues to sweep the globe.

Here in the west, we think of decluttering as donating a few knick knacks here and there, but Kondo’s decluttering services command a waiting list in Japan of no shorter than a six to eight month period. Luckily for the rest of the rest of us who wanted to research this unicorn of organizational systems Kondo’s book breaks down her revolutionary approach to decluttering into a simple two-pronged approach, which she has dubbed, tidying.

The short of the method is as such: First, you must change your mindset. You have to wrap your mind around the idea that your home should only serve to house the items and belongings which spark joy in your life. And how do you know if you’re belongings spark joy? Simple, you gather all of your belongings by category throughout your home, and touch each and every item to see what items truly spark joy. Items that do not spark joy, the item should be thanked for its usefulness and donated. Second, once only your most joy-sparking belongings remain, put every item in a place where it’s visible, accessible, and easy to use daily. And it is at this point that Kondo says will you have reached the nirvana of peace-filled housekeeping, and never have to clean again.

While all of this sounded wonderful, as a working woman who could barely keep up with the demands of daily life I didn’t know how practical this method would be. But once I read Kondo’s book, I got totally motivated and as it turns out, tidying really was my quickest way to household happiness.

There is so much information that I learned from the Kon’Mari method. For the next five, Thursday’s I’ll be sharing what I learned from the Kon’Mari method by category, starting today with clothing, and ending with Kondo’s newest master-level book, “Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up.”

 Here’s what I learned about clothing:

Lesson #1: Tackle Categories, Not Rooms. In the past, I have always tackled clutter a room at a time. Generally starting in my bedroom and working my way to the front of the house. Instead, Kondo’s first rule is to tidy by category—making sure to engage and sort you’re all of your certain type of clutter at once, in a single day. She advises beginning with clothing since it’s the least emotionally loaded category for most people. Then onto books and so forth, leaving emotional items such as photographs, letters, and holiday cards, things that hold great sentimental and emotional attachment to the end, to keep your momentum going in decluttering. I gave each category one afternoon which seemed more than plenty.

Lesson #2: Regard Your Belongings. With a new mindset in place, I realized my closets were a disaster.  To remedy this, Kondo asks that you consider your clothing’s feelings: Are your clothes happy in a corner shelf? Are they happy crowded onto hangers? Are your workhorse socks really being best utilized, lint-covered and balled up? As silly as it may seem, after considering this perspective, the clothing, and unmentionables I spent so much time acquiring didn’t look very valuable after all. I spent two separate occasions. A large purge and then a second afternoon to create my first capsule wardrobe. Now, every day when I open my closet I love every item I see. It’s such a relief. My biggest lesson? Treating your things with respect makes them look better. 

Lesson #3: Nostalgia Be Gone. As I started emptying the closets, I happened upon several hat boxes filled with letters and old photographs. Serious mistake. Seeing photos of my grandmother sent several days of decluttering to the wayside in afternoons filled with watching the film Beaches, shedding tears, and vast amounts of wasted time. Mind you, this was my own fault. I did not heed Kondo’s advice to focus only on the category of belongings at a time. I was procrastinating.

While I was keen on the idea of living intentionally with clothing that sparks joy each and every morning, but I still had hang-ups: What will I be left with? Will I wear to meetings? What about date nights? What about church attire? Will I have to sacrifice favorite belongings for the sake of decluttering? In the end, the Kon’Mari method helped me work through this clothing insecurities and fill my closet with only pieces that currently fit, will work for a multitude of occasions, and are easily seen in my closet. 

Lesson #4: Purging is Cathartic: From this point forward I took decluttering my home seriously. Channeling Kondo’s advice, to say a prayer upon entering a client’s home, I lit a candle, said a little prayer, and started digging through the each day’s tasks. Every day between work, on breaks, in the evenings, and all day Saturday’s I purged. 

What was surprising? The more I purged the more my clothing style emerged. I was left with clothing that didn’t look better on someone else, things found in magazines belonging to someone else’s journey, I was left with clothing that looked amazing on me. Mind you, this realization came 16 bags of donations destined for consignment and Thredup later. Sixteen bags with non-joy-giving clothes. Sixteen bags of guilt-ridden clothing. Clothing I tortured myself over no longer being able to fit. Kondo’s clothing purge ideas gave me freedom to enjoy my clothing for one reason, to make myself happy.  Kondo also advises hanging clothes so that the line along the bottom slopes upward—it adds an optimistic “smile” for your clothes. I did this too!

Lesson #5: Fold Everything. So, once you’ve sorted out the things you plan to discard, you then decide where the remaining clothing and everything else for that matter should go. Kondo suggests clothing would be happier folded in a dresser. So, most everything aside from dress clothes found themselves again. Everything from unmentionables to workout clothing, everything. 

I started folding using KonMari’s vertical fold, which can be applied to everything starts with a long rectangle, and then fold from the bottom up, and in half again until it’s in a little package. How do you know if it’s done well? It stands up on its own!  To keep these little-folded packages standing at attention in the dresser, Kondo suggests using shoe boxes as drawer dividers. 

Lesson #6: Love Your Closet. This is why people become evangelical about the KonMari method. Once you’ve cleared away the clutter, you truly can see the light of day on your own, hard-earned things! What do I love most about my closet, post method? There’s breathing room between pieces, I can literally move my belongings along the bar and see light between each and every piece I own. Each piece in my closet give me hope, and dare I say joy. What brings me the most joy? My simple, vintage polka dot dress. 

Lesson #7: Don’t Let Others Go Through Your Donations While Decluttering. Kondo warns against allowing others to delve back into donation and discard bags since they’ll want to stop you from getting rid of so much. Never a truer statement was made. Throughout my closet cleaning, I was met with not only self-doubt, but family members asking, “you’re not getting rid of this are you?” For this reason, I suggest decluttering alone.

Lesson #8: Your Style Shines: For years I’ve worn the same rotation of easy-to-launder, neutral pieces. The color was a nonentity. There were not any pieces vibrant with color in my closets. Once a closet full of dirt dobber brown grabs, now houses my true, truth-speaking passion for color, including turquoise, coral, and shades of pink. These are the forgotten colors of my youth, the colors I had long admired in my study abroad to Europe. These were the colors that drew me into Art History. These are the dances of tone. These are the colors that now greet me each morning.

Lesson #9: Getting dressed is not a chore. Getting dressed is a joy. Having dug out my current closet from nothing short of a painful, weight-fluctuating past. Now my closet feels richer. My closet feels simpler. My closet is easier to navigate. I feel privileged to have nice clothing and take pride in what I wear. Case in point, every Saturday morning I run errands and take a long lunch with my family when able. Each and every outfit I put on, despite having owned many pieces for years, brings a smile to my husband’s face. 

Kon’Maring my closet has helped me to see that when there are gaps in my staple wardrobe it’s okay to purchase new or new-to-me items to fill those needs. I also now collect only things I love for my closet. I know focus on finds such as hand-crafted handbags in lieu of expensive handbags. I look for cool, moisture wicking cotton summer dresses and beautiful abalone shell earrings.

My only criticism. While cleaning is so much easier I still have to tidy from time-to-time. I would assume that only the most devout, extreme minded KonMarists would never have to clean again their closets again. This was not my experience. Maybe it’s the fact that I live in an older, dusty house but I still dust my closet floor and clean my closet doorknobs weekly. But now that everything flows with color, order, and purpose maintaining my closet is a pleasure and never a pain. 

I am a better person for having Kon’Maried my closets. 

For next week, books. I’ll be sharing how I went from Bibliophile on the verge of a hoarder to Zen reader. 

Here’s to better living,

Hello again, friends. For the past three weeks I have documented the numerous items my family no longer lives with as minimalists in my post The 100 Things I No Longer Own as a minimalist,  The 100 More Things I No Longer Own as a minimalist, and 100 Additional Items I No Longer Own as a Minimalist. In each post, I discussed that my end goal for becoming a minimalist was not simply to disinfect my home of

In each post, I discussed that my end goal for becoming a minimalist was not simply to disinfect my home of affluenza, but to rid my life of distraction, discontentment, and to create my own version of Joie de vivre. I did this by challenging myself to go the contrarian route and list the items that I am happy to say I no longer own. 

This post wasn’t simply a list of things that I have gotten rid of because I wanted to immolate the life of anyone else, but a chronicle of the things I parted with in life to help me keep down from the Joneses. And I must say that it felt so cathartic to be able to document this personal minimalist progress in my life! 

And so here is a list of yet another 200 additional household items my family happily lives without:

1.  Old Apple Chargers- Donated.

2.  Hangers from the dry cleaners- Returned to dry cleaners. 

3.  Bug Repellents- Went to Earth911.com to find a place to dispose of it safely. 

4.  Electric blankets- Donated. 

5.  Half-finished craft projects- Donated, all of it! 

6.  Humidifiers- Donated. 

7.  Old emery boards- Replaced with a glass file. Tossed. 

8.  Old paint- Went to Earth911.com to find a place to dispose of it safely. 

9.  Cloth Diapers- Sold on eBay. 

10.  Bills, taxes, paperwork over 7 years old- Shredded and recycled. 

11.  Dishwasher Detergent- Unused, unneeded. Donated.  

12.  Measuring cups- We kept one Pyrex glass cup. Everything else donated. 

13.  Embroidery hoops- Donated. 

14.  Wingback chairs- We no longer have a formal living room. Sold last Autumn. 

15.  Furbies- Sold on eBay.

16.  Figits – Sold on eBay. 

17.  Tea light candles – Donated. We only diffuse essential oils now.

18.  Take out menus- Recycled. 

19.  Chair cushions- We no longer own a dining room set. Donated

20.  Outdated Vitamins- Donated to Veterans Home. 

21.  Old sneakers: Recycled through Nike. 

22.  Plastic cutlery: Recycled. 

23.  Bamboo Drawer organizers- Donated. 

24.  vTech Toys: Donated. 

25.  Broken Flower pots- Used as drainage shards for remaining clay pots in raised flower beds. 

26.  Board games: Paired down to 6. Games with missing pieces recycled.

27.  Scrunchies- Donated. 

28. Crib- Sold this winter. 

29. High Chair- Sold this winter. 

30.  Excersaucer- Sold this winter. 

31.  Desk heater- Donated. 

32.  Kitchen rugs- Donated. 

33.  Decorative kitchen towels- Donated. 

34.  Ice Cream Maker- Sold last Autumn. 

35.  Extension cords: Paired down. The rest donated. 

36.  Chenille throws: Paws tear them up too easily. Donated. 

37.  Chargers- We no longer hosts large dinner parties. Donated. 

38.  Holiday silverware services- Donated. 

39.  Paychecks older than 2 years- Shredded and recycled. 

40.  Stretched out hair ties- Tossed. 

41.  Matches- Donated to neighbors. 

42.  Old newspapers- Recycled as Guinea Pig and Sugar Glider cage liners. 

43.  Glitter pens- Donated to my husband’s school.

44.  Extra pillows- Donated. 

45.  Ticket stubs- Digitized and recycled. 

46.  Halloween makeup- Unused and donated to be used as face paint for local charity. 

47.  Clothes that are more than 2 sizes too small- Sold to Thredup for store credit. 

48.  Outdoor Turkey Fryer- Sold last Autumn. 

49.  White-out- Donated. 

50.  Unneeded notebooks- Donated to my husband’s school. 

51.  Pens and pencils- Kept one cup full. Donated the rest to my husband’s school

52.  Little shampoo bottles from hotels- Donated to women’s shelter. 

53.  Pool noodles- Used to make wreath forms. 

54.  Cords- Donated if unused. 

55.  Loose screws, nuts, bolts, etc.- Donated to Habitat for Humanity Store. 

56.  Cheese cloche- Donated. 

57.  Cupcake stand- Donated. 

58.  Cake pop stand- Donated. 

59.  Glass Cake Stand- Donated. 

60.  Turkey Platter- Donated. 

61.  Easter deviled egg tray- Donated. 

62.  Halloween candy bowls- Donated.

63.  Easter decor- Donated. 

64.  Omelet pan- Donated. 

65.  Tree Swing- Donated to Boys and Girls Club. 

66.  Paint pallets- Donated to husband’s school. 

67.  Rubber loops- Donated to husband’s school.

68.  Unidentified frozen vegetable-based foods- Composted. 

69.  Plastic watering cans- We kept one vintage metal can. All others were donated. 

70.  Shopping totes from the mall- Donated.

71.  Multiple pairs of scissors- We kept one pair of vintage metal sheers. All others donated. 

72.  Earbuds- Each person kept one pair and a spare. All others donated. 

73.  Curling irons- My hair is already curly. Donated. 

74.  Crimpers- Donated. 

75.  Travel mugs- My husband kept one, and all others donated. 

76.  Baseball card sleeves- Donated. 

77.  Samples of any kind – Donated to local women’s shelter.

78.  Wooden soap dishes- Donated. 

79.  Tape measures – Keep one and tossed the rest.

80.  Styluses: Donated.

81.  String: Kept two rolls, donated the rest. 

82.  Glass pie plates- Donated.

83.  Glass meatloaf pan- Donated. 

84.  Under counter compost bin- Attracted flies. We take out compost outside daily. Donated. 

85.  Duplicate kitchen scrapers – Donated. 

86. Cookie cutters- Donated. 

87.  Mickey Mouse cake pan – Our bakery supply store rents them for $2.00 a day if needed.  Donated.

88.  Old teeth whitening trays- Tossed. 

89.  Hard candy- Composted.

90.  Food injectors- Tossed. 

91.  Half used chapstick containers – Tossed. 

92.  Nursery Glider- Sold this winter.

93.  Papasan chair- Sold last Autumn. 

94.  Lighting strips- Donated. 

95.  Electric candle burner- Donated.

96.  Expired sunscreen- Tossed.

97.  Staple remover – Donated.

98.  Travel alarm clock – Donated.

99.  Stress balls- Donated.

100.  Plug in air fresheners without a refill- Recycled.

101.  Scentsy warmers- Sold last month. 

102.  Extra USB flash drives – Donated all but one.

103.  Promotional swag- Donated. 

104.  Key chains you don’t use- Donated. 

105.  Recipe books you don’t ever use- Donated to the public library. 

106.  Push pins- Kept a handful, donated the rest to my husband’s school. 

107.  Cone coffee drip maker- Donated. 

108.  Lanyards- Donated. 

109.  Carabiners – Donated.

110.  Lotions, face washes, serums that we won’t be using- Donated to local women’s shelter. 

111.  Unused batteries: Donated. 

112.  Paper bookmarks – Recycled.

113.  Combination locks – Tossed. 

114.  Sidewalk chalk- Donated to husband’s school. 

115.  Completed coloring books- Recycled. 

116.  Markers- Donated. 

117.  Goodie bag toys from previous birthday parties- Donated.

118.  Pasta boat- We no longer own a microwave. Donated. 

119.  Pasta maker- Donated. 

120.  Old wedding invitations- Recycled. 

121.  Travel brochures- Recycled. 

122.  Tissue paper: Donated. 

123.  Unused sticky notes: We use a small white board instead. Donated. 

124.  Extra shoe laces: Donated. 

125.  Stickers: Donated to my husband’s school.

126.  Unused wreaths: If not for sale on ETSY, donated. 

127.  Chopsticks – Composted. 

128.  Old prescription glasses – Donated to the Lions Club.

129.  Old sunglasses – Donated. 

130.  Worn out flip flops- Tossed.

131.  Honeypot- We use mason jars. Recycled.

132.  Posters- Donated. 

133.  Hedge clippers-Donated. 

134.  Phone books- Shredded for cage liners.

135.  Broken holiday lights- Donated to Craigslist; a community member loves them!

136.  Notes/gifts from old romances- Burned in fire pit. 

137.  Hats- Donated except for husband’s two baseball caps. If I need a winter cap I’ll knit one. 

138.  Bubble wrap- If not needed for ETSY, recycled. 

139.  Twisty ties- Recycled.

140.  Chip clips- Donated.

141.  Craft supplies for unfinished projects- Donated on Freecycle.

142.  Paper plates – Used up and not re-purchased.

143.  Loyalty cards – Changed over to phone number verification in-store. Recycled.

144.  Gift cards – Used for holiday gift buying for husband or re-gifted.

145.  Touristy knick knacks- Donated, donated, donated! 

146.  Business cards – Keep an electronic excel record. Recycled.

147.  Puzzle books – Recycled.

148.  Old textbooks- Sold on Half.com or donated to local library.

149.  Unused vases- Donated to the thrift shop. 

150.  Stockings with runs in them- Recycled as Type 6 recycling is offered in my area.

151.  Fancy serving bowls- Donated to the local thrift shop.

152.  Language CDs- Donated to the local library.

153.  Old boombox- Donated to the local thrift shop.

154.  Piles of “scrap paper”- Recycled.

155.  Unused Gym bags- Donated to the local thrift shop.

156.  Catalogs- Recycled and subscriptions ended. 

157.  Christmas garland- Given away on Freecycle. 

158.  Unused sheet music- Donated to the local high school choral program.

159.  Cloth sacks- Donated to the thrift shop.

160.  Instruction manuals – Most are online now so they were recycled.

161.  Calculators – I use the one on my iPad and iPhone, thrift.

162.  Remotes that have no purpose- Donated to the thrift shop.

163.  Emergency sewing kits – Donated to the thrift shop.

164.  Dry erase markers- Kept two for my office dry erase board and donated the rest to my husband’s school.

165.  Pencil sharpeners – Donated.

166.  Rusty tools- Cleaned and donated to Habitat for Humanity store.

167.  Lawn and garden pesticides- Went to Earth911.com to find a place to dispose of it safely. 

168.  Unused Fireworks- Donated on Freecycle last 4th of July. 

169.  Dried up super glue- Went to Earth911.com to find a place to dispose of it safely. 

170.  Old t-shirts- Donated to local animal shelter for reusable bedding.

171.  Hair accessories you don’t use- Donated to thrift shop

172.  One orphan earring- Recycled.

173.  Dried flowers- Composted.

174.  Extra photo prints- Scanned and recycled.

175.  Gifts you don’t love- Re-gifted (shh!)

176.  Unworn Scarves- Sold on Thredup.

177.  Damaged/stained clothing- Cut up and composted.

178.  Plastic children’s plates- Donated to the local thrift shop.

179.  Junk mail- Unsubscribed and recycled.

180.  Address labels – Recycled.

181.  Extra folders- Donated to husband’s school.

182.  Old cell phones – Sold to Gazelle. 

183.  Old fortune cookie fortunes- Recycled.

184.  Used ink cartridges – Recycled to Office Depot for a small store credit. 

185.  Old men’s ties- Donated to the thrift shop.

186.  Outdated computer software- Donated to the thrift store.

187.  Old wallets- Donated to the thrift shop.

188.  Pocket knives- Donated to the thrift shop.

190. Old tires in the garage- Went to Earth911.com to find a place to dispose of it safely. 

1.  Unused picture frames- Donated to thrift store.

2.  Old Crossword puzzle books- Recycled.

3.  Unused Kitchen knives- Donated to the local thrift shop.

4.  Volleyballs- Donated to husband’s school. 

5.  Broken or chipped glasses- Recycled. 

6.  Cork coasters- Composted. 

7.  Keebler Electric Pie maker- Sold last Autumn. 

8.  Hole punch: Kept one in-notebook one, others donated. 

9.  Fancy Cloth Napkins- We no longer have a dining room set, donated.  

10.  Ruled notebook paper – Donated to husband’s school. 

Well, that’s it folks, yet another 200 common household items we no longer live with as a family. Items donated that help us step one foot closer to realizing our family dream of small, sustained, affordable minimalist living. 

Please note, these lists are not a guideline for minimalist living. These are just the 500 items that we as a family chose to no longer live with. These are items that we have not once missed. These are items that have gone on to a new home, met purposes, and new uses. Items that are hopefully now benefiting other people. At the heart of minimalism lies the ideal that life should provoke thought. I hope this series has proven as such for others.

Here’s to living with less,