Friday, May 29, 2015

My Kind of Crazy-Review of the life-changing magic of tidying up

the life-changing magic of tidying up by marie kondo


This little book has been all over the internet and was featured on the Today show recently.  I can't remember where I read about it first, but I LOVE me a good purging/tidying/spring cleaning.  I downloaded the Kindle version (because, you know, CLUTTER) and went to town.

Let me tell you--this gal must have been a load of fun as a kid.  She talks about spending her afternoons after school tidying her room, rummaging through cupboards and plotting on how to declutter her siblings' stuff.  That'll win you the "Most Loved Sister Ever" award, for sure.

Despite the crazy lead-up, I powered through to the practical section.  Where to Start.  And, thank goodness, she starts with clothes.  She recommended placing all of your clothes on your bed and touching each piece and looking for a spark of joy.  If there is joy when you feel the item, you keep it.  If there's not, you thank it for it's service and put it in the discard pile.  (See?  Crazy talk.  If my kids had seen me speaking to my sweaters, they would have been sitting me down in the recliner and bringing me a glass of sweet tea to try to talk me off the ledge.  On second thought, I may have to try it in the future.)

Anyway, I had a bit of a headstart on this one.  Once a year, usually in the spring when I'm sure I'm past wearing my winter clothes, I go through my closet and turn my hangers around backwards on the rack and as I wear them, I turn the hangers around to the normal position.

Love these Ikea hangers!

When I do my yearly clean out, if there are hangers still turned backwards like that, then it means I haven't worn that piece in a year's time and it needs to go.  That makes the decision process short and sweet.  I don't think twice--it goes in the box for Goodwill.  I finished my side of the closet in record time  My husband gave me the stink eye when I started digging on his side, so, I left that and read on to the next category to tidy.

The next big section is books.  Oh, gracious.  Books.  This one is going to be much tougher for me.  I love to read and try to go to the library more than to the bookstore, but I still have quite a collection.  I've tried listing a bunch of them on paperback swap and I've looked at trade-ins on Amazon, but that hasn't moved very many.  Our library has a big book sale twice a year and they need donations for that, but it's hard to let go.  Marie Kondo, of course, is all about clearing out the bookshelf except for those you absolutely love and re-read.  Those types of books are a very small percentage of all the ones I own.  Two whole shelves in my office are of books I've purchased and haven't even read.  (Yet.)  Just the idea of giving those away makes me feel weak in the knees and has started me on a frenzy of reading. (Must. Finish. These. Books!)  This one's going to be a tough one, but it's a lot easier than the next chapter.


"Papers" is the category after books and that may just send me right around the bend.  Every summer I vow to get a grip on scrapbooks and my children's school keepsakes.  I've got most of my digital photos labeled and organized on Shutterfly, but I don't ever finish the scrapbook because I'm afraid I'll find one more little art piece or keepsake I want to scan in.  And, of course, if I don't, then the scrapbook would be missing something and WE CAN'T HAVE AN INCOMPLETE SCRAPBOOK.  Yep, I've got my own kind of crazy going on with this category.  

So.  Books and papers.  They're my new tidying goals.  The laundry room and the purse are still in good order, so, onward and upwards, my friends.  I'll do an update on the bookshelves and share some of my favorite Shutterfly tips in the next couple of weeks.  Once that's done, I'll touch on the rest of the tidying tips Marie Kondo gives.  By that time, I'll probably be stroking my books, patting my jeans and rolling my socks like sushi rolls, but there won't be any clutter, doggone it!

How do you feel about "tidying"?  Love it or dread it?  Any good tips you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear from you.  If you'd like to have future blogposts delivered right to your email, I'd love it if you'd subscribe! Have a a great day!

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