Home Edition: KonMari Has Changed My Life

“KonMari Has Changed My Life”

I don’t say such sweeping statements lightly but I have to tell you Marie Kondo and her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying has certainly been life-changing! I had read so many great things about it and had even joined a FB group where people posted photos of the work they had done. I’ll be honest, I was sceptical but I was sick of the mess and knew that with another baby on the way something had to change.

The idea behind the book is simple, get rid of the clutter and your house will be tidy. Simple right? But it is more than that, it is a total change in the way you view the items in your house and that has been the biggest change for me. As I sit here writing this I feel as though I am living in a showroom (or certainly more of a showroom than it used to be). Don’t get me wrong, there is still plenty of personality and homeliness but it is free of ‘stuff’ and just feels clean and fresh!

Let me paint you a little picture so you may see where I have come from…

I am not a tidy person by nature, I am also a terrible hoarder and it all comes from my mother. Sorry mum but it is true! I am the sort of person who will keep every single Christmas card and store them in a box never to be seen again. I am the sort of person who cannot let go of toys or clothes from my children… just incase we should need them (although this has turned out to be the case amusingly… My house, in a nutshell was full, full of stuff that was not needed or even particularly wanted by anyone.

Another one of my problems was the amount of clothes we owned. Our drawers were quite literally bulging and it meant that I never saw the point in putting any away once they were washed- there simply wasn’t the room. The side of my bed looked like a launderette, piles of clothes everywhere meaning I could barely see the floor.

“My house made me ashamed. My house made me feel stressed – all the time!” 

Does this sound like you? 

So what has changed? Has this book make the slightest bit of difference? You may not believe me but it truly does work – if you are really dedicated to getting it done.

You see, Marie explains that nobody is ever taught how to tidy. That is true isn’t it? My mum would always tell me to tidy my room but she never showed me. I have been guilty of the same, telling my girls off for their mess when I don’t practice what I preach.

So what do you have to do?

First of all I truly recommend reading the book, just so you can read about her journey and gain inspiration from her words. It is one thing me going on about it but she is the master, she is the one who has made it all possible- she has changed my life!

Once you have read the book you will feel empowered to make the change.

Step 1 – get rid of the clutter – all in one go!! Now this sounds like hard work and believe me it is no easy task but I did it while feeling nauseous so if I can do it then so can you! She tells you to start with clothes and I did the same, I picked up each item and if I hadn’t worn it in a year then it was gone. I hoard things, I hoard clothes because they used to make me happy. But if I don’t wear them now then why are they cluttering up my valuable space?

“If it doesn’t bring you joy then let it go.” 

Once you have sorted your clothes then you have to be taught how to put them away in such a way that you will instantly have more space. Now, watch this video with an open mind – it seems bonkers but I am telling you now, my drawers used to be bulging and in some cases I didn’t take anything out of the equation, I simply folded things differently and the change in space was incredible! 

Little bit odd eh? But look at Mr F’s t-shirts…

How neat do they look? He actually laughed when he saw what I had done and informed me that he would not be keeping it up. Fine, I said. But you know what? He bloomin well has kept it up- having neat drawers makes you feel so much better!

There are so many YouTube videos showing you all sorts – including my favourite which is how to fold socks. Someone said to me that they have much better things to be doing than folding socks but let me tell you right now – the amount of extra time I now have due to a properly organised way of folding my clothes is possibly triple that of before I started this process.

Ok so what is after clothes? 

Step 2– Marie actually lists a process of going through your home but I found the best approach for me was to tackle problems as I found them. It meant that nowhere was destroyed in the process and I saw an immediate change.

The first to be tackled was smaller jobs like kitchen drawers. It always annoyed me that I could never find ANYTHING in my utensils drawer. I would be looking for a wooden spoon and would be met with 101 random things of no use. So, I emptied out the drawer and got rid of anything that I had never used… apple corer anyone??

Next was my food cupboard. I was frustrated as I couldn’t fit tins of beans in and they were therefore sat on my worktop taking up space. So, I took everything out and had a cupboard audit. Ashamed is probably the best word to use here…. spices from 2013, 8 packets of lasagne sheets (what?????) and 4 tubs of hot chocolate powder – all out of date. Oops! Once I had sorted it all out, not only did I have a tidy cupboard but my beans fitted in nicely!

I have taken the same approach to other areas in the house, taking an hour each day to tackle a drawer, cupboard or space that was making me feel frustrated or stressed (or both!) and after 2 months of being dedicated to the cause I now live a clutter free life.

Look at my lovely empty sideboard. It used to be FULL of junk – on display too, not just inside! Now it has this gorgeous print from Sarah over at  SarahNickNicks Etsy and I love it! She has lots of other beautiful prints I have my eye on so go check them out! I want to fill my home with beautiful things that bring me joy like this print – not piles of junk that make me cringe when people come over to visit.

Before I started I was a hoarder- but not any more. I now look at objects and ask myself if they bring me joy (or are of some use) and if they do not meet my criteria then they go in the bin or get given to charity. In the past few months I have given around 40 bags to charity and it feels amazing!

The side of my bed is no longer a launderette – hurrah!! With less clothes in drawers and a new love for folding I now put clothes away as soon as they are dry. It takes far less time and knowing how great it feels to sleep in a tidy room keeps me motivated.

I said at the beginning of the post that KonMari has changed my life and I stand by that. Not only is my home a tidy, well organised space but I have so much more time on my hands now!

Ask yourself this – how much time do you spend tidying each day? I reckon I used to spend at least 2-3 hours a day picking up the girls’ toys, moaning at them to do the same, tidying the same old same old things away that didn’t really have a home anyway. Now, I spend a little time at the end of the day putting bits back where they belong – and everything now has a home as there is less stuff everywhere. It has also had an impact on the girls, they do not have to spend forever being nagged about tidying up their toys as they have some fab storage (gotta love IKEA eh?) and their reduced toys now have a home. I have shown them how to put things away properly and they have taken it on board. (I am going to do a post about their new bedroom and their play room soon and I will show you how neat they are!)

Amazing huh? I am telling you, you NEED this book! It can change your life too!

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