KonMari and Me: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

I live in a tiny condo, and I can't stand clutter.  The problem is,  I can also be a bit, well, let's say sloppy.  If I'm being honest, there are times where I've let the mess pile up until it's so embarrassingly bad that I wouldn't let the fire department in here if the building were burning down.  Generally, though, when it gets to the point where I can't find the TV remote,  I take action. Well, sort of.  I thought I was paring down my possessions, until it occurred to me that shoving unused stuff into my storage locker until it's so full the door barely shuts really doesn't count. I may actually need some guidance.

A new approach to junk.

But before committing to the idea of purging, I did some counting- do I really have too much stuff, or does it just feel that way because this place is so small?  Turns out, I have quite a few wine glasses.  That'd be ok, but I also have quite a few Champagne glasses (flutes and coupes), margarita glasses, hurricane glasses, highballs, espresso cups (I don't drink coffee)... You see the problem.  I tackled sweaters, next.  I had about 35.  That can't be good, right?  A pattern was developing. (I'm not going to even mention books right now. Purging them will take a long weekend and a few bottles of Bordeaux.)


Next up: t-shirts.  Man, do I have a lot of t-shirts!  I have a few that I wear, but I have a bizarrely large collection of vacation t-shirts that I can't imagine I'll ever put on.  In my defence, I do wear the shirts I got at Cheers in Boston,  Oakville Grocery in Napa Valley, and The Sugar Mill on Harbour Island.  My Mumm Napa winery baseball shirt is pretty cool.  But the Kalik Beer and Sip Sip shirts I brought home from Briland on different trips- what am I doing with these?  I have two Mets t-shirts- a tight pink one, and  a huge giveaway shirt from one of the last games played at Shea Stadium. (I treasure that one. I wore it when I ran the 5k before the Boston Marathon in 2012.)

A random sampling from the rest includes shirts from the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, Fashion's Night Out, NYC 2009, The University of Virginia, the Ottawa Half Marathon, and one for which I absolutely do not apologize, that reads "Led Bloody Zeppelin, That's Who." I have a t-shirt that proclaims "It's Better in the Bahamas". That's definitely true, but do I need it written across my chest?

I might not wear most of them, but a stranger rifling through my t-shirt drawer would actually come away with a pretty good understanding of my personality.  Not sure it that is charming or sad...

My life story, in cotton.

All this is my way of saying that I deeply need the help of Marie Kondo, so I downloaded her most recent book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up:The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. I am definitely not one for the self-help genre, but this book has a cuteness combined with practicality that didn't make me want to throw up like most Oprah-approved non fiction does.

Ms Kondo recommends going through your possessions one category at a time, and handling each object before deciding if it "sparks joy." You only keep the objects that do. When you get rid of the object, you thank it for its service. Yes, you read that right; you talk to your stuff.  She also recommends a folding technique that keeps what remains of your clothes tidy.

I am not following her rules to the letter yet, but I'm trying. I'm folding better, and I really do think about possessions differently.  I tossed out a hideous green and gold scarf my mother brought over a while ago.  I wore it to football games in high school.  First, I figured I'd keep it to remember the good times, then I thought about it and realized I don't need the scarf to remember the fun.  I got the scarf out, and said to it "Thank you for keeping me warm in the 80s.  Go Lions!" and I threw it away.  It felt silly, but it was actually cathartic, and it made me smile.

One of two drawers with sweaters folder the KonMari way.  So much better!

KonMari folded jeans. Except I can't tell skinnies from boot cut. Oh no!

All in all, the book is a bit odd, and Ms Kondo sounds downright nutty at times, but the concept is solid, and one we need to think about much more, in North America especially.  If you're feeling overwhelmed by your possessions, the solution isn't more storage, it's less stuff. Now, excuse me, but I have to go chat with a set of candlesticks shaped like turkeys...