I’ve been reading the life-changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo. Since the Declutter Group starts today, I thought I’d read to get some fresh inspiration. But her way of decluttering is definitely not my way of decluttering.
She suggests decluttering in one swoop, get everything organized to perfection and then you will automatically keep it tidy forever. She says it has worked with her clients.
I’ve been running declutter groups for about 7 years now and none of my clients have enough time to declutter all at once. Decluttering 5 minutes a day can be considered progress.
Since life is not stagnant I don’t think you can organize and declutter everything at once and be done with it. There are life transitions – marriage, a baby, a loved one’s death, a new job, a new hobby, letting go of projects and ideas of yourself.
Caring for your home is an on-going, ever changing thing.
Caring for your home requires maintenance. Some weeks there will not be enough time for it and you may have to catch up on the weekend. I’d love for people not to feel badly about that.
I want decluttering to feel lighter and more fun. We laugh a lot in the declutter group.
All that said I am still looking forward to continuing reading. It’s important to read things that view things a different way and maybe I’ll pick up some great ideas to share with the Declutter Group.
I agree with you that for people who are very immersed in their clutter, that decluttering all at once is pretty well nigh impossible! I did see a few things of note in her book – one was not putting your clutter into someone else’s life, as in giving them things you are getting rid of (I have a good friend who did this to me all the time with her sons’ outgrown clothes. My kids didn’t want them so now it was my job to find time to deliver them to the thrift store!). And two, if there is an area of high impact that you can do all at once, such as your bedroom or the laundry room, or maybe some area being cluttered that really drains your energy, and you can get help to do it, I think the energy completing it gives you to finish it, can spill over into other areas and help you press on.
I agree with you that for people who are very immersed in their clutter, that decluttering all at once is pretty well nigh impossible! I did see a few things of note in her book – one was not putting your clutter into someone else’s life, as in giving them things you are getting rid of (I have a good friend who did this to me all the time with her sons’ outgrown clothes. My kids didn’t want them so now it was my job to find time to deliver them to the thrift store!). And two, if there is an area of high impact that you can do all at once, such as your bedroom or the laundry room, or maybe some area being cluttered that really drains your energy, and you can get help to do it, I think the energy completing it gives you to finish it, can spill over into other areas and help you press on.
I agree with you that for people who are very immersed in their clutter, that decluttering all at once is pretty well nigh impossible! I did see a few things of note in her book – one was not putting your clutter into someone else’s life, as in giving them things you are getting rid of (I have a good friend who did this to me all the time with her sons’ outgrown clothes. My kids didn’t want them so now it was my job to find time to deliver them to the thrift store!). And two, if there is an area of high impact that you can do all at once, such as your bedroom or the laundry room, or maybe some area being cluttered that really drains your energy, and you can get help to do it, I think the energy completing it gives you to finish it, can spill over into other areas and help you press on.
Of course, you need to add maintaining that area to your routines. Keep up the good work. I love your posts!
I wish you hadn’t discouraged people from reading this life-changing book. I found its message to be the spark that finally lit my fire, and it has nothing to do with all or nothing. I don’t let my socks rest either, but her thoughts on joy, my own and others, were light bulbs for me. Joy is her message! I hope others will read it. There’s justification for its popularity.
JT, if you want to read the other side Marcia has some great comments on the book:
http://takechargesolutions.org/blog/2015/10/14/the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up/