First we discarded 20% of my wardrobe. The stuff either had to spark joy or it had to fill a useful and necessary role. I had to diverge from the narrow Spark Joy rule, since I don’t love clothes and would have ended up mostly naked.
Then I folded and stowed everything we kept, using the method Emma taught me.
After that, I watched the series and read the book.
Then I applied the KonMari method to my craft supplies, my linen closet, my kitchen, my photographs and my laundry room.
Then I ran out of steam.
Here is what I took from it all.
1 - The KonMari folding technique is transformative. Clothes aren’t wrinkled. I use my entire wardrobe because it is easy to see. Everything I kept may not exactly spark joy, but I know it will fit. I give the KonMari method an A+ for clothes.
2 - The idea of going from easiest to hardest makes sense.
3 - Books should not come second. Books are not the second easiest. Books are hard. I can’t even bring myself to start.
4 - Why do we have 16 copies of every photo? Why did I get my hair cut like Prince Valiant in 1999? Why did I not throw away the childbirth photos sooner? OMG my kids were cute. They still are.
5- Thanking the items before you give them away, and thanking the person who gave you a gift you are getting rid of (if only in your mind) is a lovely way to facilitate letting go.
6 - Putting smaller boxes in drawers works.
7 - To implement the KonMari method fully would take at least two full-time weeks. Who has that kind of time?
8 - Although I don’t love clutter, I do like a cozy house. I’m afraid to dive into the miscellany. What if nothing sparks joy and I end up with an empty house? I don’t think I would enjoy that.
What a different world it is, where we aspire to having little instead of plenty.
