We drank the Kool-Aid

The Marie Kondo Kool-Aid that is.

I got the book and read it in January; I asked Kent to read it too because the book made so much sense to me. I didn’t ask him to actually do anything but he did, he completely sorted through his clothing and adopted her storage methods (he posted pictures on Facebook here).

I did a lot of thinking and planning before I actually did anything. Kondo’s standard for keeping things (does it spark joy) really worked for me. I end up getting things where they partially spark that joy or contentment—for example, I love the fabric or the color or the idea of the garment but the actual wearing of it is less satisfactory.

Case in point, I’d gotten a mock wrap dress in 2010 when I traveled 100% for work; made of some sort of super drapey slick knit that never wrinkled. The color scheme was slightly off white with a black/brown reptile print all over. I got compliments every single time I wore it but I hated it. I felt just completely wrong in that dress even as people told me how great it looked. I never once felt any spark of joy wearing that thing but it still took me five years to send it on its way.

The other category that’s been difficult to part with are the items I’ve sewn, especially the ones where I did a fantastic job with them. In some cases, the pattern itself just isn’t flattering (thinking of a skirt pattern I’ve made three of), or I ended up just not liking the final product for whatever reason (which is the downside of sewing, sometimes the style just doesn’t work). But following the KonMarie method, I’ve thanked those items for what I learned (how to line a skirt or a jacket, or how to insert an invisible zipper perfectly) and away they went.

What’s funny is using her method to store clothing in my dresser has resulted in a lot of extra room. In fact, I had to switch from rolling my clothes (which is what she suggests) to folding them in thirds and standing them on edge so I can see them. Otherwise I had a huge empty hole in the middle of my dresser drawer.

The thing I like the best about this method is that it’s not really an organizing method. It’s more a thought process approach. If I know how I want my home to be (in my case, peaceful and uncluttered, also easy to remove cat hair) and I dress for the life I have and not the life I think I might have, then it’s pretty easy to evaluate clothing and items. If they don’t work for me, or spark that joy, then why get them?

One of my two drawers; I had to fold bigger to take up room.
The other drawer holds undies and I'm not posting a picture of that.