Here Is How We Adapted the KonMari Method into Our Earnest Home, and What We Did Not Do.

This New Years Day, Netflix gifted us the lovely Marie Kondo. She is adorable, sweet and according to her series Tidying Up – she has helped a lot of people tidy up. I read her book “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying” when it came out a few years ago and it made me reevaluate our clutter. However, reading and seeing the method in action on Netflix were two different experiences for me.

I absolutely agree with the reasoning that less clutter creates a more peaceful and joyful space. The past few months we had already gone through every box in our basement and got rid of an embarrassing amount of donations, recycling and trash that we had been storing in our basement for the past few years. Before Christmas we went through toys with the kids and tossed what was broken and missing pieces; then donated toys that had not been used in a long time. Since we were already on our journey to less is best – Tidying Up got us back on track, especially with clothes.

One of the methods in KonMari that I love is the folding and storing of clothing. I have purged so many old and unused clothes it is amazing. I literally have a drawer and a half empty and one drawer that has my essential oils, hair items and jewelry organized! The clothes are easy to see and believe it or not, since “tidying” my clothes the KonMari way, I actually enjoy doing my laundry. Until this point, my whole life I have referred to laundry as my nemesis, but after adopting this new way of handling my clothes I really do enjoy it. It was really fun to do my 4 year old daughter’s clothes and see what items she treasured and the ones she did not; there were some I wanted to keep that she said no, and some I wanted to toss that she wanted to keep! Of course, I stayed respectful of her likes and dislikes. Now she loves her clothes and what she chose plus putting them away!

Another part of her method I like is putting all of the items that need to be tidied in one big pile. It truly is moving to see how much I had, and how much I actually used, or even liked. This process really helped me put into perspective what items were necessary and what items were simply cluttering up my space. So far, 3 out of the 5 of us have our clothes all tidied up and we are moving on to the next tasks.

One thing that did we not follow, was whether or not an item “sparked joy” for us. We are not ones who have ever had on object that brought true joy or looked to find joy in an object – rather it is having Christ in our home and each other where we find our joy. Mind you, I do respect and understand being around things that make you feel joy so you will have a joyful space, it just was not for us. So instead of looking at inanimate objects and “waking them up” or “thanking” them for being in our lives before we get rid of them , we used a more relatable approach. Instead of holding an item and asking ourselves if it sparked joy for us, we held the item and asked, “do I use this, will I use this, do I really need this, or do I still like this?” We found these questions were more practical for our home.

One phrase that has become my motto is “not having what I want, but wanting what I already have.” This mind set has helped me to appreciate what I have. I thank God for the items that I have used and am now passing on or simply throwing away. This mindset has really changed the way I look at items in my home, and the journey is a slow one but I am excited to see the final results.

So, are you tidying or is the KonMari Method not for you? Let me know if organizing or minimizing is a current or future plan for your home!

x. earnest mom.