When the lockdown was implemented for the first time, my first thought that now I’ll be able to catch up on Netflix shows that I’ve been putting on my list. One of them was Tidying Up With Marie Kondo. Kondo takes the journey with several individuals, couples and families, helping them tidy their homes in a systematic manner and further leading them to a joyful life. This led me to research a bit about this philosophy of cleaning your house to create a cleaner mind space.
While not all of us are fitness freaks, it has been proven through psychological research that an untidy home can subconsciously affect our wellbeing and mood. And to test out this theory, I decided to follow Marie Kondo’s tips for a tidy home and a tidy life. Here are some of them.
Commitment
One of the most important KonMari rules established is that the process can take a month or maybe even longer depending on the amount of clutter you own but the fact that your commitment is tested was one of the most challenging tasks to overcome. There were points where I wasn’t motivated enough but the idea of my home being clutter-free, in the end, was what drove me forward.
Imagining an Ideal Lifestyle
The first question I asked myself was “What would my ideal home look like?” and the answer was not how I’m living right now. If I speak honestly, the clutter in my home is bursting at the seams and there are items that I haven’t touched in years. In an ideal home, these items wouldn’t be present. This enabled me to set goals for myself that I could start implementing right away, even if it was in a small manner. So with this mindset, I decided to take the next step.
Deep Clean
The first step of this deep clean was to clear out my home of all the clutter and unwanted items. This can be done recycling, selling or donating and then reorganising everything in proper storage solutions. The key is to organise via category and not room since it’s easy to discard in such batches instead of separating everything in every room. By doing this I realised that I was looking at my house as a whole and the idea of even one spot being messy was adding to my stress.
Does it Spark Joy?
One of the important questions asked in the series by Kondo was if the items in your home spark joy. What I found interesting about this idea was there were several things in my home which hold a sentimental value yet I’d managed to keep them in a tardy way. This led me to reconsider my organising techniques and treasure these items in a proper manner. Similarly, there were items that held sentimental value but were beyond their time so I had to let go of my attachment and discard them.
Conclusion
Waking up to a cleaner home starts my day on a good note, helping me focus my thoughts on things that matter. This activity made me realise that our surrounding affect our mood vastly and the messier my house was, the harder it was for me to function, which in turn reflected on my personal and professional life. Now, keeping my home clean seems like second nature, which helps me focus on creating a space that brings me calm.
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