My KonMari Journey: Clothes

Welcome to 'My KonMari Journey' series. Over the next few months I will be sharing my progress, as I make my way through the KonMari Method, based on the best-seller book 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' by Japanese organising enthusiast, Marie Kondo.

If you are new to my blog, Welcome! In case you missed it, be sure to read my Introduction and Getting Started post, so you know what the KonMari Method is all about and the reasons why I am doing it.

In a nutshell, Marie Kondo has four rules she recommends people follow when doing the KonMari Method:

1. Tidy in one shot, as quickly and completely as possible.

2. Sort by category, not by location

3. Selection Criterion: Does it 'spark joy?'

4. Order of tidying: Clothes, Books, Documents (Paper), Miscellaneous items (Komono), and Momentos (Sentimental)

As suggested in the book, I will start doing the KonMari Method with my own 'stuff' first, then I will work though the kids items, because I am too sentimental and would find it hard to part with their things right off the bat. I also need to get my head around this new process of de-cluttering, tidying and organising, so hopefully when it comes to purging my kids stuff, it will be a lot easier (well, let's hope so).

- CLOTHES - 

I recently completed the first category CLOTHES during my son's nap time (approximately 2 hours). I started with Tops, Bottoms, Hanging Clothes, Socks and Underwear and then worked through Handbags, Accessories, Clothes for specific events and Shoes.

At first I was intimidated by this category because I have a lot of clothes, especially clothes I've kept over the years for sentimental reasons. There are clothes I kept in the hope I would wear them again 'one day' - however that 'one day' will probably never come (I know that now). My body has changed since giving birth to my second child, so I don't wear the clothes I used to. This is something I am dealing with on a daily basis, and I am hoping to keep clothes that 'spark joy' and make me look and feel good.

 - BEFORE - 

As you can see in the photos above, my wardrobe and drawers are a complete mess! We have two wardrobes, one for me and one for my partner - one thing I have managed to do is keep these separate. I have not put any of my clothes in my partners wardrobe - something I am quite proud of actually. I had good intentions of hanging more clothes in my wardrobe since we moved into our new home almost 6 months ago, however that didn't last long. My drawers were a mixture of items - I even had my hairdryer in one of them (this confirmed I really needed this book, ha!)  I couldn't find anything to wear that I liked or that looked good on, so I am ready to go through what I have and only keep clothes that 'spark joy'! 

So let's get started...

1. "Tidy in ONE SHOT, as quickly and completely as possible" 

Collect ALL your clothes and put them on the floor. Empty your wardrobe, drawers, laundry baskets, coat cupboard - any where you keep clothes, grab them all and add them to the pile. You may feel overwhelmed, be amazed, shocked even at the magnitude of the 'mountain' you create but it's okay - You can do this! 

2. Sort by category, not by location

Once you have got ALL the clothing from around your home, you are ready to sort by category. Within the Clothes category, there are sub-categories that Marie Kondo recommends we go through when purging our clothes. I grouped my clothes into the categories she mentions in the book...

TOPS (shirts, sweaters, etc)

BOTTOMS (trousers, skirts, shorts, etc) ,

CLOTHES THAT SHOULD BE HUNG (Hanging Clothes) (jackets, coats, dresses, etc) 

SOCKS

UNDERWEAR

Sorting them into the sub-categories made things a lot easier and I was able to see what I was dealing with. 

3. Selection Criterion: Does it 'spark joy'? 

Now that you have all your clothes sorted into categories, the next thing you need to do is touch every single item and ask yourself - Does it 'spark joy?'. This might sound silly but when you touch something and ask the question whether or not it sparks joy, your body will react. If you get a positive reaction then you keep it, if you don't feel anything - let it go. Just by doing this simple task, you will see (and feel) the clothes that spark joy in your life.

While I was going through my clothes (specifically tops), I found this Silverchair shirt - my first concert at 17. When I saw the shirt, I remembered the concert clearly and how happy I was, however when I physically touched the shirt - I felt nothing. Weird! That wasn't the first time either, I had the same thing happen when I saw my P!nk shirt I got from her concert about 8 years ago. I thanked both shirts for the amazing experience and memory and put them in the discard pile. At first I was skeptical about thanking my clothes, however when I said it to these two tops - I felt free and at peace with my decision to part with them.

- AFTER - 

Look! No more containers stacked in my wardrobe. Woohoo! I am absolutely LOVING my newly de-cluttered and organised wardrobe and drawers. I have followed Marie Kondo's folding technique/method and find myself opening my wardrobe and drawers because it makes me so happy -  you could even say it sparks joy. I found these videos that show you how to fold each item, the KonMari way. My blogging friend, Karen from Mummy Do It also shares the KonMari folding method on her blog. You can see it here. 

After an hour of going through each clothing item I own, here is what I have purged - almost two rubbish bags full of clothes that don't spark joy. Phew! I can tell you now, it feels so good to say goodbye to these clothes that were taking up space in my wardrobe, drawers and in my home. 

Once I finished with the actual clothes, I continued on with the Clothes category - Handbags, Accessories, Clothes for special events and Shoes. Here are my before and after photos. 

HANDBAGS

I love handbags, I really do. Before I moved in with my partner, I purged over 30 handbags! My Mum gave me one of her bags a couple of weeks ago, which I absolutely love, so I am keeping that one and the overnight bag pictured below. The rest of the bags, I thanked and put them in the donate pile. I don't think it will be long before I buy a new handbag, however I will only buy one that 'sparks joy'.

CLOTHES FOR SPECIFIC EVENTS

(swimsuits etc) 

I only have one swimsuit and thankfully it still sparks joy, so it's staying.

 ACCESSORIES

(scarves, belts, hats etc)

Thanks to my many de-clutter challenges I have taken part in, I  have already got rid of the scarves that no longer 'spark joy'. I used to hang my scarves on a hanger, however after a while the hanger would droop because of the weight, so I am using one of my rattan containers to store my hats, scarves and belts. The container sits at the bottom of my wardrobe. 

SHOES

I don't own many pairs of shoes, also thanks to my previous de-clutter challenges. I usually live in my jandals but I do have boots and heels for special occasions. I have them stored nicely on a shoe rack in the bottom of my wardrobe now - all in the one place. 

And that my friends, is the first category of the KonMari Method - CLOTHES. (Big Tick)

What are your thoughts? How did I do? Does it inspire you to sort through all your clothes? If it does, good luck! You can do it! 

I am super excited about this journey and I would love for you to follow along in this process, better yet, join me - Subscribe to my Blog, so you don't miss a post and together we can tidy our homes and change our lives, once and for all. I will also be sharing my journey on my Facebook page, and Instagram, so be sure to follow me there too. 

Charlene

Next: My KonMari Journey - BOOKS

If you would like to give the KonMari Method a go, and you don't have the book - here's a couple of checklists to get you started. Click the image below and Save/Print. 

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