How many of us have binge watched ‘Tidying Up’ on Netflix? If you don’t know what I am talking about, it is a new show on Netflix where Marie Kondo helps people tidy up their homes. Her method is to focus on 5 categories (clothes, books, etc.) and to ask yourself if each item brings you joy. If the answer is no, you “thank it” and put it aside to be donated.
This show seems to be having an impact on many people. Everyone is tidying up their house using Marie’s steps and donating significantly more things. I’ve seen many pictures of drawers that are full of clothes that are folded with Marie’s technique.
Thrift stores are even starting to see an increase in donations!
The show had an influence on me as well. After watching a few episodes, I found myself starting to tidy up. I wasn’t doing the full blown method because while I am motivated, I didn’t want to spend that much time on refolding everything in our drawers. Basically, I went through a bunch of clothes and the storage area of our basement and “thanked” a bunch of items and said goodbye to them: it felt great! I really like the part of her method where you assess whether or not your item is bringing joy to your life. I’ve been trying to do this with all aspects of my life lately because who wants to spend time doing things or having things that don’t bring you joy?
It brought me joy to get rid of things that we didn’t need. We are true millenials in the sense that we like experiences more than “things” so this fits us. And Ryan is an aspiring minimalist so he was a fan of my tidying up. I have been getting more on board with minimalism, but I still want the girls to have some toys and I need more than 5 shirts.
We are by no means “tidy” people but here are a few ways we try to keep things under control:
- If we buy a new pair of shoes, we try to donate or recycle an old pair so we don’t end up with a million pairs of shoes.
- We get rid of kid clothes and toys after our youngest grows out of them by giving them to friends who have younger kids. My only stipulation is that I don’t get them back!
- We always try to keep a “healthy rotation” in the refrigerator and pantry by assessing what food we have weekly so that we can plan meals around it and so we don’t waste anything.
- We get rid of clothes if they don’t fit. I had a LOT of “fat pants” and I got rid of them. This is another way to hold myself accountable to maintain a healthy weight.
Overall we try to do what we can to be tidy but we are by no means perfect. If you come over to my house on a weeknight, there will be random things piled on the counter, toys everywhere and a bedroom with work clothes draped everywhere. Weekdays are crazy so we don’t prioritize picking up until the weekend or if we have a few extra minutes to spare (this is rare). I aspire to be one of those people who picks up their entire house each evening so they can start fresh the next day but that’s just not a priority for me at this moment in life.
How do you stay tidy at your house?
