Who knew that decluttering the closet could change your life?
Welcome back to week two of our {Sparking Joy} series!
I’m totally and completely over the moon excited to be teaming up with this amazing group of bloggers to bring you …
A Journey to Sparking Joy with:
Anderson & Grant
Making it in the Mountains
DIY Passion
Dwelling in Happiness
Zevy Joy
Cupcakes & Crinoline
Lost in the Found
The Happy Housie
Following the principles outlined in the life-changing magic of tidying up, we’ll be working our way through the entire house to get rid of anything and everything that doesn’t spark joy. The ultimate goal of course is to simplify our life. Follow along as we share our journey to declutter … who knows, maybe it will even inspire you to start one of your own too!
*This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.*
Last week I introduced you to the idea of decluttering and spoke (a lot) about the far reaching impact I believe it can have on my life.
I gushed about this amazing book and how much it’s message resonated with me, how incredibly brilliant it is.
Turns out the real magic to tidying up doesn’t come from clever storage ideas or organizing tricks, it all starts with the act of decluttering. Makes sense. The less you have to keep organized, the less work it will be to keep it all in it’s place.
Easier said than done.
But after pouring my heart out last week, I’m feeling more ready than ever to simplify my life and tidy my house, my family’s space, once and for all!
There are a few basic principles that will be guiding me through this journey that I think are important to note:
one. The real magic lies in tidying by category rather than area – clothes, accessories, books, papers, miscellany (which should be further broken down) and lastly momentos. I had never heard of this before and my instinct to tidy or declutter has always driven me to work my way room by room, but when you think about it, working through categories makes a lot of sense. We all store items of the same category in multiple places around our house – clothes in each and every closet, toys well let’s be honest, those end up everywhere, books on tables and shelves in five different rooms – it’s so easy to loose track of how much we really have!
two. I will be choosing what I’d like to keep, not what I should get rid of. This, I believe, will be the key to my success! Honestly, isn’t that the most brilliant way to look at things?!
three. Only things that {spark joy} will remain in my house. I know what you’re thinking, there are just some things you need in your life that don’t necessarily “spark joy” (cleaning products for example) and you’re absolutely right, but I’m choosing to look at what those things do for me that might spark joy (read: a clean bathroom, yes please!). I am choosing to surround myself with things that make me happy! How empowering is that?!
Equipped with my new favourite read, I’m definitely ready to spark some joy!
So my friends, I guess this week is where the hard work starts…
Except that I found going through my clothes incredibly easy.
Perhaps it’s worth noting that my closet wasn’t really that bad. I mean, it certainly wasn’t perfect and there was still a surprising amount to get rid of, but in the world of women’s closets, mine was already on the “I don’t need to keep everything I’ve ever worn or own 600 pairs of jeans” side of the spectrum. A good place to start I guess!
Now, Marie Kondo recommends breaking this down even further into categories for each type of clothing and maybe if you have a closet bursting at the seems you may want to consider this, but hubs and I decided to just throw it all out there at once. So, we wandered around the house and gathered each and every item of clothing, threw it all into one big pile in the middle of our bed and got to work. *Something to note: we made a point of doing this when our laundry had just been done to make sure we had the chance to make it through every single thing.*
As suggested, we held each and every piece in our hands and asked ourselves the question, “does this spark joy?” – though we did skip the part about thanking our clothing for doing such great job of keeping us covered and warm. If we we found ourselves thinking about the answer to that question for more than a second or two, we took it to mean it must not be special enough to keep and simply tossed it into a bag to be given to our local charity shop (or sometimes into the garbage if it was beyond “sparking joy” for anybody else either).
Brady had a bit of fun with this one as he questioned the ability of socks to “spark joy”, but I figure nobody likes cold feet!
Once everything had been sorted and we had decided what was worth keeping, it was time to start putting it all away.
We started with the clothes we wanted to hang in the closet. Kondo recommends keeping the hanging clothes to a minimum to decrease the visual clutter you actually see – I actually love this idea as I am definitely one to get overwhelmed by seeing it all at once (especially when I’ve been waiting for closet doors for ages – ahem, Brady!). That being said, there are obviously things that you just don’t want folded in a drawer. For us this consisted mainly of clothing that required ironing such as dress shirts and pants, dresses and Brady’s prized golf clothes. Brady and I have both always hung our clothing according to category (keeping our shirts, pants, etc. all hung in a group together), which means at least we were doing one thing right according to Kondo.
After a bit of purging those things we no longer needed, here’s where we ended up:
With the wrinkle-prone clothes hung up once again, it was time to move on to the dresser. This part was a bit trickier as Kondo talks about some very specific ways of folding. This is the part where Brady gave up all efforts to tidy and left me to fend for myself and honestly, I couldn’t blame him as Kondo did an awful job of explaining this very specific folding process (or was I the only one that just didn’t get it?). If you ask me, you can’t just tell people about “the only way to fold your clothes” and then leave them to figure it out for themselves! Thankfully these days you can find anything online and with just a bit of digging around, I came across these brilliant videos, which did a really great job of showing me just what Kondo had given up on trying to describe in her book. I can’t say that the folding process was as fun as she made it sound, but I can’t help but shout from the mountain tops what an amazing difference it’s made in our drawers! We went from overflowing t-shirt drawers (ahem, Brady)…
…to neat, organized drawers with room to spare.
Okay, maybe it wasn’t ALL Brady…
I can now fit my tank tops, t-shirts AND leggings all in one little drawer – with room to spare too!
In fact, we actually totally cleared out two whole drawers, leaving a drawer for each of us sitting completely empty (time for some shopping?)!
Seriously, I was so excited about all of the room this way of folding made in my drawers that I was actually sending photos of it to my family and friends! I couldn’t believe the difference it made in Carson’s dresser too!!!
I have to say, it absolutely amazed me at how quick and painless this process was! Seriously, it was probably less than an hour from start to finish, for everyone in the house and really, just look at the difference! Even starting from a place of “not that bad”, I found myself lugging five HUGE bags filled to the brim with clothes that we no longer needed. Unbelievable!
It’s incredible how freeing it feels to get rid of all of that stuff! I had no idea there was so much crap hiding in our closet and how much it had been weighing us down.
Now each morning, I find myself walking into my uncluttered closet, coffee in hand, choosing my outfit for the day from a selection of clothes that truly make me happy. It’s just as I had envisioned it being. Not stressful, hectic or overwhelming. Just happy.
And thank goodness we’ve finally got things all organized because our closet has been sitting open for all to see for months now with those closet doors hanging out right there in the back just waiting to be put up (ahem, Brady!).
The life-changing magic of tidying up.
Have you heard of it? Read it? Believe in it?
What are you waiting for? Go grab your copy now and join in the fun as we embark on A Journey to #SparkingJoy and make the KonMari Method work for us!
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: {A Journey to Sparking Joy}
Whoa girl! You made great progress!
Thanks my friend! Feels great!!!
Oh.My.Goodness! I can’t believe how much you pared down your closet!!! It looks fantastic. I still have a long way to go to get mine looking like that. Loved seeing all of the pics 🙂
Right?! Thanks so much Manda! Who knew we had so much to get rid of!!!
Great results, especially with the extra drawer space. I have also been purging and found the clothes closet was the easiest. My problem is with my “treasures”. I only collect or purchase items I truly love and which bring me immense joy just to look at them or use them (dishes & teacups). Unfortunately,this has resulted in visual and cabinet clutter. I am having an extremely difficult time in letting any of it go because I really love all of it! Is there help for collectors?
Thank you Liz! I’ve never been much for collecting, but I can imagine how difficult it would be to pare down something you love so much! I think if it all brings you joy, then you should find some way to display it. But it sounds to me like the “cabinet clutter” is no longer bringing you joy – why not start by cleaning out the cabinet and then only putting your favourites back in, making sure to stop adding to the mix once you’ve created a display that you love, that doesn’t feel cluttered? I would think a collection should bring you joy to look at, not stress. It should be something that makes you smile every time you see it! You could always pack away the ones that don’t make it into your cabinet for a few weeks before actually getting rid of them to give yourself the time to make peace with it all. Hope this helps!!! Good luck Liz!!!
Oh my goodness! Amazing! I read this book this summer when my daughter brought it home. It makes perfect sense and I thought I would try it after getting some other things under control, but that is not working. I am blown away by the dresser drawers! Taking a second look. The folding — I couldn’t figure it out. Thank you for finding a video! So glad your email was first one I opened this morning. I have two free days this week and guess what I am doing! Hope you have a wonderful Sunday!
Oh Peggy, YES … try it this week!!! It’s been incredibly freeing to get rid of all of that stuff I just don’t need in my life! I had no idea it was weighing me down SO much!!! Wishing you a wonderful Sunday too my friend!!!
Kristi,
I loved reading your post and the opportunity to do this with you all! It is great to read through everyone’s process and how they went about decluttering. It was also helpful and informative to see your before and afters. Great job and thanks for sharing!
Thank you SO much Annie! It definitely helps knowing we’re all in it together, doesn’t it?!
You are doing great, girl! I haven’t done the folding yet – I need to do that this week. Thanks for sharing your inspiration and your progress. hugs, mb
Thanks Mary Beth! You won’t believe the difference that the folding makes!!! Good luck girl!
It’s so neat that you are going on this “organizing journey” together! I’m guessing it helps you to stay accountable, because I know I am notorious for starting an organization project, and then stopping halfway through. I’m amazed at how much space that folding technique saves! I may need to look into that one!
YES! You’re totally right Jenny! That’s exactly what I thought when I started this with everyone – the very best way to stay accountable! And the folding technique is pretty incredible! You should definitely take a peek at those quick videos I linked to!
It is so great that you were able to get your husband on board with this! I was like you and didn’t feel that I wasn’t too bad in the clothing area either because it is something I purge quite often. But it was still amazing how much I really did get rid of once I starting asking if an item sparked joy. Those two words are very powerful!
Love your graphics by the way!
You’re right! Those two words changed EVERYTHING! And I’ll definitely be asking myself them as I’m shopping now too! Thanks Jamie!
I’m so impressed by your before, Kristi! I love how clean your closet was, but I bet it felt good to go through all of it. And I love that your hubby got involved, too! Mine loved doing it more than I did! 🙂 That’s genius about looking at videos on how to fold, I need to go do that, too! Can’t wait for next week! 🙂
Thanks Amanda! It definitely felt great to get rid of all of that extra stuff! And getting ready in the morning is SO much nicer when I’ve only got things that I love to choose from!
Seriously, everyone is talking about this book! Sounds like I really need to read it. I love lugging bags of stuff out of my house, it’s always so freeing! And it’s definitely time to lug some more out of here.
It’s SUCH a great book Jamie! Definitely some different ways of looking at things! And I agree, SO freeing!!!
What great results – I did this recently and was able to get my clothes down to a reasonable amount. Now I’m downsizing pictures on the walls. That sounds like a neat book I will have to recommend it to a friend who needs to clean out.
FAb!! I don’t go into the whole thank your clothes thing either. But what sparks joy definitely rings a bell with me too.
I can’t believe the difference it made!
Here from TUT.
Thank you Melinda! I find myself asking that question an awful lot these days and it’s really helped me part with things I could never bring myself to discard before! I also love the idea of choosing what I keep rather than what I’m getting rid of!
Great job, Kristi!
After reading that book I did the same thing with my drawers-and what a difference folding makes! I love being able to see all of my t-shirts, and my sock drawer will never be the same! I can’t wait to see what you do with the rest of the house!
Thank you Hannah! Isn’t it absolutely incredible?! I still can’t believe the difference – it totally makes me smile each and every time I open my drawers!
I try to go through my closets once a season- in Iowa, that means I have a good clean out in the spring (when I finally put away winter clothes!) and again in the fall (when I have to put away the summer stuff). It makes my life so much simpler to just say, “Did I wear this? Will I wear this again?” before putting things into storage.
(I love how bright your closet is!)
I think this is a great way to stay on top of things Ally! I totally intend to do this now too each and every time we switch!!! Thanks so much!
I’ve been hearing so much about this book. I read this post at the perfect time, because we just finished installing a new closet system in our master bedroom and now I’m beginning to unpack all of our clothes and organize everything. Thanks for linking up at the #HomeMattersParty – hope to see you again next week.
Oh, how perfect Chelsea!!! It’s going to feel SO amazing to fill that brand new closet with all of the clothes you love most!!!
This book has come in handy for me, especially given that we will soon be downsizing to about 350 square feet in the RV {yikes!}, but asking if items spark joy strangely makes the process sooooo much easier! We still have A LOT to do, as we have only worked in small spurts, but your post has inspired me to keep going. 🙂
Doesn’t it just make all the difference Katie? I love thinking about what I’d like to keep rather than choosing what I could get rid of! I can’t imagine that sort of downsizing will be easy, but there’s no doubt it will be worth it my friend! Good luck!!!
This is so inspiring! I’ve been trying to get myself more organized, and get this place tidied up, but I’m kind of a hoarder. I don’t like to get rid of anything! I love the concept of breaking it down into categories, and only keeping things that make you happy. I’ve been wanting to clean up my closet for a very long time… it is a mess! I really like this clever system you are using. I think I’m going to give it a try. Thanks for sharing this with us!
I’m stopping by from Worthwhile Wednesday. I joined in a little late, and am a little behind on it. Anyway, I hope you have had a wonderful week!
Sincerely,
Sarah 🙂
That’s SO great Sarah! I’m thrilled that you are feeling inspired!!! It’s amazing what you’re willing to get rid of when you ask yourself if each and every item “sparks joy”. It also really helped me to think in terms of what I’d like to keep rather than what I was willing to get rid of. Good luck girl!
Thank you so much for sharing all of these tips! I REALLY need to declutter my closets and my kitchen cabinets and pantry. I have such a bad habit of buying stuff at the grocery store or farmer’s market that I will “of course” use in a recipe…and it just sits there forever and ever. My next free weekend, that is my project.
Oh Karyl, I think we’re all guilty of that! Good luck with clearing it all out my friend!!!
Lol very true! Thanks
Thanks for posting! I love seeing other people get as much out of the book as me. I absolutely love the Spark Joy way of organizing. I cut down my clutter and moved 7 boxes out of my 1 bedroom apartment. I didn’t realize I was holding onto so much that could be holding me back! If you are looking for more tips, I found this series and it was helpful as well https://www.homeyou.com/learn-diy-secrets-from-a-real-organization-expert Have a great day! Your blog is really beautiful!
Thanks for sharing Linda! Isn’t it amazing how much stuff we can collect through the years?! Thanks again!