Marie Kondo
We may feel burnt out and exhausted many times during the day. Coming home to a messy and disorganised environment after a long day of work can increase our levels of stress and anxiety. We know how and what we should clean up or declutter, but sometimes the act just feels so overwhelming – especially when there are many other things on our to-do list.
Years ago, there was a boom in the KonMari method of organization. The sensational movement, promoted by Marie Kondo herself, advocates decluttering by category and even rolling t-shirts into clean neat piles. It encourages people to discover which items truly “sparked joy” and discard the rest while thanking them for their service. This is why many were surprised when after having her third child, she says “I have grown to accept that I cannot tidy every day” in her blog post regarding her journey through motherhood.
Perfect vs Done
At Getting to Happy™ we know the benefits that are associated with a clean and organised home, and it’s really rooted in science!
When the space that we live or work in is organised and we take the time to keep it like that, it gives us a sense of control and helps us be calm and focused on the task at hand. When our homes, bed, closets, or even our desks are cluttered and disorganised, we are more likely to feel burdened, stressed and mentally disorganised. That makes it hard to focus, listen and behave in your optimal way.
It can be hard to continuously straighten up and keep things in order, but we love the quote; not perfect, but done; which implies the simple act of doing something, versus not doing it at all because you want perfection is a lot more realistic in our busy lives. So often, the reason we don’t attempt to do things is because of the fear we aren’t doing it perfectly. Marie Kondo herself after having all her children, admits that even her home is far from perfect, but we can still most definitely try.
Application
“Motherhood has helped me be kinder and gentler with myself – and that is a gift in and of itself,” says Marie.
With that in mind, you may be surprised at how a little cleaning goes a long way. Start by tackling one drawer, a closet or maybe just a section in your kitchen this week. Set a goal to clean and organise one part of your home even just for 5 minutes.
You’d be surprised at how it can help bring in a sense of control and balance even from just a small space cleaned. Notice how it increases your well-being!
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