I Organized My Clothes Using the Konmari Method

I was spending a quiet Saturday night with my fiancé, R, and stumbled upon an interesting show on Netflix, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.  Oh how it has changed my outlook on laundry.  I literally spent my Sunday reorganizing my drawers and closet.  Marie Kondo’s method of tidying is called the Konmari Method.  It is a method based on organizing your home with joy.  If an item sparks joy, you keep it.  If it does not, you thank it for having given joy and all that it’s done for you and prepare to send it off to goodwill and hope it will spark joy for someone else.  It is a simple concept that I don’t know how I never thought to do this naturally.

Marie Kondo currently has two books out that teach you the art of the Konmari Method called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing and Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up). If you’d like to pick up the books, click on the images and it’ll take you to the store!  Simply just googling Konmari Method will give you an array of information too, which was what I did.  To learn all the ways to fold clothes, you can google illustration charts, which I’ve saved to my phone and check out Marie Kondo’s YouTube Channel. 

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547531295&sr=8-1&keywords=marie+kondo
https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Joy-Illustrated-Organizing-Changing/dp/1607749726/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1547531295&sr=8-3&keywords=marie+kondo

I wish I took photos of my before closet and drawers! I was just too excited about this new system that I discovered I went right to reorganizing as soon as I could.  From what I’ve watched in the first two episodes of the show, I grasped a couple of great ideas that I now will be incorporating into my daily chore life.  I’ve focused my efforts in our bedroom first because I’ve always had issues with organizing my clothes.  Eventually, I will be tackling the rest of the home.  Keep on reading if you’d like to know how I incorporated the Konmari Method into my laundry routine!

The first thing we did Sunday before we began attempting the Konmari Method was go to HomeGoods to purchase some containers for our bedroom.  One of the ways Marie explains to organize miscellaneous items is to use boxes.  We purchased boxes for our underwear and socks as well as some smaller containers for some of my beauty products I have stashed in some of my drawers. 

One of the first things Marie taught us with tackling clothes was to put all our clothes and stack them into one mountain.  This would give you an idea of how much you have and kind of make you realize that you don’t need everything.  I ended up sectioning my items of clothing and piling it that way just in case I was not able to get through everything in one sitting, I didn’t have a pile of clothes just lying around.  I started off with my sock and underwear drawer.  I matched all the socks together (which I normally never do) and I separated them from my underwear.  I then separated the socks based on length.  I tossed any item that was worn even if it was an item I really liked.  I love socks with designs! Marie teaches us how to  properly fold our socks so they stand in an upright position.  When placed in our containers, we would be able to see every pair of socks we owned.  That was the whole concept of the method.  Whatever you owned, you should be able to see what it is.  As I was folding my socks and underwear, I noticed that the containers I was putting them in was running out of space! So I had to downsize my socks a bit more.  I had two small containers for my socks since socks take up more space than underwear.  Once I was able to fit all the socks I owned, I moved on to the underwear.  This may be TMI, so skip the undies section if you’d like!  I separated my undies based on what they are for.  Gym, period, intimate and everyday wear.  I then folded them as Marie taught us and organized them into my containers.  I did have to say goodbye to a couple pairs just so it would fit, but for me, it was okay.  I needed to downsize and using this method helped me downsize immensely.  What used to be a drawer that was difficult to close, was now a drawer that was so pleasing to look at!

My actual clothes were next.  I kept whatever items were hung still hung in my closet.  Anything in my clothing shelves I took out and refolded in the Konmari Method or donated.  Each item, I examined carefully to see if they sparked joy for me.  If it did not, I simply thanked it for all that it’s done for you and having given me joy and put them in the donating pile.  I ended up moving some clothes around for better access.  I had some beauty items in two drawers and I felt it was taking too much space so I moved them to the bottom of the shelf in my closet.  It worked perfectly!  With the little containers that I bought from HomeGoods, I was able to fit everything from the two drawers into one shelf! I folded my t-shirts and tanks to the two drawers. 

I did not realize how much space I now have by just implementing some steps from the Konmari Method.  I know I am not following it 100%, but that’s okay.  I made it work for my lifestyle.   I can’t believe I am saying this, but I actually enjoyed folding clothes.  I just hope it’s not just a hype thing for me and I truly do keep up with these organizational methods.  R is truly happy now that I found a laundry method that I am down to do.  I hated laundry before but I am definitely looking forward to my next load!

How do you organize your closet and drawers? Do you use the Konmari Method too?

January Intentions

For me, January is always a time to reset my body and mind from the holidays.  I feel like starting at the end of October until the end of the year, there are just so many things going on that I feel very off with my priorities.  Life takes over and sometimes it just doesn’t go as planned.  I learned that that is okay as long as I get right back into the swing of things.  I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping at a descent time and waking up for work.  I feel like for LA, this is the gloomiest and coldest winter yet! I think I say this every winter.  I still prefer this weather over the blistering heat, but it does make it harder for me to get up every morning.  I decided that this year, I would set a short list of intentions each month that I want to incorporate into my life and hopefully become daily habits.  

Early to Bed, Early to Rise

This I feel has been a struggle all my life.  I’m a night owl! I feel most productive at night rather than in the morning.  But I think it is time for that to change.  With me starting work at 6:30am Monday to Thursday, I need to get the right amount of sleep to stay focused throughout the day.  The last couple of days, I have tried to sleep earlier, but I always find something else to get done!  But when I do get to bed at the intended time, I’m tossing and turning! Restless sleeps lead to late mornings in bed and I feel like I just wasted my mornings when I could be doing something more productive.  The last couple of weeks I’ve been sleeping much later than usual and I feel it has affected me negatively.  I tend to have more negative thoughts, thinking about worrisome things in my life, when I should be clear minded for bed.  Negative thoughts lead to a restless sleep for me and a restless sleep leads to an unfocused day.  It is important to get that much needed 6-8 hours of well rested sleep to function properly.  I feel the difference between a 4 hour sleep night and an 8 hour sleep night.  If I want to be a morning person, I must first be able to sleep early, and get the right amount of sleep to do so.

Unplug More Often

I am guilty of being glued to my electronics! My phone is my life; It is my own personal assistant.  I take all my photos on my phone and edit my photos on it as well.  But what I am trying to realize for myself is that it’s not the end of the world if I don’t answer a text or email right way.  If I am not on social media at all hours of the day, I won’t miss out on anything.  I want to be completely IN the real world and not just digitally there.  I want to physically talk to people more and just be able to do other things that do not require my phone; like art journaling, reading, and playing with my furbabies.  My fiancé and I are setting goals to be more outdoorsy and I think this is a great way to unplug from the world at a much longer length.  I’m so excited for more adventures and to be one with nature!

Positive Affirmations

I can be very hard on myself.  I think this is of the reasons why I’ve started so many blogs and failed.  I have all these ideas but when I put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), I always find a reason to not post my content.  It’s not good enough, it’s not relevant, it’s overdone, and the list goes on!!!  Each night, before bed, I want to write down at least one good thing that happened that day.  I’m not sure if I’ll just write it down in my planner or if I will create an art journal, but it’s 7 days into January and I have yet to begin, so I better get started soon!! I’m hoping by giving myself positive affirmations, I can find more confidence in myself and in turn, continue on my road to self love.

What are your intentions for January? Do you have any goals you’d like to strive for on your road to self love?