What happened when I freed my house from unnecessary things

Socks "bring joy"? The author went over (almost) all the things in her house and got amazing results. How about trying to do something similar at home or in the workplace and get rid of a ton of excess?

I hate a mess. In childhood, my favorite (and the only one saved so far) was the book “The Children of a Boxcar” (“The Boxcar Children”). This is a story about 4 orphans living in an abandoned train car and having almost nothing. Only having matured, I understood: this book found a response with me because of my eternal penchant for minimalism. The smaller the better.
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But then it started: wedding, children, pets and, I am ashamed to admit it, the pursuit of Jones. Suddenly our cabinets, dressers and drawers began to burst with unnecessary things.

In moments of boredom, I like to get rid of junk - I like the open space and order. Therefore, when in 2014 the book “The Magic Cleaning” (“The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”) by the Japanese cleanliness guru Marie Kondo came out, I gladly bought it.

Principle

The Kondo principle, called the “Con Marie Method”, consists of 6 cleaning rules:

1. Take your cleaning seriously. Understand: it takes time. Be prepared to "hang" on it.

2. Come up with your ideal lifestyle. Which house and how do you want to live? You can create a description or pick up a photo.

3. Discard first. Do not run to the store for storage containers, and think about where you will keep all that you want to leave.

4. Work with categories, not locations. By collecting all the homogeneous objects — books or shoes, for example — and seeing what you have, you can make the best decision.

5. Follow the defined order. Kondo offers a categorization plan to be followed. So you gradually hone your ability to understand what brings you joy .

6. Ask yourself if this thing pleases you. Take each item in your hand and ask yourself: “Does he make me happy?” If so, leave it.

It may take time to set up the joy meter. Socks bring joy? Yes, if you think about how they protect your feet. If the thing does not please you, thank her for the service and throw it away. I understand, it looks strange, but I use this formula.

Get down to business

The first category is clothing. I don't follow fashion, so it was easy for me. However, I was surprised how many things I can remove from my wardrobe: two dozen items of clothing went to the commission shop, and another 5 bags were donated to the Salvation Army. After that, we remade my closet, and I managed to hang a picture that had been waiting for its time.

The next category is books. Also surprisingly easy. I imagined the words languishing on the shelves in my house. This resulted in the sale of used books so that they could benefit someone else.

Further there are papers. I hung up almost a year. The papers scared me because Kondo recommends getting rid of them almost completely. I sent the tax documents for the 90s to the shredder without problems, and the instructions to the trash can. But other papers — interview notes and diaries of my children — created an internal dilemma and paralyzed me.

During this lull, Kondo’s second book, “Rejoicing: Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing Space and Cleaning” (“Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master of Organizing and Tiding Up”), was published. In it she writes: “If the subject brings you happiness , feel free to leave it without listening to anyone. ” This strengthened my decision to leave unnecessary, according to Kondo, paper. Of the two office cabinets and three clogged boxes remained one rack. And when my son’s headphones broke, I quickly found a check and made a warranty claim.

The largest category is called “komono”. This Japanese term refers to trinkets, small accessories and all sorts of scattered items. This includes everything from office supplies and kitchen utensils to electric cords lying idle. I went through them all. Tediously - not the word, but according to the rules of Kondo, doing this, you can not watch TV or even listen to music. You need to pay full attention to the process.

“ Anxiety arises due to the lack of a complete picture,” writes Kondo. At this point, your idea of ​​the perfect home helps. You seem to see a goal. You can also join Kon Mari on Facebook and get inspired by like-minded people.

The last and most difficult category - memorable things. We have a lot of boxes with photos, and I went through all these packs, removing unnecessary duplicates and blurry pictures. And that weekend, when I wanted to end this, our dog died. The matter arose, but after reading in “We rejoice” that Kondo herself only recently understood her photos, I calmed down.

When done

In his book, Kondo writes that her clients suddenly understand: now everything is correct. “At this moment, throwing away everything except your favorite items, you know that you have everything you need,” explains Kondo.

It's true. We rearranged the furniture and got rid of things that just took up space, and donated dozens of boxes and packages full of household utensils. It looks like a garden pruning, after which it becomes even more beautiful, and there is a feeling of peace. When a neighbor comes in for a moment to bring something to my son, for example, I invite her into the house, without thinking about what lies on my kitchen table.

Although Kondo did not mention this, there is scientific evidence that the surrounding disorder is alarming. A UCLA study found that if your home has too much trash, then your cortisol level jumps. As multitasking tires our brain, so disorder overloads our mind, leading to stress. Another survey conducted by the Princeton University Institute of Neurology concluded: “multiple stimuli in sight” - read: confusion - limit the ability to process information and reduce the level of attention.

“To put your house in order means to put your life in order,” writes Kondo. Often, a “side effect” of such a process is the willingness to make decisions regarding relationships, activities or careers. Some members of the Kon Mari group ended up in a bad relationship or left an unloved position. And I stopped taking work that does not please me. And the constant alarm associated with an excess of tasks and lack of time disappeared.

Kon Mari member Michelle Sischo of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, resorted to this procedure by moving to a smaller house. She found that she had more time to communicate with her 4-year-old son and fulfill her dream - writing a book about her personal experience of using this method.

“Kon Mari helps to clear the mind and concentrate on the essentials,” she says. - Before, I was annoyed by various trifles on my desk. I could not work. And with e-mail, texts and phone calls, we have to constantly be in multitasking mode. Kon Mari allows you to identify important things, decide what you want to do and find time for it. ”

The Con Marie method is an important marathon for you . And sometimes you want to quit. But, just like at a distance, wait, and the second wind will open. A constant feeling of contentment is worth it.

PS We recommend another useful article on the work on yourself - 7 things that I did to reset my life (part 1) .

The author of the translation is Vyacheslav Davidenko, the founder of the TESTutor company.