The Magic of Tidying Up
The month of April was my Tidy Up month. I just finished reading Marie Kondo's The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up which really inspired me to minimize everything in my life. That and dating an uber-minimalist helped in the motivation department.
So, I started off with the sorta-easier part which was the clothing and books earlier this month. I piled up all my clothes in my apartment, touching each piece trying to figure out what gave me joy. There were definitely a lot of low-hanging fruit items that I could immediately tell that I didn't want in my life. Clothing that never fit right, or items that were well-worn and had holes to prove it. But it got surprisingly hard when I got to clothes that were in good condition, that I wore a lot but maybe I didn't absolutely love -- or I didn't think I looked great in.
I showed my boyfriend my closet. I was pretty proud of my progress, but since he only has one shirt, one pair of pants and 2 pairs of underwear he thought I had way too many clothes. I'm probably never going to be extreme as he is about minimalist clothing but he gave me the courage to part with more. Regardless, I had to brace myself when dropping off bags at Goodwill. It hurts to see good clothing left in piles, makes me sad inside. But I also remembered to thank my clothes for all their hard work in keeping me warm and helping me look nice in the past.
Books were also a bit tricky. There were a lot of books that I could donate easily. Others could be categorized as books that I really want to read one day when I'm living out in my cabin the woods, sitting by the window curled up with tea, but whenever I pick this type of book up I can't finish it. I know that must be a sign that the book isn't worth reading. But part of me blames it on my lack of patience, or the fact that my interests have changed.
Back in 2004-08, I was reading a lot more about conservative intellectual philosophy/policy when I lived in DC, a reflection of my environment. When I moved back to the Bay Area, I got more into a monetary economic issues, and I had the entrepreneurship/self-improvement bug since I was starting to do some freelancing. Now, I think I'm more into mindfulness, meditation, communication, and also programming. Part of me wants to hold on to the past me's and her interests. I also wonder if my future children would be intrigued by my hodgepodge library. I know that I personally love staying in places with lots of books that I can peruse.
I've gotten my books down from something like 10+ shelves to ~6 shelves. I bet I'll be donating a bunch more in the new few months as I get more used to this idea of tidying (aka surrounding myself with only things that give me joy.) I've also done a great job with documents, personal items/komodo, and my bathroom supplies.
Overall, I feel much happier when I look around at my spaces. There's something awesome about owning less things and knowing what you actually have. It makes me feel more deliberate in and more aware of what I'm doing in my daily life.
A good article to read: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/may/01/do-something-decluttering
So, I started off with the sorta-easier part which was the clothing and books earlier this month. I piled up all my clothes in my apartment, touching each piece trying to figure out what gave me joy. There were definitely a lot of low-hanging fruit items that I could immediately tell that I didn't want in my life. Clothing that never fit right, or items that were well-worn and had holes to prove it. But it got surprisingly hard when I got to clothes that were in good condition, that I wore a lot but maybe I didn't absolutely love -- or I didn't think I looked great in.
I showed my boyfriend my closet. I was pretty proud of my progress, but since he only has one shirt, one pair of pants and 2 pairs of underwear he thought I had way too many clothes. I'm probably never going to be extreme as he is about minimalist clothing but he gave me the courage to part with more. Regardless, I had to brace myself when dropping off bags at Goodwill. It hurts to see good clothing left in piles, makes me sad inside. But I also remembered to thank my clothes for all their hard work in keeping me warm and helping me look nice in the past.
Books were also a bit tricky. There were a lot of books that I could donate easily. Others could be categorized as books that I really want to read one day when I'm living out in my cabin the woods, sitting by the window curled up with tea, but whenever I pick this type of book up I can't finish it. I know that must be a sign that the book isn't worth reading. But part of me blames it on my lack of patience, or the fact that my interests have changed.
Back in 2004-08, I was reading a lot more about conservative intellectual philosophy/policy when I lived in DC, a reflection of my environment. When I moved back to the Bay Area, I got more into a monetary economic issues, and I had the entrepreneurship/self-improvement bug since I was starting to do some freelancing. Now, I think I'm more into mindfulness, meditation, communication, and also programming. Part of me wants to hold on to the past me's and her interests. I also wonder if my future children would be intrigued by my hodgepodge library. I know that I personally love staying in places with lots of books that I can peruse.
I've gotten my books down from something like 10+ shelves to ~6 shelves. I bet I'll be donating a bunch more in the new few months as I get more used to this idea of tidying (aka surrounding myself with only things that give me joy.) I've also done a great job with documents, personal items/komodo, and my bathroom supplies.
Overall, I feel much happier when I look around at my spaces. There's something awesome about owning less things and knowing what you actually have. It makes me feel more deliberate in and more aware of what I'm doing in my daily life.
A good article to read: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/may/01/do-something-decluttering