Where KonMari can take you

A few years ago, I found Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and like many other people it did indeed change my life. At first it was because of what the book talked about, but since then the flow on impacts and changes I’ve made in my life have taken me worlds away from where I was then.

I don’t even know how I found the book. It must have just come out or something and I read the blurb online. I was in a tent at a caravan park in St. George out in the south west of Queensland when I came across it and immediately bought it as an eBook. Funny how you remember weird things like that years later.

I read the book once and made notes as I went. Then I went back to the beginning and started taking action on all that was covered through each section, starting with what I wanted my house to look and feel like.
The piles of clothes and books began, and what seemed like endless visits to the donation bins. At first, I really struggled putting anything in the bin. I went out of my way back then to give wanted items to people I knew and the rest went to donation. Items needing to be tossed were the last ones I dealt with. Moving from a four bedroom house into a two bedroom apartment helped speed that one along.

My first go through the categories probably took me about six months in total. I never found the time frames set by Marie realistic, she talks about days and weeks at the longest! At the end of the process I felt so different. My home was more open and welcoming, and I had released so much mental baggage along with the belongings. Change was well and truly in full swing.

That’s how Marie’s focus on decluttering pointed me towards minimalism. It was on the rise at the time and I consumed many hours of YouTube videos on how best to keep possessions to a minimum.

I’ve never been into the aesthetic of minimalism that you see around a lot. What most appealed to me was the idea that if you have less belongings to keep organised and look after, you have more time to do the things you want. And that’s very much the same feeling that Kondo describes as sparking joy. Added bonuses of minimalism were buying less things so saving money, and getting more in touch with the difference between needs and wants.

What was most interesting to me in finding more time to do the things I wanted rather than care for an overabundance of stuff, was exactly what I wanted to do with my time. Old hobbies fell away, fantasy self aspirations were put to bed, and I was left with core activities that are deeply fulfilling.
Having the space to consider what truly makes me happy or relaxed or feel creative took time and has been a wondrous process. That being said, it's still a struggle at times to find the time or motivation to do those loved activities - even when I know they'll fill my cup!

Minimalism eventually led me to zero waste. One of the things I care about deeply and spend my time thinking about, is our environment. This worked with minimalism to point me towards wanting to reduce mine and my household's waste.

If I only owned what was useful and brought me joy, and I didn’t consume more than that, I needed to take care of my things and learn how to minimise waste. That is a whole field of energy in itself, learning how to maintain belongings, how to reduce the amount of waste entering the home, and how to dispose of things responsibly upon leaving the home. 
Without the learnings from KonMari and minimalism, I never would have had the space in my life to focus on the environment and how I can better care for it.

Where I am today is a half full closet where I can easily see what I have. I mend what needs repairing and more and more I’m sewing the items I need rather than buying new, more and more often using secondhand fabrics and notions. I’m down to one bookcase and every time I read a book that I don’t want to keep it goes on the donation pile. I use our local library often so the bookcase doesn’t fill up again. I would definitely describe our current home as much more aligned with what I wanted it to look like years ago, welcoming for visitors and calm and peaceful for us at the end of a busy work day.

I am taking better care of the items we own, and recognising when things are in need of a bit of tender, loving care to stay in good shape. I have time to spend on hobbies and activities that keep me healthy, both physically and mentally. Decluttering and trying to minimise belongings is now such a small part of how I spend my time. This is because I spent so much time on it previously, and now I'm truly reaping those rewards. My life has come such a long way since first reading Marie Kondo and I wouldn't change the journey for anything!

The intersections between decluttering, minimalism, and zero waste to me have been very complementary. This journey is what has focused me more on caring for our environment and knowing I want to spend more time in it! It has become easier to see how my way of living impacts the world and I have the headspace to think about and learn how I can continue to do better.

I’ve really enjoyed this journey so far and am captivated to see where it takes me next.