How to Organize the Heck Out of your Home

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I am a “tidy” nerd, I totally admit, and I have been since I was a little kid. I hate messes, I hate when things are “dirty” or out of place. But as I’ve gotten older and collected more stuff in my home, I’ll also admit that I’ve fallen off the organized wagon a little bit. Because I’ve become somewhat, well, overwhelmed.

Not that I don’t clean, it’s more that I don’t know where to put everything now because there’s just too much. But, that’s all about to stop, or rather, has already stopped because I’ve discovered the prefect solution!

The “Cleaning” Story

You know those stories that Moms’ always love to tell other people about what you did when you were a little kid? I’m telling this one on myself.

Apparently when I was around 3-4 years old, my mom took me with her to visit a neighbor who went to our church.

When we got there, they must have told me to go play. And I remember some toys lying around in another room, probably for her grandkids.

I played happily for a bit, then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw this dimly lit room. I slowly walked over and peeked inside the door- because kids are curious right?

And inside was the biggest, messiest collection of newspapers I’d ever seen before- they were strewn all across the hardwood floor in no apparent pattern. It was mortifying to my little brain and I knew that I just had to “help” her.

So, I simply got down and started crawling all around the floor, gathering all the newspapers I could and organized them into neat little piles right next to the wall. I already knew it looked so much better, even after just my first pile. I remember thinking how happy the lady would be because I was making her office look so much better!

Well, I must have been doing this for a while, because the next thing I knew I heard my mother come in behind me and as she grabbed my arm she whispered strongly, “Crissy!? What are you doing???? You can’t just clean other people’s houses!!!!” And I said back to her, “Buy WHY? It’s SO dirty! And I’m helping!”

Needless to say, Mom hurried me out of there real quick. I don’t know if the lady heard our little conversation in her office, but I’m sure she noticed that I had tried to tidy it up. And for some reason, I don’t remember ever going back to visit that neighbor again. Hopefully she appreciated it- ha!

When I was about 8, I also was allowed to get white carpet in my bedroom, because my parents knew that it would always remain perfectly clean.

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I even made my friends remove their shoes when they came over to play. And there was NO eating in my room, ever!

So, I tell you those things to paint a picture of my personality, that even early on, I really was an organizing person. I have always just been naturally drawn to being clean.

Too Much Stuff

However, as I’ve gotten older, being organized is something that has become much more of an issue than cleaning ever was. Mostly because I’ve just collected TOO much stuff! 

I mean I have nice things, useful things, and also cheap things, never been used things– just TOO many things, too many clothes, too many gadgets, you get the idea.

My worst collection is a full wardrobe of clothing in all differing sizes from 0-2 all the way up to 12-14. My weight has fluctuated greatly over the past 15 or so years, so my wardrobe has also.

I have hypothyroidism, which makes it SO hard for me to lose weight without doing something drastic. (More on that in upcoming posts)

My point is that I’m always trying to get back down to that next size—and then I know that because I struggle so much, that I feel that I should keep the larger sizes on hand too, even when I do lose weight.

I’m always afraid that I’m going to gain it back and would rather not have to buy all new clothes again. Because I have had to a few times in the past.

I know, I’ve heard that’s not a good idea—that I’m supposed to get rid of the bigger clothes to solidify in my mind my dedication to losing. But with my disease, it’s just so hard to predict that for myself.

So, I have kept it all. And not just clothes and shoes, now I also have all my crafting stuff and my latest “addiction” has been fabric. That started when I opened my first Etsy shop back in 2011.

Downsizing

Up until about 2 years ago I had been living in a beautiful 3-level townhome in Utah. I was in the master bedroom and my closet was more like another mini bedroom, it was huge.

So, trust me when I say I had a lot of room to “grow” my belongings.

Fast forwarding to now, after living in that spacious area for almost 10 years, I decided to move to Seattle to be with my then boyfriend. Realizing that I was going to be moving from the townhome with about 1620 sq. feet, to a 1-bedroom apartment with 769 square feet, was kind of daunting.

My first thought was, ugh!! How am I going to do this?? Somehow I was going to need to figure out a better way to become organized than I ever had before.

Well, unfortunately I had not yet discovered the secret to managing my belongings, and I ended up putting most of it in a storage unit. As living in the 1-bedroom was going to be “temporary”, maybe only for about six months.

HA! Yeah, that was 2 years ago! And that stuff is still in storage– in UTAH. A lot of good it does me there!

And now my little apartment is crowded with not only my stuff but also my husband’s things too. And to be honest, it has just become overwhelming for me. I really have wanted to just figure out a way to make it better for both of us.

I mean, I actually really love our home. It’s comfortable, we have really lovely furniture and nice things- I just have clutter and too much of everything.

And It’s really hard to feel that things are “clean” when you’ve just got stuff stored everywhere. You just shove it wherever you can to get it out of sight or at least out of your way. Do you ever feel like that? And we don’t even have kids yet, so I’d really like to get things under control now.

So, I’ve really started to think about how to tackle this situation recently. Because you are supposed to love what you have, right? But if you’re not using it, enjoying it, looking at it, or wearing it, do you really love it? And what’s the point of having it then?

The Queen of Tidy

And then one day, I’m watching Netflix, and this “suggested” show comes up. It’s literally called “Tidying Up”. I could not believe it! That sounded just like what I needed!

However, I was a bit skeptical at first. Because I’ve watched these kinds of shows before and they always seem to involve some kind of huge expense to make it all happen- like redecorating or buying new organization bins or closet stuff. But not so with this!

I had discovered Marie Kondo and her show that chronicles her journey to help others “tidy up their lives”. I sort of fell in love immediately after only one episode.

There are so many things about it that I like. First, that it focuses on all different types of people, families and living situations, ages, and all levels of “messy” in their homes too.

It’s not just sensational about hoarders, but focuses on those with too small of spaces for what they have, those with 40 years of life accumulated, those who just don’t know how to organize, those with kids, those who are empty nesters, and those just like me.

Plus she is just such a cute lady! She speaks only a little English so she has her translator with her in all the shows too—but she is just so bubbly, it’s actually just relaxing and inspiring to watch her do her thing!

KonMari Method

Marie’s cleaning method is named after her, “KonMari”- a twist on her first and last name.

One thing that she does to help people that I think is different than other “experts” in organization, is that she does not make people feel bad about themselves and their current situations.

Marie helps them see things for themselves, if they have a problem or not. She helps them realize it’s within their control to make the changes, and she lets them actually do it- she does not do it for them.

Also, she doesn’t tell them they have to do anything, the people are all making their own choice to make the changes. It just feels so kind and really, truly helpful.

She shows them the guiding principles- which basically is to go through everything you own, but organized in the following categories and order, (1) Clothing (2) Books (3) Paper (4) Komono (which means everything else) and (5) Sentimental items.

The important part is that she has found it works best if you do it in that specific order, as listed above, and here’s why.

As you are going through each and every single item that you own, you need to specifically hold each item in your hands. Then you look at it and think about how that item makes you feel and determine if it “sparks joy” for you.

If it does, then you keep it. If not, then you “thank it” and put it in a pile to either donate or trash.

I thought that sounded kind of silly at first, to be honest. But after watching people do this over and over (and even watching some YouTube videos) I just knew that I should try it!

Marie says that if it “sparks joy” it will feel like you are holding or looking at a new puppy. (Or whatever it is that you really love) You just think that thing is so great, and you know that it makes you feel happy inside.

So when you hold your favorite sweater or book, you should feel that way. Then you’ll know that’s how it feels to “spark joy” for you.

You’re going to be doing that for all items in each category. So by the end, with the “sentimental” items, you’ll be a pro at knowing if something sparks joy for you. Or not! Makes total sense right?

How It’s Already Helped Me

I pretty much started the day after I watched the show the first time. And I’ve started with clothing so far.

I will say it’s incredibly shocking to see how many clothes one owns, when they’re all piled on your bed! (Which is what you’re supposed to do) And it’s a tad bit embarrassing too- well it was for me.

When you look at that huge pile, you start to see yourself more clearly. You see the times when you might have used buying or shopping to cope with sadness. And doing that instead of talking about it, or God forbid, actually do something about it.

Possibly you might also see your own materialism. You might see waste, or selfishness, or maybe just ignorance. And for me, it just seemed like all of that and more.

So, I’m happy to say that I’ve already collected 2 garbage bags of clothing and 2 more bags of shoes. And there is still more to go!

The hardest thing for me up to this point is just realizing that I need to lose more weight to be able to fit into some of the clothes that I really love, but that’s okay. I looked at them, I acknowledged that an item sparked joy for me, and I kept it.

Nothing wrong with that. Now, if I never wear them again, that is a problem, and I will eventually need to give it up, but for now, that hope of the spark of joy remains, even for those items.

And I will tell you, without hesitation—I already have started to feel better!

I feel lighter, more in control of my possessions, calmer, clearer thinking, and just sharper somehow. And I’ve still got a lot more to do. But now I really feel like I can do it- if I just take the time to. And so can you!

Conclusion

If you feel overwhelmed with all that you have, or even with just an area of your home that is too cluttered or full of stuff, I highly recommend that you do the following: (1) Watch her show on Netflix, (2) Buy this book or this one, which are fabulous references and full of her complete story, and (3) try it for yourself!

Going through this process has also given me a better understanding of myself and more confidence too. I know I can let go of things. That I can separate my needs from my wants and I am strong enough to recognize the difference.

I also love that I know what I actually have in my closet and drawers. And that I’m making such good use of the space that I do have.

It has already given me more freedom—not having to rummage through as much stuff. It’s easier to plan out outfits, to do laundry, to just keep track of things.

And, my husband appreciates it too, which is always a plus!

I plan to keep going with the rest of the categories. And I will keep documenting more of my KonMari tidying as I do it.

I hope you decide to try it too– so good luck to you in your own tidying and organizing efforts!

I’d love to hear from you if you’ve tried this method already, and if so, what you thought of it? Or if you have not tried it yet, let me know what happens after you do try!

In the end, yes, there is more to cleanliness than cleaning—it’s the tidying part too that I’ve been missing. Keeping things to a minimum and appreciating and enjoying what I already have. I could not recommend it more!

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