As a busy mom, I can relate to feeling as if there is not enough time in the day to get everything done, especially when it comes to housework. On more than a few occasions I have separated clothes into piles on the floor to be washed. I might do one or two loads and then somehow those separate piles integrate into one massive pile. After which, I would get disgusted and put everything back into hampers. (Can you relate?) Even before I conquered my battle with
depression, staying organized was a struggle for me. My house matched my state of mind, so you can imagine what my house looked like when I was at my worse. My house would be clean, but not tidy.
If you have ever experienced depression, you know that tending to the house is almost always the hardest day to day task to accomplish. Cleaning and organizing can be a stressor for those of us struggling with depression. Ironically, studies have shown that regular cleaning is good for your heart and soul. It is a bit of a conundrum. How can something that causes stress, also be the answer to relieving stress? Well IPO blog community, I have the answer. The answer is that we have to look at cleaning and organizing from a new perspective.
There are lots of different methods to cleaning and organizing and I have tried my fair share of them; however, nothing compares to the KonMari Method created by Marie Kondo. In her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, Kondo gives every tool needed to overcome the stress of cleaning and organizing. A colleague recommended this book to me after I shared with her my need to organize my house. She gave it rave reviews, so I had to give it a try. The book did not disappoint, nor did my colleague exaggerate the book’s praises. Marie Kondo’s method is revolutionary. It is indeed life-changing and magical. What Kondo asks her readers to do seems so simple, that you’ll think, “Why haven’t I thought of this before?” The main take-away I received from the KonMari method is to “discard all at once, intensely and completely”. The idea is to hold an item in your hand and ask yourself, “Does this bring me joy?” If the answer is no, then give it away. This decision should be made in seconds. In less than 10 minutes I filled a 30 gallon trash bag with clothes to give to Good Will. After I completed that task, I felt so free. The process gave me joy, and now I am excited about tackling the massive undertaking of organizing my entire home.
I want to encourage you to purchase the book and start your own life-changing cleaning journey. I am positive that if you give the KonMari method a chance, you will never view cleaning the same. It would be awesome if I had some partners on this journey so that we might encourage one another. Kondo estimates that it will take about 6 months to get everything done properly. Who’s with me? Please feel free to post your cleaning journey updates to the I Press On Facebook page, and I will do the same. Let’s declutter our lives physically and mentally and press on together!