Keeping the Things You Love

Throughout the book, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, it is a common idea to get rid of the stuff that does not bring you joy (Kondo 107). Although this does not sound all that difficult, it has been something I have tried my best to avoid. I love stuff and it seemed like way too much work to deal with it. Whenever I go through all of my stuff, I get distracted by the memories, waste too much time, and eventually just throw everything back into a variety of spots to organize later. Despite my problem with keeping stuff, I have successfully dealt with it and it honestly feels so much better, with the help of Kondo of course.

Twelve out of fourteen spots of stuff in my room

The first thing I did was try to find all of my miscellaneous items, which were spread around my room in fourteen different spots (twelve of which are shown above). Sadly, it was not like each spot held a different type of thing; they all had a weird mixture of stuff that usually was not at all related. I then took everything out and sorted it by what it was.

Supplies, cards, miscellaneous, and notebook piles

One pile was made up of stuff that was definitely just junk. The stuff in that pile was stuff I had no clue I still had. Most people are unaware of all the odds and ends they’ve collected over the years (Kondo 107). I definitely fall into this group; I had surprisingly kept all of the tags to my Webkinz, which I got rid of years before. Along with that, I had stuff that was obviously just trash: expired coupons, the reading plan for a book club I never even joined, and to-do lists from months and even years ago. All of this stuff was just taking up space and I had no reason to keep any longer.

Another pile that was more difficult to go through was cards. For some reason, I have kept almost every (birthday, Christmas, even St. Patrick’s Day) card I had received since I was 9, and there was some random ones from even earlier than that, including my 5^th birthday card. Though it was fun to go through all of them, most of them lack any meaning to my life. Also, it is important to deal with these things to move on. “By handling each sentimental item and deciding what to discard, you process your past. If you just stow these things away in a drawer or cardboard box, before you realize it, your past will become a weight that holds you back and keeps you from living in the here and now” (Kondo 116-117). It isn’t healthy to hold onto everything you’ve already received. It is important to process this, but also to move on and continue to grow.

It was a little sad getting rid of many of my cards. Kondo had words of wisdom however, that made it much easier. Each card had a certain purpose, maybe to wish you a happy birthday or thank you for something you did, but once that purpose has been served, there is no point in holding onto it, unless it still brings you joy (Kondo 108). I threw away most of my card collection after understanding this. Many of my cards had already achieved their goal and it was time for me to move on.

This same idea aided me through the rest of the process and I was able to part from the things that I didn’t truly love. This provided plenty of room for everything I did. Eight and a half bags of junk later (four trash, four recycling, and a half giveaway) left a happy, organized girl looking forward to the future, not holding onto the past.

What kind of stuff is hard for you to get rid of? Are you just holding onto the past or do you find joy in those items?

Kondo, Marie. The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Trans. Cathy Hirano. Berkeley: Ten Speed, 2014. Print.