Did anyone else out there buy a copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
I have, however, adopted a new habit that has been a huge help. I don’t know if Marie Kondo, the author of that book, will agree at all, but for the past while I’ve been getting rid of stuff one day at a time, one item at a time.
For the record I should state that I am not generally the kind of person who relishes taking on big chores around the house. I wish I was the kind who does, who dons the rubber gloves and digs in with glee, but I am not. As a result, things can pile up and get worse with every passing day (think junk drawers, closets, pantries etc). I have thought a lot about this and the kind of person I am. I know I don’t want to put in hours of dusty, monotonous sorting and purging, but I certainly CAN throw out one thing a day, right? That will take me 2.5 seconds! Or even less!
It may sound ridiculous to the domestic engineers out there, but that’s what I’ve been doing for the past few months. One thing gets thrown out or tossed in a donation pile every day. Here’s the thing, it’s been making a difference over time and it has been SO. TOTALLY. LIBERATING.
A lot of my purging happens in the bathroom while I’m poking around the drawers for something I need. I spot something and my internal conversation goes something like this: Hey, it’s a lotion I picked up a few years ago! Hmm, I don’t use it anymore. The bottle is almost empty. WHY AM I KEEPING THIS. Then, OUT IT GOES.
Of course, it’s not always something in the bathroom. Sometimes it’s the stub of a candle in a candle holder, an itchy pair of socks, expired sunscreen, an old magazine… the list of things I can get rid of around here is endless. It is overwhelming. Sigh.
I admit it can be VERY satisfying to swoop in and dump out the junk drawer and spend an afternoon purging and organizing one whole area but it’s not something I have the time or inclination to do every day. Slow and steady CAN win the decluttering race, right?
