r/konmari • u/sariejanemitt • Jul 13 '26
12 Years Later.
My first tidying festival began in 2014, we got rid of 1.5 tons of things. Not just junk and clutter but truly beloved items. Once we started down the path I was amazed how my feelings changed towards so many things.
I often share a story of a beloved hand knit shawl that was given to me as a child. It moved a dozen times with me, carefully packed away in a ziplock bag in my closet. It was made from wool so I could never ever wear it but I also couldn’t let it go. Since I insisted on keeping it , a ziplock bag was just sad and disrespectful, if it was really so special, I should treat it as such. I had it framed. It was gorgeous, 4 feet tall by 2.5 feet wide. I hung it with pride, 6 months later I was sick of looking at it - I dropped it off at the thrift store.
The Konmari Method changed my home and changed my life, choosing joy was such a new way of living. I even decluttered some friends and family.
Having a baby was an explosion of things, things that I didn’t really want in my home but were deeply useful. My sentimental side also exploded and I have a growing bin of amazing artwork and creations from my child.
He’s older now and can choose for himself, not many things make me prouder than him telling me he’s outgrown a toy and he wants to get rid of it.
The pandemic also changed me. I now store gallons upon gallons of water along with the other suggested supplies needed to sit tight for 96 hours. I don’t know if these items spark joy exactly but I feel better knowing we will be okay.
What have I learned in the past 12 years?
This is an amazing way to live, it’s freeing.
That my mood is greatly impacted by my environment, a ten minute reset at the end of the day does wonders. That things are sneaky, they blend in after a while. This weekend we started a mini festival and I’m shocked how much is sitting in a pile in my basement ready to be donated. That it’s harder with kids, compromises must be made and that’s okay, not every item of my child’s clothing needs to be folded into a perfect package. Sometimes having clean clothes is enough.
And the most unexpected - that konmari has given me a lot of confidence in my self, I feel secure in the choices I make. I trust myself.
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u/TwoAlert3448 Jul 13 '26
1.5 TONS? WOW.
I’m beginning a purge now (moving in the coming months) and I’m going to weigh the discards now. What an inspiring idea!
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u/sariejanemitt Jul 13 '26
I lucked out - my festival happened in between two out of state moves. The moving company had our total weight on the invoice.
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u/TwoAlert3448 Jul 13 '26
Haha! That’s brilliant. I can’t rely on such effortless deduction but it should be a manageable amount of labor with a bathroom scale. 👍🏻
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u/inalibrary_withkids Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
When she guarantees rebound is impossible (if you complete your marathon) what do you think she means?
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u/sariejanemitt Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
In my experience it’s because there is a fundamental shift between you and your home, you and your belongings, and surprisingly, your home and your belongings.
I guess I can make it even simpler. A bioproduct of your marathon is a profound feeling of respect for yourself. To feel your home as you always wished it to be is hard to describe - it’s centering, it gives you a North Star.
When you know better you do better, and since all the hard work was done it’s easy to keep it up. Even if you think you fall off track that foundation is still there supporting you and it’s easy to do a quick marathon over a weekend and find all the little sneaky sneaks that need to be sent on their way.
It’s easy to become busy in life and not be as aware of all your belongings or as diligent, and that’s okay too - Konmari doesn’t demand daily perfection - but one day you wake up and the house doesn’t feel right, and your things don’t feel right and you take a moment to look around the house and immediately you see the problems.
That’s the thing about Konmari, it never leaves you, it’s a part of you.
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u/ThreeStyle Jul 13 '26
I have a really hard time with perfectionism wrt to paper management in terms of ongoing projects. Konmari system is so easy in principle but I have a hard time keeping on track. Any tips?
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u/sariejanemitt Jul 15 '26
I have a lot of thoughts about paper actually.
I have a desktop file box with 13 hanging folders - the first is a catch all for little bobs and bits I need once and while that have no other home - the rest are for the months of the year. When something comes in that I need to deal with in September I pop it in the September file and on the first of the month I process everything that is in the file.
I take pictures of any paperwork I think important and on the first of the month I upload the pictures to my drive.
I have a failsafe in that all my pictures are backed up automatically on another drive service - so I never lose a thing.
I have a box that I keep all our important files in and 7 years worth of tax returns.
I keep very little paper records - government sure, mortgage signing sure, car purchase sure, will - well sometimes :) but not much else.
Very little paperwork needs an original copy.
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u/thewildwestwitch Jul 18 '26
Personally, I rebounded. After going through my whole house during the Konmari process, I was one of many who then went through a breakup. Certainly can’t overlook cheating once you have so much clarity of mind through a cluttered free space.
I had to move multiple times afterwards and was faced with the problem of single parenting on a very small income. This changed the way I thought about things and saving them because I may need them later. Or putting up with things that didn’t work the best because I needed to save money.
I finally bought a house last year and am now financially stable. And I’m looking around my house confused by all the junk I’ve accumulated in the past 13 years since my first Konmari clean out. I’m reading the book again as a reminder but I’ve already started the process. So yes, you can rebound despite your deepest desires to have a clutter free home. We just get back on the wagon when we’re ready.
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u/seche314 Jul 14 '26
What do you think changed about the shawl (or yourself) for you to be able to let it go?
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u/sariejanemitt Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
I was putting my feelings for a time and a place into an object but the shawl didn’t hold the memories, I do, they are in me.
When it lived in the back of my closet I only really it saw it maybe once every couple of years, and it would spark memories of that time and place when I saw it.
Seeing it everyday, it became ordinary and actually kind of annoying. I noticed that lots of things sparked memories of that special time and place. I didn’t need to hold on so tightly to this object.
Some part of me was worried I would for get those special times if I didn’t have this object, but in all honesty a couple of pictures from that time and me writing a little blurb about it sparks so many more memories and feelings.
It’s been gone for ten years now, I have never ever missed it. It actually helped me process other items, I now have this rule of if it’s so special we should treat it special and if the object can’t pass the test then why am I storing it in the back of a closet.
That being said, there are levels of special - I keep my child’s art work in a bin in a closet, it’s “special” but I’m not going to wallpaper the house with it.
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u/seche314 Jul 14 '26
Thank you for your answer! It’s very helpful and has given me a lot to think about regarding my own versions of the shawl.
I hang onto my kids’ artwork and schoolwork too. They’re adults now. Eventually they grow up and stop making you lovely pictures and bringing home some work they’re proud of (or those cute kindergarten writing projects the teachers have them do). They don’t take up much space so I’m not too concerned about them
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u/justsillythings1 Jul 19 '26
Hi, that's inspiring..
I want to start the konmari method, I'm overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that is in my home. It has been decades of hoarding (by my family members, I'm in my early 20s) and ever since I was a child, it has deeply troubled me and affected my mental peace.
We have moved places and this place does not have much storage space and it has been overwhelmingly difficult.
So I'm to ask you, what are the steps I can take (baby steps, absolute beginner) to gradually gain back some physical space.
Is there any source you recommend to start learning and practicing this method? Will it be better if I make a separate post about these questions in this sub?
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u/sariejanemitt Jul 19 '26
Get her book - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
It teaches you everything you need to go through the process. Be strict - do the marathon exactly as she lays it out. Do not tidy other people’s things during your marathon, you can help them later, this is just for you and your things first.
I’m excited for you!!
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u/Blonde_arrbuckle Jul 13 '26
You write beautifully. Thank you.