I filmed a video of decluttering my wardrobe and decided to write down the things I said for those people who prefer to read the things I mentioned.
Owning just the things that you really need and those that truly make you happy… is that even possible? Let’s find out together!
I read the two wonderful and life changing books of Marie Kondo; “The life changing magic of tidying up” and “Spark Joy”.
I can highly recommend the tips she gives and admit that I immediately started to implement them into my own life. I feel more comfortable with this new (minimalistic) approach to owning things, only what I need and those that (and I quote) “spark joy”. In the book you learn about the KonMari Method of folding your clothes upright and even though I do fold a lot of my clothes, I still prefer and enjoy hanging some of them as well.
How to start: Put all the clothes that you own on a pile so you can see everything that you have at once. Then you simply go through each and every item that you own and ask yourself “Does this spark joy?”. If it does, great, if not; give thanks (yes this is also important) to the item for the joy it once gave you and then let it go. The whole principle can be applied to all your things, but let’s just start with the closet.
I put all of my clothes in a big pile and went through each and every item asking myself whether I really want to keep it, or not. Even though the KonMari advises against a “maybe” pile, I still made one (and yes, it made me feel bad). I just wasn’t sure about some items and emotionally detaching without the spark was not that easy for me either. I struggled with the thought of giving some of them a second chance. It wasn’t so easy to, all of a sudden, decide which ones to keep and which once to donate. If you feel the same then suggest that you also create a “maybe” pile just for things that are a little harder to say goodbye to. Why that helped me? because after clearly choosing all the things I do love, I went back over to the “maybe” pile and realised that that did not apply to those items anymore. The things I really love became abundantly clear and everything else simply needed to find a new home. If you really can’t say goodbye to certain clothes on your maybe pile just put them in a box for a few weeks or months (but not too long), set yourself a specific date like e.g. 3 months from now. If during that time you didn’t feel a need for it, it goes. Simply make the rule. Naturally, the same goes for your all your shoes, bags, accessories and everything else you keep in your closet. Since I also stored my make up there, I decided to declutter that as well.
Since I am trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle, meaning; I don’t shop at any fast fashion store any more, I felt the urge to get rid of all the fast fashion clothes that I still own. Thankfully I managed to get beyond that urge (since that is not sustainable either) and I decided not to judge my clothes by where they came from but by wether or not they make me happy wearing them. In the future, as soon as I wear them out or they stop giving me joy (thanks Marie!), I will replace them by a sustainable brand or a second hand piece.
A feeling of relief. That must be the best way to describe how incredibly comfortable I feel now that I own less. I admit that this would never have made sense to me ten years ago when my goal was to have a walk-in closet that could serve as my private shopping mall. Now I want to truly know every piece in my closet. Marie Kondo’s method has re-connected me with my clothes and made me treat my personal sparks of joy better than I ever did before. From now on I follow the principle “The less you own, the more care the items receive”.
