I will Not be doing the KonMarie Tidying Method. ⋆ An Enchanted Nest

So the world seems to have gone crazy for Marie Kondo. Her Tidying Up show has taken Netflix by storm. As for me, not so much. I will not be doing the KonMarie tidying method. I binge watched the show one week when I had the flu. My friends all warned me I would be up cleaning out my closets, so just to make sure I was not going to part with a piece of clothing before I was ready I decided that watching it sick was probably my safest bet. I was intrigued so I decided to read the book. Stick to the TV show if you have a choice.

The Part I Liked

So who wouldn’t like a nice neat closet that was not so jammed full that who knows what’s in there? Or a T-shirt drawer that resembles a file cabinet? Or Bras in color gradient displays? Socks and panties folded into neat little rectangles of pure joy? Of course, I would love to have those things. I love the way Marie folds her clothes. There are 4 categories in the KonMarie method. Clothes, books, papers, and Komono. (Everything else)

Clothes

I also believe that being grateful in all things is a good trait to have, and I am grateful that my closet can’t hold even one more hanger. Yes, I am guilty of too much. I know I need to discard of some (most) of the stuff that is causing the overflow. The KonMarie method tells us we should decide if the object “Sparks joy.” If it does, you can keep it. If not, thank each article of clothing for its service before it is discarded. I am not going to talk to my clothes and thank them for their service as I tuck them into the giveaway bag. I talk to chickens, cats, dogs, parrots, and even the occasional bug, I am NOT talking to my clothes.

Books

This is a category where if you have not touched the books for a while you are supposed to tap on them to wake them up. Only then can the books tell you if they spark joy. In her book, she tries to figure out how to keep the best parts of the book, and actually cuts out the parts she wants to keep. Couldn’t she hear the poor books crying out in pain as the pages were ripped from their binding? Is this any way to show gratitude? In the BulAmy method we will remove all the books from the shelves, dust the shelves, and the books, then put them gently back all nice and clean, no questions asked.

Papers

If you looked at my office right now you would see my love of paper. It’s everywhere. In the KonMarie method, we are to keep only important papers like house deeds, birth certificates, etc. I guess they have a different tax system in Japan, because she didn’t make any mention of keeping your returns. She also said to get rid of all your paycheck stubs. If you ever need a loan you will be asked for a month of these stubs, and your payroll department does not want to get them for you. So for the love of all that is good, don’t throw them away. I understand that many paper items can be stored in a digital form. I am myself trying to move to a more digital existence, but until then I will have papers and file cabinets.

Komono

Talk about a broad category. This also includes sentimental items, which we are told to do last after our joy sparker is honed. I think that might be a good idea. I just don’t think that everything else belongs in one category. Really do you want your shampoo in the same category as your Tupperware? Nope. In the BulAmy method, the remaining items will be separated by rooms. Marie said this is bad because you could accidentally have two spots that the same item could be put away in. Umm, I think I can remember that my silverware goes in the kitchen, so if I find a spoon in the garage, I should take it back to the kitchen.

I am thinking that I should write my own book on tidying up . You never know, the BulAmy method could dethrone the Queen of Tidy, and I then I would be queen.

Till Next Time…