Cleaning Frenzy!

Okay, not really.

Finished the The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up this morning. First off I have to say that it did not trigger me in to tossing all of my things and doing a mass clean-up. So Brent was worried for nothing. Though, to be fair, I had been avoiding the book for the same worry.

The reason it didn't is because I recognize myself in Marie Kondo. The obsession over things. The anthropomorphizing them. I'm am SUPER impressed that she found a way to make a good living by focusing her obsession on not just her things but other people's things. But because I recognized a lot of what she was talking about and doing as my own thoughts it didn't spin me into the tidying thing.

Because I view those things as an issue.

I am impressed she not only doesn't view them as an issue but she makes a living at focusing on them.

There are also some differences. I mean, I only consider how things feel about not being used, I don't think they get depressed being stored away for the seasonal changes. That's just crazy.

And I would never thank my house EVERY DAY for providing me with a place to stay and then ask it where things belong. EVERY DAY? That is unnecessary. Once or twice a year is good.

And the whole thanking each and every item for what it has given you before you get rid of it? Nonsense. You only do that for things that give you "that look" when they are in the Goodwill pile. Not EVERYTHING. Seriously...who has time for that?

I'm only half way kidding here. I have said before that I feel like it's my creative brain at work when I think the pen probably feels badly when I don't choose it but choose the one next to it. I cast emotions out on things because I'm constantly telling a story in my head. And who knows? There might be a story about a possessed pen sometime. I mean I bet you could think of two or three right now yourself! But she really does advocate thanking your house everyday, thanking all of your possessions that you get rid of, and the ones you keep, running your hands over your off season clothes to remind them that you love them. It's a different way of looking at things.

So yeah, it didn't really encite a cleaning frenzy.

BUT...

I did take her folding method to a couple of drawers that I needed a bit more space and it did work. So that was cool. And full disclosure, I have a couple of areas that need some cleaning out that I am saving for May/June. Because I do know that heading back to New Mexico at the beginning of May will trigger me to clean. So I might as well have some areas that do need attention just waiting for my return. It will keep me from taking everything I own and trying to beat the record number of bags she lists in her book.

That is the part that I think would have set me off if I were a client of hers instead of just reading the book as a cultural moment touchstone. It's part of what made WW not a good fit for me. I'm competitive. So one couple got rid of 75 bags of things? I could do 100 easy. So one family ended up with only enough items for 2 rooms of their 3 room house? Well, I could totally pare us down to one floor.

I would regret it. But I would "win" first.

She also really pushes the fact that if you clean up your house your whole life will work out. I'm just not sure about that. I absolutely agree that for certain personality types a cluttered space can prevent you from focusing. But I think that part read a lot like diet plans that promise you a great life once you are thin. Not really, you will still have the same issues you had, you'll just be thin. If your life is a mess your house being clean will be great. But it won't necessarily fix everything else. Now maybe dealing with one area that you feel out of control in will make you more confident to deal with other areas, or maybe not having to focus on housekeeping so much will give you time to focus on other things. Maybe. But I still think she's over selling the "magic" part of it.

She also claims that not a single client of hers has ever back slid and ended up with too much stuff again. No repeat customers. I don't know if no repeat customers is the same as nobody ever going back to too much stuff. I just think maybe you would be embarassed after spending that much money and time getting it pared down to realize you didn't keep it that way. I could be wrong, but my experience is that people who have a lot of stuff end up with a lot of stuff over and over again. But maybe she is magic and I just need to give her system a shot...

Kidding.

Seriously, I'm not going to do it.

Really.

And even though I'm sure if Brent is reading this he's a little nervous he actually hit it on the head when we were talking about her system before. The things I have bring me joy. Even the weird things. Like right now in front of me on my desk I have a film strip from a photo booth with Brent and me being silly, a Grover Pick of Week App card from Starbucks, a Mickey Mouse keychain, a rainbow ribbon and Clyde. None of those things are things that I need. And Marie Kondo would say that I had already experienced the joy of having them so I should probably thank them and let them go. But I still have joy. The joy of the first time seeing them is not the same as the joy of seeing them again, sure. And the times they are background images is probably higher than when I actually focus on them, but they are joyful things to me still.

And most of the things I have are like that. The knick knacks I have bring me joy. I don't buy clothes unless I really like them and even then every season the things I no longer love go away. There are things I have because I couldn't have them before so I'm not getting rid of those things. There are things I have that remind me of other people and make me think of them when I see them so they aren't going away. Does each thing spark joy when I hold it? No, not always. But there is a reason for the things I keep. And when that reason is no longer there I get rid of them.

I have a DeniseLeann system that works for me.

Just as crazy, far less profitable.

Dang it.