Happy Saturday Everyone! Now that my blog is up and running I want to share some of my favorite looks you all! But before I do this I decided it was time to get myself organized once and for all.
Throughout the years I have accumulated a lot of stuff. I find myself making room for new things without going through any of the things I currently own. I don’t know about you, but I find it extremely easy to justify keeping something that I know I will never use or wear. Why is this?? The insanity needs to end.
Feeling overwhelmed and not knowing where to begin I read the book “Spark Joy” by Marie Kondo. If you haven’t read this book I highly recommend it! The book talks about how to de-clutter and only keep things in your life that truly bring you joy (makes sense right?). After reading the book I took Marie’s advice into action and am so happy with the result! I feel happier, less stressed and extremely accomplished now that I’m tidied up.. well partly at least.
Although the book goes into tidying all areas of your home including your kitchen, bathroom, living room etc., I am going to focus this post on my bedroom (which is the only room I have completed so far).The main category I focused on tidying was clothes (which includes shirts, pants, accessories, shoes etc.)
Step 1:
Gather every piece of clothing you own and bring it to one area. This includes everything from your front closet, drawers, under your bed etc.
Step 2:
Hold each piece of clothing with both hands and determine if it brings you joy. Make separate piles for the things that bring you joy and the things that don’t (which you will get rid of).
This step took me a while to get the hang of. I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of things I’ve held onto because it has some kind of sentimental value (i.e something I received it from a friend or wore to a special event). When you think about what brings you joy, think really hard about how the item makes you feel. Do you get excited when you wear it, see it, feel it? Most of the things I had been holding onto throughout the years were shoved in a bin under my bed. As soon as I put more and more items into the discard pile I felt an instant weight lifted off my shoulders. I no longer have to feel guilty about that shirt in my closet that I never wore, but thought maybe someday I might. Well, that day never came and probably never will.
Donation / Poshmark items
Keepers!
Step 3:
This step is not in the book – I added this myself. Go through your discard pile and determine which of the items are still in great condition and could bring joy to someone else. Put these items in a separate pile to sell on Poshmark (an awesome consignment app which I will do a post on soon). Put the other items in a bag to bring somewhere like Goodwill or any other local resale store. If you have any work clothes you are getting rid of you can also bring them to Dress for Success which is a non-for profit organization that helps women become independent by providing clothes for interviews as well as development and networking tools.
Step 4:
Determine a place where you want to put everything and fold it in a way that you can maximize the amount of space it takes up in your drawers. This part was definitely the most time-consuming. I was hesitant about “rolling” my clothes instead of the traditional square fold stacked on top of each other, but I love how you can actually see everything when you open the drawer. Who knew a well-organized sock drawer could bring me so much joy.
I hope you all enjoyed going through this process with me (apologize for the terrible lighting in my closet /room). If you have any questions, or need support on your own tidying process please reach out to me at diaryofadirtyblonde@gmail.com.
Xoxo,
Kirsten
Loved. It. What great advice