How “Tidying-Up” Changed My Life

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Have you seen the latest craze on Netflix? You know the one. The cute little lady encouraging everyone to tidy their homes by letting go of everything that doesn’t “spark joy” – that one! Yes, Marie Kondo has her own Netflix series and it is taking the nation by storm. Although her method has been around for years, and she has sold millions of copies of her books, I am SO happy to see that our nation is jumping on board with living a simpler life. If you are amped up and excited to start editing your home (and life), I applaud you! De-cluttering your life seems simple, but it can also be a lot. I want to share with you what I’ve learned from my experience of de-cluttering so that you can set yourself up for the most successful de-cluttering experience possible!

I started my de-cluttering journey a few years ago. I combined methods from everyone from The Minimalists to Courtney Carver, and, of course, Marie Kondo. But instead of having a Netflix documentary to binge, I had to go searching for these experts on my own. I was on a mission to de-clutter my life, and this time I wasn’t going to get distracted. 

De-cluttering for survival

Why was I so determined to de-clutter? Because I needed it for mere survival. At that point, I had a three & one-year-old and my house was overflowing with STUFF. I felt like all I did all day was chase around two tiny Tasmanian devils who just made mess after mess. Forget trying to get any real cleaning done; I had to tidy up this mess while THAT mess was being created. I didn’t have time to focus on myself, my friends, my health, or my husband. I didn’t feel like I had the bandwidth to do anything besides the bare minimum. Christmas was coming and I was prepping for more stuff.

That’s when the lightbulb went off.

How could I possibly allow more stuff to come into my house when all my current stuff is trapping me from being the mom, woman, wife, and friend, who I so desperately wanted to be? Enter Marie Kondo.

Marie Kondo, along with many other influencers from professional organizers to minimalists, helped me achieve so much more than just a cleaner house. As I learned to de-clutter the physical stuff in my life, a lot of amazing things started happening:

  • I started having more energy to play with my kids
  • I started laughing more (especially with my husband)
  • I started building stronger relationships
  • I started my own business
  • I started making new friends (some of which are the best relationships I’ve ever had)
  • I started eating healthier
  • I started working out on a regular basis
  • I started being more confident
  • I started being happier.

I realized that I was finally living MY life, not my stuff’s. 

So if you are debating whether or not to try the KonMari method, I challenge you to give it a try. Start letting go of your stuff, and see what happens. What doors start to open. What inspiration happens because you are finally able to focus on something else besides cleaning up clutter. It may look like “tidying up” just applies to your clothes, books, and konmono, but it can really be so. much. more.

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Amy Kay
Amy grew up in Kansas City, Kansas and graduated from the University of Kansas with a degree in Environmental Studies. Her dream was to make the world a better place by improving the environment for everyone. After getting her dream job in Texas, she met the love her of her life, Evan; they had a beautiful daughter in 2012 and moved to Mount Pleasant in 2013. Amy intended on continuing to work in the field of Sustainability (all things green and ecofriendly) but ended up being a SAHM. Although she found it a blessing to be able to stay home full time with her daughter, she struggled to find herself in her new identity. In 2014, her family expanded with a son and with his birth she began to be more confident as both a woman and a mother, and lover of the Lowcountry. She turned her love of family and the environment into a business (www.de-cluttered.com) that allows her to keep her family first while helping others. Through de-cluttered, Amy helps families deep clean their homes, taking the weight of clutter off of their shoulders and donating those extra items to local charities throughout Charleston. Amy also loves being at the beach, having an adventure, connecting with new people and is always looking to learn something new.