The KonMari Method: Still Bringing Joy Six Months Later

Way back in January, much of the country was binging the new Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, and I was one of them. I fell for all the organized and pretty results shown on our television, bought the books, dove right in and organized and donated all the things. So, here’s a look into my KonMari journey six months later.

Many KonMari experts will say the whole KonMari journey takes about six months, and there’s usually a second purge after the first because as you work through the first, the process becomes easier. I can definitely say this was the case for me.

I really don’t have any problems getting rid of clothes anymore. When I started with KonMari, I easily donated at least half of my clothes. It was hard for me because I associate certain memories with my clothes. I still had the shirt I met my husband in from over 10 years ago and I haven’t even worn it in at least 7 years! Now, when I walk in my closet to get dressed every day, there have been many times I will grab a shirt, thank it, and just toss it to the side to donate later and not give it another thought.

I love folding my clothes using the KonMari method, but I very much dislike socks. Socks aren’t hard to fold or anything, but when it comes time to fold laundry, I save the socks for last because I know I don’t have to worry about them wrinkling like the rest of the clothes. So I fold everything else and by the time I get to the socks, I usually have to go tend to our child and I probably get distracted. I’m not lying when I say there have been nights I get back to our bedroom to find a pile of clean socks on our bed that I forgot about and I’m so tired that I’ll just throw them on top of the dresser to deal with tomorrow.

Our son was just a couple months shy of 3 when we started this. I had him go through his toys with me and every toy I showed him, I would ask, “Do you want to give this to a baby who needs it?” And he would respond accordingly. To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure how much his young mind would understand this concept, so for everything he wanted to donate, I held on to them stored out of his sight because I expected him to ask for something and for him to have a fit when I told him we donated it. To my surprise, he never once asked for anything back that he donated. And even more surprising to me, he now will randomly bring something over to me and tell me he wants to “give it to a baby who needs it” without me even bringing it up to him first.

I was also very hesitant to fold our son’s clothes in his dresser using her folding style because I was certain he was going to pull everything out of his dresser and it would just be a waste of time. I was certain that when I would ask him to bring me something out of his dresser, everything would get moved around, unorganized and unfolded. Surprisingly, I was wrong here. Everything in his dresser stays right where I put it. And he even helps me fold his clothes now!

I’ve always cared about the environment and have always felt that I could do better here. I already had my reusable water bottles, straws, snack bags and grocery bags organized before KonMari came into my life. Now I try my best to reach for my drawer of nicely organized washable kitchen towels and napkins instead of the roll of paper towels. The KonMari method has helped me continue minimizing my waste and leaving a better impact on the environment because that sparks joy in me.

My house is not perfect. For example, we have two storage boxes and camping gear spread out all over the bed in our spare room from my husband’s last camping trip two months ago. I also know my husband well enough to know there are some things he likes to do on his own, and he will do them in his own time. And that helps keep the joy in our marriage.

Do you want to get started on your KonMari journey? Get my free printable checklist to help you!