Can the KonMari method of tidying really change your life - week 6

Welcome back to the KonMari challenge - based on Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing! I made it to week 6 - whoop!!!  Only 20 more weeks to go!  I think I can!  I think I can!

This week's challenge was all about paper - warranties, manuals, pay stubs, bills/statements/notices, insurance documents, birth/marriage/baptism certificates, court paperwork, and taxes (yuck!).

Paper will never inspire joy, no matter how carefully you keep it. - Marie Kondo

Because I tend to be a paper stacker, this week brought with it a lot of anxiety.  For starters, I just wasn't ready to share the stacks of paper that I have accumulated and not dealt with.  So, instead of getting overwhelmed and frustrated, I went a little off schedule this week.  Since I wanted to continue with de-cluttering, I chose a few small projects that I could complete and see instant results.  Granted, I was able to tackle some papers here and there but nothing like Marie wanted me to!

*TRUTH STATEMENT - We have WAY too much stuff.  We know this and have known this but working through this method has exposed this on a grand scale.  I don't share this with you to show how much we have but merely to show you how much stuff accumulates if you don't deal with it.  I'm sharing in hopes that someone will be encouraged and begin taking back their life from their stuff.  We all deserve to be surrounded by only things that we love and bring us joy!

Here are a few before/after pics of some areas that I tackled this past week!

I started with a miscellaneous closet.

Let's see...this closet houses (from top to bottom) face painting supplies, colored hair spray, batteries, light bulbs, medicines, and kids craft supplies.  Somewhere Marie Kondo is crying! #hehe

I used Marie's method and pulled every item out of this closet.  While the before picture is a bit cluttered, in all honesty, it doesn't look {that} bad.  Would you believe that I loaded up and threw away two large trash bags of stuff?!  I also gathered a gallon sized ziploc full of colored pens and gave to one of Holden's teachers (I asked her if she wanted them before I unloaded them on her!).

Look at the transformation!

I think I hear angels singing! :)

Here are a few little ways that I corralled the clutter in this closet:

 I don't think any of the lights in our house use the same light bulb!  These bulbs had been laying on a shelf and I was constantly worried that one would roll off and break.  I had this basket laying around and they all fit in there perfectly!  Not to mention that it freed up lots of space on that shelf!

 If you don't have a battery organizer, I highly recommend one!  We've had this one for years but I have never regretted purchasing it.  I couldn't find this exact one, but a similar set up can be found here.

I've had this medicine box since Colby was born!  It's the perfect case to carry the kids' meds when we travel and then store away when we are home.  You'll see I have flashes of organizing greatness - I cleaned out this medicine cabinet a while back and printed a label with the date that it was last cleaned out...except that was in January of 2014!  Oops!  Happy to report that I have cleaned it out again and updated the label!

 I have a basket for misc. art supplies and, well, you can tell that was a big mess!  Just took a few minutes of cleaning out to make a big difference!

I also did the same thing for these drawers.  And, let's not talk about how bad we need to repaint.  Those changes will come after the challenge is complete!  ;)

I was on a roll after finishing this closet so I decided to tackle an eye sore in our kitchen table area.  Even though we converted our dining room to a kid's living room, it only has one desk so I still have a kiddo that sits at our table to do homework. #ugh This just happens to be where Holden does her homework and her artistic ways seem to spill over into all areas of this room.  If there is a flat surface, she's going to put something on it. #Ihavenoideawhereshelearnedthatfrom!  I had been dreading this area for months.  It was time to roll up my sleeves and get.it.done!

Here's what I was working with:

 UGH!  This just makes my skin crawl!  And, I take full credit for the stack on the right hand side - the rest?  All Holden! ;)

Marie mentions in her book many, many times that you should store similar items in the same place or in close proximity.  I was keeping extra craft supplies in this cabinet.  I pulled everything out and got rid of most of it.  The items that I did keep will now be stored in the miscellaneous closet.

And now for the finished product!

 I can't begin to tell you how much better I feel about this area!

And now I think I'm ready to get rid of this piece of furniture! :)  But, till then it will hold Hope's placemats and my thumbtacks for the bulletin board above it!

Feeling accomplished, I then decided to tackle the cabinets under the sinks in our master bathroom.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Since our pantry was extremely low on food and we desperately needed to go to the grocery store, I decided now was the perfect time to de-clutter this space too!  One large bag of trash and a bag to take to the food bank, and I'm loving the result!

One of the reasons I loved this house prior to us moving in was that the builder used every little bit of space available for storage.  Thankfully we have lots of closets but sadly that only means more places to put stuff that we truly don't need!  I decided to wrap up my week by cleaning out the two upstairs hallways closets.  Here's their befores and afters:

The before wasn't bad but there were so many things in this closet that we didn't need.  I was just holding on to them "just in case."  Not anymore!

This is the closet where Colby stores his extra-circular activity supplies - scouting and Wrangler items.  I also found a couple of random toys in there that I moved to the playroom (the items in the bottom need to be moved to the attic).  After pulling everything out and grouping like items together, I was able to restock it where it's much more functional and items can be found quickly!  Not to mention I won't dread opening this closet from now on!

As you reduce your belongings through the process of tidying, you will come to a point where you suddenly know how much is just right for you. - Marie Kondo

Even though I didn't tackle paper like the challenge indicated, I was feeling good about the areas that I had completed.  But, to top off my week, Mike surprised me with a little KMing of his own!  Check out his dresser drawers!!!

Be still my heart!  This was better than any Valentine's gift!  It meant so much that he was willing to take into consideration what was important to me and incorporate it into his life.  And, he didn't stop with his dresser!  He also cleaned out his closet too!  I love this man!!!

I'll continue the challenge with another chance at paper next week.  Check back to see if I was able to tackle the piles!  And, in case you've missed any of my journey, you can find the previous weeks' links here:

week 1 - seasonal/holiday

week 2 - clothes
week 3 - clothes, cond't
week 4 - children's clothes
week 5 - books

If you are still wondering if The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing book is right for you, I urge you to at least read it and give it a try.  I was at the point where I knew my current method wasn't working and thought I might as well give it a try.  So far I'm loving it!  Still a long way to go but SO worth it!  Join the journey with me!

Gig 'em and God bless! 

Holly

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I would love to have you come back on Wednesday and link up with the 
Waiting on...Wednesday link-up - a place where you can link up what you are waiting on, going through, making, anything - as long as it's family-friendly!  :)

check out my FAVORITE link-ups page to see where else I'm linking up today!