Bringing the The KonMari Method to my Closet

I've mentioned a few times that I recently read, "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up"...the book had a lot of concepts that I really latched on to, and I couldn't wait to get started! The KonMari Method asks you to begin with your clothes/closet, and so I jumped right in.

I spend a good bit of time in my closet...I have a dressing table inside, where I get ready in the morning and do my hair/makeup. My closet was always full of stuff, and I always felt crowded in there. When I would clean my closet in the past, I'd take it all out and then put it all back in again. Always with the same results. With the KonMari Method, you first pull everything out, and then you go through and keep only the things you love and that bring you joy. Everything else needs to go. This seems like a foreign concept...and at first it was a bit difficult. It is hard to get rid of things!! But once you get going, it does become easier and faster!

Here are a few of my before photos:

Pajama tops and bottoms

Loads of bags and purses

And oh, the shoes!

It took a little time to go through everything. She recommends taking things in
categories...all shorts, then all shirts, then all pants, etc. I diligently plowed through each
category in my closet. It took maybe two weeks total, doing it here and there. I was so
excited to watch my pile of "sell/trade/giveaway" growing in the corner!

Then I was ready! I pulled all of the "keepers" out of my closet and laid
everything out to see. I determined the best location for each category,
and worked to organize it in the most KonMari way possible.

In it all went...and I am so happy with the results! There are still a few tweaks
I can make here and there, regarding the actual storage containers, etc. But, working with
what I already had on hand, I am very happy. I feel so much less crowded, it is amazing.
There is no clutter; everything has its place; there is room to breathe.

The top row is shorts, the bottom row is jeans. I used to rough fold and stack these in bins,
until I learned that things become more wrinkled when stacked. It is much better to
fold things in a certain way and stand them next to each other. Then, there is no
weight on top to cause wrinkles. Storing them in this manner also makes it much easier
to see exactly what you have to choose from. Makes so much sense!

Remember that pile of pajama pants above....
now they are KonMari folded and stored vertically in the bin.

Purses are stored in a vertical hanging bag, making it easy to see what's
available. Next, dresses, pants, then skirts. She recommends going long to short,
left to right. It is more pleasing to the eye. Above the hanging clothes are two baskets.
One holds three of my most used/favorite purses, and the other holds my most used/favorite
bags (backpack, totes). Above that shelf is my workout bag and my laundry basket.

My hanging clothes now have room to breathe and I don't have to shove the items in now.
From left to right we have winter sweaters/jackets, long sleeves, short sleeves, sleeveless.
Heavy to light, again because it is more pleasing to the eye. Above the clothes is the shelf
where I have a few favorite items (photo frame, donkey from New York, colorful trinkets),
and where I store the purse I am currently using. It also has my dry erase board where I write
my weekly prayers. Also, the hangers with my scarves. Above this I have bins
with my swimsuits, hats, etc. Everything in it's place.

I am so pleased with this method. It still looks exactly like this, a few weeks later. I will be applying it to the rest of my house, as time allows. I will say this...there are some great concepts to apply, but she does have a few off-the-wall practices and thoughts :) Here are a few examples:

:: Socks should never be balled -- it wears out the elastic and stretches them out. Okay, that makes sense. But then she talks about how socks work so hard when they are on our feet, and when they are in our drawer they are getting to rest. So we should fold them in a non-stressing way and thank them for their service as we put them away. :) Seems a bit silly...but I must say, my socks might feel a little different on my feet now, after being folded instead of balled :)

:: Every day when she comes home, the first thing she does is put her purse away. Everything inside her purse is organized in smaller bags. She takes these out of the purse, puts them all in a specific storage place, and thanks her purse by letting it rest. Then in the morning, she places everything back in the purse. I can't seem to get on board with this...though I have started to put my items in smaller bags within the purse -- it keeps the purse insides tidy. :)

So...the KonMari Method -- I definitely recommend it! Grab the book and give it a quick read. See how you can apply it to your life. Use the concepts you like, disregard the others. Make it your own. I can't wait to do the rest of our house!