Hello, and welcome to the start of our KonMari journey together! This will be my fourth time going through this process, but I wanted some closure, due to the end of my third time being so spread out. Plus, doing it together makes it better, right?! If you’re interested in my story with this method, you can check out Part 1 of this series, or we can just get started right now:
We’re starting this KonMari process, so, the first things we have to do is get out all of our clothes. Empty your closets, drawers, hampers, a seasonal bins (personally, I leave outgrown children’s clothes for the sentimental items category later), and put it in a pile on your bed. For now, just do your own clothes, and your young kids’ clothes, if you want. Do not do do this for older children, or spouses. You can all do it together, but do not discard their stuff.
The first time I did clothes, I was nearly out of hangers and was planning to buy more—but, by the end, I had a lot of extra ones! At the time, I had a lot of clothes I thought looked good on me, but they weren’t necessarily joy-sparking, or exactly my style. I would only wear them out if I knew I’d want to change later. The second and third times, I was able to throw out even more clothes that I liked the idea of, but didn’t really like wearing. I was even able to throw out a few items this fourth time, too; mostly things I hoped to replace, or that had gotten too worn out.
You will likely be amazed at how much you can get rid of. And it feels incredible to walk into a closet with only items you love in it.
For all clothing items that go in drawers, you can find guides online for how to fold the KonMari way. It’s basically just to fold everything into rectangles, so they can stand up. Little ones are great at folding socks!
I didn’t fold this way until my second time, because I thought it seemed unnecessary, but I was wrong! Folding laundry went from laborious chore I hated to kind of soothing. I kid you not.
Now, if your closet is feeling a bit empty, I would suggest, perhaps, writing up a list (yay!) of the things you have, by category, along with things you want to add/replace. That way, when you go shopping, you’ll know exactly what your wardrobe needs.
I hope this first step in the KonMari process has been good for you, and that you’ve been able to hone that joy spark a little better. Follow along with the chapters in the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and I’ll see you next week to tackle books!
If you’re interested in my KonMari story, or the other categories, you can check those out here:
My KonMari Journey Part 2 – Books Part 3 – Papers Part 4 – Komono
