Spring Cleaning/Summer Organization
I know what you are thinking. It is not spring its summer. Well, I am in California and I am not sure it knows what season it is or how to respond to it. Regardless of the season, every now and again I get the “organization” and “go through things” bug. Is it because I am afraid hoarding runs in the family and I want to outrun my genes? Maybe. Is it a great practice regardless of where it comes from? Yaasss.
There’s a couple of shows I like to watch when getting inspired to do so, the first one is going to be The Home Edit on Netflix. I have a couple of things I don’t like about the show, but the transformations are relaxing. The other show I really like is Marie Kondo’s shows about organizing homes and businesses. Both have books which are worth reading.
Steps to organize your own home:
Edit: when going through your things, go through everything and put it in keep/trash/donate pile.
Categorize: once you have what you are keeping, categorize it accordingly.
Contain: Once your categories are determined, you will be able to figure out a great way to store them.
Label: this is important for upkeeping the system after you do the work to put it in place.
But does it spark joy? The four steps above from The Home Edit are quite logical and easy to apply at home with a little bit of effort. But Marie Kondo’s biggest question when sorting is, does it bring you joy? If it does, you keep it. If it does not, you thank it for its service and send it off. She really respects the space she is in, the items in it, and what they mean for the person using them. Like, if you like to cook and have pots, you don’t need all the pots. Some you use all the time and they spark joy for you, not the cooking part, but the part where you eat as a family because of the pot. Like, I also do not understand when people hate on a home they are in. Why add hate to your environment? Homes have their own energies, from the experiences inside of the building, they have their own energies.
A lot of these ideas play into the basics for tiny homes. Having what you need and love, but making the most out of your space and focusing on your life. This is a material world, but we are spiritual beings having a human experience, and to forget the spiritual side of things detracts not adds to our human experience. But even if you are in a bigger home, does it make you feel good to be surrounded by items? Maybe if your surrounded by items and you take care of company with it, but be purposeful with what you have, and when you can, donate. One person’s donation is another person’s treasure.