Tidying should be done all at once: <The Magic of Tidying Up Your Life>

I just finished reading Marie Kondo's "The Magic of Tidying Up Your Life". I have seen many people recommend it before, although I consider myself a person who is quite good at tidying up, and the house has never been cluttered or the space is useless I still read this book out of curiosity. It is very rewarding after reading it, because this is not only a book for teaching people to organize things, but also a book for spiritual healing. Only After completing the "organization" from the spiritual level, you can organize and store your own space in real life. Conversely, when you have finished organizing your own space and can keep an ideal state, your mental state will also be different.

Many people are accustomed to tidying up little by little, such as tidying up the bedroom this weekend and tidying up the living room next weekend, and Marie pointed out at the beginning of the book that this is a misconception: tidying should be done in one go, and if the tidying is not thorough, it will be a mistake. You can never sort it out, you just get stuck in a cycle where this part is sorted out and then new stuff is added and then it starts to stack again, which is why so many people have never been able to create an ideal space.

Of course, planning is required before sorting. Marie proposes in the book that sorting is roughly divided into two things: "judging whether the item needs to be thrown away" and "determining the positioning of the item", and the most important part is "throwing the item". A lot of people have a hard time deciding to throw something away. They always feel that "this may still be useful", "that one was given by xx and should be kept", "this has a commemorative value", "that one is a pity to lose". Actually, I agree with Marie. To judge whether an item should be kept or not, you only need to look at whether the item has use value or sentimental value. Think about it, those clothes that you are reluctant to throw away are likely to never be worn again. , Those books and magazines that you are reluctant to throw away will most likely never be read again, so what's the point of keeping the space they take up? As for waste, Marie believes that many items make you excited the moment you buy them, Then it has completed a task, and then it may only be used a few times, or it may not be used at all, but after thinking about it, I find that I really no longer have a heart for them, that is, they no longer have use or emotion. value, say "thank you" to them, and throw or dispose of them.

Marie listed a lot of tips for organizing in the book. I think the most important point is that organizing should not be based on places (rooms), but should be considered by item categories. Put all items of the same category together, and then make a serious judgment. What needs to be left and those that should be thrown away, put the items in a certain location, and put them back in place each time they are used up, so as to maintain the neat appearance of the house after finishing. Everyone has a standard, which is called "appropriate quantity" "Turning point", that is, when a certain category of items reaches this number, they will feel very comfortable and satisfied, and there is no need to buy more such items. Of course, some people need a lot of shoes but not too many accessories, and some people need a lot of Books but don’t need too many clothes, which can be decided according to individual needs. In addition, if multiple members of the family live together, Marie’s suggestion is to try not to scatter storage places as much as possible. For example, many housewives will use part of the children’s wardrobe to Put your own clothes, and use part of your husband's bookcase to put your books. The problem is that there is no "own place", so it is difficult for everyone to establish the awareness of sorting and storage, because they do not need to be aware of that place. Take responsibility. Lastly, don’t just give things you don’t want to others. On the surface, this is a good intention to avoid waste, but in fact, it just pushes the guilt of throwing away your own things on others. I have a deep understanding of this, such as In the past, my mother bought clothes and then gave them to me when they felt that they were not suitable, but in fact, I didn't like most of them and rarely wore them. Later, it became that I wanted to throw away the clothes and was stopped by my mother and told her to see if she was suitable. Yes, in the end, she often doesn't throw it away, but she doesn't really wear it. (There is another tip here is to try to avoid family members when throwing things, especially your parents who are reluctant to lose anything!)

The relationship with the object actually reflects and further determines our mental state. The reason why the room is messy is that the person living in it messes it up, and messing up this behavior is probably because you have in your heart. Uneasy feeling. There are only two reasons for reluctance to throw away items, namely, "attachment to the past" and "unease about the future" (many people have become accustomed to stockpiling during the epidemic, and they have stockpiled various items that far exceed their own needs. Supplies are the truth). "Because you can't see what is necessary for you or what you pursue, it is easier to unknowingly add things you don't need, so that you can make yourself, whether materially or spiritually, are constantly being overwhelmed by unwanted things". So, in this sense, decluttering is also an opportunity to be honest with our inner turmoil, and when the decluttering is done, and the items left behind really meet the needs of the moment and are all in place, the whole Life will also be transformed.

In the end, I really like the attitude towards objects put forward by Marie in the book, we should cherish every object we own, they are actually fulfilling their respective tasks every day for the owner who owns them. As a human being, we need to have a Fixed abode, no matter what happens outside, you can return to that reassuring place. The same is true for items, which should return to their "home" after use, which It is to cherish the items we have. Every item, whether it belongs to one of the mass production or not, can come to us, it is also a kind of fate. The meaning of sorting is that after finishing sorting, you can enjoy it in your heart. Living around things, and being grateful for what you have, living in this state should be happier and more fulfilling, and you will have more time and enthusiasm to improve yourself and the world.

PS: Attached is the family's favorite Shiba Inu doll. I bought it at the store at a glance. I was with me on the desk of the last company before. During the epidemic, WFH did not expect that it would not return to the office for such a long time. The doll has always been left there, and now I have found a new job. The old company sent me all personal items. It was a big box, but I lost a lot of things, and this doll is no need to hesitate to keep it. The current position is in In the corner of the living room, looking at it every day makes me feel better.