I pretty much have just enough time to maintain the status quo, meaning I can get what NEEDS to get done–done, but beyond that, Oy Vay. I have to remind myself that life is too short to obsess about the unfinished petty stuff–dusty baseboards, scuffed up walls, a playroom that looks like it was “tossed” by the Feds, etc… It’s all just a byproduct of a much loved home, right?  I, do, however, constantly try to find ways to minimize extra angst in my life. I mean life is not always very easy. The last thing I need is my own home to bring me down, stress me out, and be a giant buzz kill when sometimes everyone and everything else is jockeying for that position.

So I keep hearing about this book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo.

Her essential question is ‘Does this spark joy?’

“Keep only the things that speak to your heart, then take the plunge and discard all the rest,” she advises. “When you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order, too. As a result, you can see quite clearly what you need in life and what you don’t.”

Powerful words.

Fans say her advice frees them from the guilt that often comes with discarding an object given by a loved one. She advises readers to thank their clothes for their service–or for teaching them that pink isn’t their color–before letting them go.*

She rejects all organizational products (the horror) and storage bins. “A booby trap lies within the term ‘storage'” she writes. “I can honestly declare that storage methods do not solve the problem of how to get rid of clutter. In the end, they are only a superficial answer.”

Huh. It’s food for thought.

Reading this do you think to yourself–“Self if I get rid of everything that does not spark joy in my home will my home look like an abandoned warehouse?” And the storage bins? Eek. Is she crazy? I see her point, I do. Moving all the clutter to a fancy labelled box is not cutting clutter–it’s just putting it off.

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But let’s get back to this lack of time thing we all seem to have. Don’t go crazy–set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes, do NOT multitask, and purge. Additionally, think about these items from Amy Volk’s Simplified Living:

AmyVolk.com

“Does this spark JOY?” is an amazing question to ask yourself for anything and everything.

*The Wall Street Journal The Cult of Tidying Up February 27, 2015