Anne-Charlotte PasseraTidy up and organize your home today. Your mindset will change for ever.
Honey? Have you seen my keys?
Mom, I can’t find my favorite shirt, you know the one I wear every single day, have you seen it?
Every day, my family seems to have “misplaced” an item. Somehow, I’ve become their go-to when they can’t find something. I should change my name to Siri or Lexa.
My family knows that I have a tendency to tidy up our home every day. I get that from my dad. The problem is that I don’t always put “their” things away where they would. Then, I tend to forget where on earth I put it. But I don’t tell them that!
I send them on a treasure hunt.
My typical answers are:
- Where did you see it last? (after their IDK answer, I respond: Oh, well that’s not its place to start with)
- What did you do when you got home? Retrace your steps.
- Are you sure you came home with it?
- It’s probably in the X.
But when I’m cranky, my usual response is: Where you left it. Yes, I can be a smart ass.
Then, if that fails, they have the audacity to blame me. What did YOU do with it? You are always tidying up!
I vehemently deny any involvement in the disappearance of their item, storm out or into a room and miraculously find what they are desperately searching. Because by then, I usually remember what I did with it.
Oh look honey! See! I found it. It’s where it’s supposed to be.
Mom: 1 – Family: 0
In order to organize your home efficiently and keep it that way, you have to discard and keep only the things you love. Marie Kondo explains how to do so in her book: The Magic of tidying up.
Organize your home to clear your head
One of the main goals in Marie Kondo’s book is to encourage you to think about your belongings differently. To treat them with respect. It’s time to reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle.
When you tidy and organize your home and keep it that way, it clears up your head space. You are more focused, happier and have more energy.
I’m not talking about keeping everything spick and span. No. What I mean is that everything you own should have a place in your home. When it’s not being used, it should be put away in its special spot.
Putting your house in order affects other aspects in your life, including work and family.
The best way to find out what we really need is
to get rid of what we don’t.
marie kondo
According to Marie Kondo, a dramatic reorganization of your home will create a dramatic change in your lifestyle and perspective. It will be transforming.
When you put your house in order, you put your affairs in order. It allows you to see what you need and don’t in your life. If you tidy up in one shot, you can dramatically change your mind set and prevent rebound.
Tidying up for beginners
To organize and clean your space, you need to start by discarding.
Why can’t I keep my house in order?
The act of tidying is a physical act. It’s a series of simple actions in which objects are moved from one place to another to where they belong. When it comes to tidying, the majority of people are lazy and/or too busy. Not my words but I tend to agree with that statement based on my living situation. Three men, 2 dogs.
You need to have the right mind set for creating order and becoming a tidy person.
Clutter has only 2 possible causes. Too much effort is required to put things away or it is unclear where things belong.
Marie kondo p. 142
It’s not hereditary, and by all means, it doesn’t necessarily come naturally. Our moms told us to clean up our room. As a mom myself, I’ve said the same thing over and over again to my own kids. But were we or have we actually been shown how?
We were not given instructions on how to tidy effectively. It’s just assumed that this ability will be acquired through experience.
In Japan, cleaning your room and keeping the bathroom spick and span brings good luck.
As a parent, it’s important to teach our kids that everything has value. This is particularly true with gifts. Someone worked hard to be able to afford to pay for the gift. They (we) have to be grateful for our possessions.
Many people feel an urge to clean up when under pressure (exams, in-laws or mother coming over, a new baby arriving soon). It occurs because we need to put our brain in order. I believe that to be true. It’s not possible for me to start meal prep or a new project when my work space is disorganized. This becomes a distraction and I can’t focus.
Before deciding to become a tidy person, here are some simple steps to start with
- Buy only what you need.
- Remove all items from their packages immediately and put them away. By doing so, the products are more likely to be used. Also, this will take up less storage space.
- You need to cut the umbilical cord to transition the store products to personal possession. (Marie Kondo)
Where to begin – visualizing your destination is the key to success
Before discarding, identify your goal. What do you hope to gain from tidying?
Visualize the lifestyle that you want and be specific. Use magazines to get a feel for what you like or decorating books. If you are more eclectic like me, The New Bohemians could be a great book to start with.
Ask yourself why do you want to live this lifestyle?
Each time you answer, ask yourself why and repeat this process 3 or 5 times.
- I want to live in a Scandinavian-style home.
- Why?
- I like the simplicity of it.
- Why?
- It makes me feel light and focused.
- Why?
- And so on…
In the end, you’ll realize that the whole point is to be happy. So why do you want to tidy and organize your home? Write it down. I’ll wait.
Done?
Now that you’ve gone through the process, examine what you own.
The magic of tidying up is to eliminate excess by discarding what you don’t need. Your feelings are the standard for decision making. Save only what brings you joy. (Marie Kondo)
Don’t choose what to discard, choose what to keep.
This tidying up philosophy is not a quick fix that happens over a week-end. You have to see it as a special event. It’s not something to do everyday. The work of tidying should be completed once and for all within a single period of time.
Aim for perfection just once, if you’re not the persevering type. You’ll never get your house in order if you only clean up half-heartedly.
Daily tidying – using something and putting it back in its place.
According to Marie’s book, you have to decide whether to dispose or not of an item and then where to put it. If you can do these two things, you can achieve perfection. Objects can be counted. Look at each item and decide. That’s all you need to do to complete the job.
Don’t eliminate by location. Most people don’t bother to store similar items in the same place. It will be a waste of time as you’ll have to repeat the process in each space. Also, this will provide an accurate assessment of what you possess and want to keep.
Discarding or purging the items in your home
The 1st way to tidy up or organize your home is to discard. Don’t change Marie’s method to suit your personality.
Again, sort by category and not by location.
You can do this 1 or 2 months before a yard sale. Whatever doesn’t get sold, donate, or recycle. That way, whatever you are discarding won’t pile up somewhere for too long. Or, it can be done over the course of a year. Of course, you could upcycle, but only if you have use for it. It’s really up to you.
Start with the clothes today, the books tomorrow.
For lasting effect, choose what you want to keep, not what you can get rid off.
Take each item in one hand and ask yourself:
Does this spark joy? If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it. I know, it sounds silly, but the process is effective. You don’t have to say it out loud.
The fact of touching the item will create a reaction in your body and brain. Each time will be different. You have to try it to believe it.
Do you think that owning accessories you know you’ll never use will ever bring you happiness? How about all those purses?
Keep only what speaks to your heart. Discard all the rest.
Discard first, store later
Think by category. The first step is to confront your own stuff or own space. The communal part comes last.
Collect everything that comes from the same category all at once. Start easy – begin with a category of items that are easy to make decisions about.
Clothes is a very broad category, but easy to sort through. That’s why Marie recommends starting with that category. You can be more specific by creating subcategories such as: coats, dresses, skirts, etc.
Bringing everything you want to sort through in one place will give you a clear picture of what needs to be assessed. Things stored out of sight are dormant.
By dispersing storage of a particular item throughout the house, you can’t see the overall picture of the volume you have to go through. It never ends.
The best time to start is early in the morning when your mind is clear. I believe that to be true as after lunch, digestion kicks in and it’s harder for me to concentrate.
Go through each item one by one, does it spark joy?
Discard the items that have outlived their purpose. Let them go with gratitude. It’s all about examining your innersoul = passage to a new life.
When you are choosing what to keep, ask your heart; when you are choosing where to store something, ask your house.
Only after you have gone through everything in your house and discarded, only then you can think about storage and organizing. That’s what Marie recommends, but I have not applied that recommendation.
For instance, once I went through my clothes, I organized them like Marie said. The inside of my drawers has never looked so neat. I couldn’t leave the pile of my to keep clothes on the floor until I finished sorting the rest of the house. That was just inconceivable for me.
How to organize your Clothes
By sorting through your clothes using subcategories: tops, bottoms, socks, underwear, accessories, etc, you’ll achieve visible results surprisingly quickly.
Bring ALL your clothes into one space.
Check every closet, laundry basket, dryer, dresser, hallway, etc. and gather everything into one room. Go room by room if you have to.
Marie recommends to start with off season clothes as they are not imminently necessary and much easier to discard.
Would I want to wear this right away if the temperature suddenly changed?
Personally, as I took things out from my closet, I made piles: jackets here, tops there, dresses over there, etc…. That way, I was sorting already before discarding. Then, I went through each pile, checking the items one by one. This made sense to me because I was thinking ahead on how I would organize my clothes after all the sorting would be done. Once I finished discarding my clothes, I put all the items from my bring me joy pile away.
Make sure to handle each item individually.
Little Marie tip: What you wear in the house does impact your self-image. Wear clothes you love even if no one sees you in them to reinforce a positive self-image.
How to organize your Books
Do you accumulate books? Are you a book hoarder? I know I am.
If you haven’t done what you intended to do yet with that book, donate, sell or recycle that book. Drop them off at your local library or if you have that set up in your city, in your neighbourhood book box.
The moment you first encounter a particular book is the right time to read it.
Personally, I have a difficulty doing that. I do love collecting books, but I did do what Marie recommended and only kept the ones that have a special meaning, use or that I haven’t read yet. I have a mission to read one book a month and see if there is an article I can do about it or to learn something from it.
This is how this article came about or the one on New Year’s Resolutions which you can read about HERE.
Where to begin
Start by removing every book from your shelves and place them on floor. YES! ALL OF THEM. Like clothes, books that have been left untouched on the shelf for a long time have become dormant, invisible. They remain unseen on bookshelves.
To truly dispose of something, you must take your things out of hibernation.
p. 87
Divide your books into 4 broad categories:
- General (pleasure)
- Practical (reference, cookbooks)
- Visual (photograph collection)
- Magazines
Grab one at a time. Ask yourself:
- Does it give me joy when I touch it? (Don’t read it, just touch it)
You’ll start asking yourself whether you need that book or not.
- What purpose do these books serve?
Ultimately, it’s the information that they contain that has meaning. So, only think if the book moves you or not.
Keep only the books that will make you happy just to see them on your shelves, the ones you really love.
p. 90
Try to keep your collection small because dusting bookshelves is a pain in the butt. Marie actually stores them in the back of her closet. I can’t do that. Seeing my books daily inspires me and triggers ideas. I keep the ones I want to read or use as reference on hand in my office and the rest in our living area on a shelf.
Upcycling your book
Don’t throw away books unless they are super damaged but even then, the inside pages could be used as fire starters on your next camping trip.
Ideas to upcycle a book:
- Create a bookmark with the spine of a hard cover book;
- Wallpaper your water closet with pages from a book.
I had a friend in high school whose parents did that with pages from a satirical French newspaper. That was pretty rad. Each time I went to the bathroom, I discovered something new.
How to organize your Papers
Going through paperwork is the worse. It’s crazy how much we accumulate. Luckily, everything is starting to be paperless.
You can check your bank statements online and receive some of your utility bills by e-mail.
Whichever bills you receive my mail, you could just scan or take a picture of it. Then, store it in an external portable storage if you want. That way, you won’t be stuck with unnecessary papers. The same goes for your pictures.
Personally, I keep the last 3 months of utility bills on hand and have discarded the rest. As for bank statements, in France, you’re supposed to keep them for 10 years. But that’s when we were dealing with actual papers. In Canada, I do everything online.
Notices of assessments, tax filings and proof should be kept for at least 10 years, in case you get audited. Scan everything but keep the originals as well (just in case).
Dispose of anything that doesn’t fall in the following categories
- Currently in use;
- Needed for a limited period of time, insurance policies, warranties;
- To be kept indefinitely (taxes, deeds),
Marie doesn’t recommend keeping personal letters. They are boring, unemotional papers that don’t evoke pleasure. I think that it’s too personal and depends on the person. The same goes for loose pictures. Either put them in an album or dispose of them.
I organized by son’s work space, keeping only what he needs for the school year next to his desk.
Miscellaneous- and then there was more
You’ll have to continue the same process in the communal spaces. Don’t be surprised if the rest of your family decides to embark on your tidying up journey. This way of organzing is contagious. Just like a yawn.
Don’t forget to sort your:
- Bathroom: toiletries, perfume bottles, medicine, towels, etc.;
- Kitchen: pots, pans, bowls, cutlery, etc.;
- Cleaning products;
- Pantry;
- Camping gear;
- Batteries, light bulbs, orphan cables (what does this cable do? If you don’t know, discard it)
The art of folding and storing
According to Marie, storage is for hoarders. Storage methods don’t solve the problem on how to get rid of clutter. It’s a band aid answer.
Concealing things in a box is like sweeping dust under the rug or your broccoli under your seat. Out of sight = out of mind.
Therefore, you need to think vertically.
The act of folding clothes is an act of caring, an expression of love and appreciation for the way these clothes support your lifestyle.
p.73
Organize your drawer’s contents in a way to be able to see where every item is at a glance. Just like you would see the spines of the books on your bookshelves. Put the light colors in the front and the dark in the back.
The key is to store things standing up rather than laid flat.
How to to fold clothing according to Marie Kondo:
Step 1: Fold each lengthwise side of the garment toward the center. Then, tuck the sleeves in to make a long rectangular shape.
Step 2: Pick one short end of the rectangle and fold it toward the other end.
Step 3: Fold again, the same way, in halves or in thirds.
The number of folds will need to be adjusted to your drawer height.
Step 4: Stack your clothes on edge, side by side. When you pull open your drawer you can see the edge of every item inside.
Store everything similar in the same place or in close proximity. Don’t disperse your storage space.
No wire hangers! No wire hangers ever!
Ok, don’t listen to Joan Crawford.
If you have wire hangers, keep them. If you need new ones, get some wooden ones, they look much nicer in a closet.
Hang clothes that are made with soft materials that flutter in the breeze.
p. 78
Coats, suits, jackets, skirts, and dresses can go on hangers. Hang them in the same category side by side. I did it by color. Don’t over-categorize. The custom of storing seasonal clothes is behind the times as it’s too vague.
If limited in space, you could store bathing suits and sun hats for summer season, mittens and wool hats for the winter season. Winter coats can be put away in the back of the closet during off season.
Divide clothes roughly into “cotton-like” and “wool-like” in the drawer. Personally, I did it by type: shorts, loose pants, and t-shirts. Then, I visually organized them by colour. Light in front, dark in the back. Same for my underwear. I organized it by color.
In the kitchen
Take the time to wrap the cord around an appliance before storing it in your cabinet. This cuts clutter and looks more organized.
- Bookmark appliance manuals online or save them in Google Docs—there’s no need to keep more unnecessary paper clutter around.
- Store pesky, smaller parts (think of all those food processor attachments) in zip-loc bags and label them accordingly.
After the purge
The essence to organize efficiently is this: Designate a spot for every last thing you own. Once you choose a place for your things, you can keep your house in order.
In my house, I do like to move the big things around. But for the rest, once I’ve found a spot for it, that’s it, it can’t be moved. Call it OCD if you will, but I notice when things haven’t been put back in their spot.
Kitchen
Organizing your kitchen shouldn’t be overcomplicated. Here are some tips to make your life simpler and also generate less waste in the process:
- Keep your plates in deep drawers. This is a great solution if you don’t have upper cabinets. To ensure that your dishes stay put, you can use a built-in peg system.
- In the fridge, be strategic. Leftovers should live in prime real estate so that you know what needs to be eaten first. I’ve placed washable placemats onto each self. It gives the inside of my fridge a bit more color and it looks more organized. Also, it makes it a whole lot easier to clean.
- “Buy your spices in bulk—they will be much cheaper—and keep them all in sealed, tight containers,” advises Dave Anoia of Pittsburgh’s DiAnoia’s Eatery.
Storing spices
By putting your spices in all the same size containers, they can be better organized on a shelf or rack. We get ours from Mega Vrac in Montreal. Check around your city if bulk stores exist. They’ve been popping up a lot in recent years. Whichever spice doesn’t fit entirely in a jar, I store it in a big container in the pantry.
Alphabetize your spice racks if you can. Line them up just like in the store. This helps prepare food faster and saves money when it’s time to re-up the ingredients. You know exactly what you are running low on.
We use Riviera Yogurt jars to store our spices. All we need to buy extra is a lid which we buy in bulk as it’s more cost-efficient.
- The simple act of taking purchased items out of their packaging and putting them in a container you care about is enough to ensure you’ll actually use the stuff and prolong the shelf life.
For instance, take a box of cereals. If you keep the cereals inside, you can’t tell how much is left over. Transfer your dry goods to be labeled into transparent plastic or glass containers.
Decanting dried goods also cuts down on visual clutter. It’s all about perception.
Use what you already have for storage
Rather than buying something to make do for now, wait until you have completed the entire process and then take your time looking for storage items that you really like.
You can solve your storage problems with things you already have in the house. Such as an empty shoe box.
Match an empty box to fit an item that needs storing.
Shoe boxes are perfect to store: socks and stockings in a drawer. They also work well in height for:
- Standing up rolled stockings;
- Bottles of shampoo and conditioner;
- Detergents;
- Clothes ( I used one for my son’s pants);
- Garbage bags;
- Cooking items.
The lid of a shoebox can be used to place cooking oils and spices in the kitchen pantry. This allows you to keep the base of your cupboard clean. It can also be placed inside a drawer to hold cooking utensils, preventing them from rolling.
Apple product boxes can be used as dividers in your drawers to store writing tools for example. It turns out, I had a bunch of them laying around. They fit neatly inside my desk drawer which I have yet to organize.
We cause clutter because we have too much stuff. Therefore, we don’t accurately grasp how much we actually own. Our storage methods should stay simple. Why make it complexed?
Hugga what? The Danish way to a happy life
Now that you’ve gone through the whole process of discarding to organize your home efficiently, I wanted to touch base on a little topic I discovered recently during an exhibition.
I thought it would be fitting to mention it in this article since the whole discarding process is supposed to be done based on your feelings. Also, this blog is about conscious living. It was just fitting.
Hygge pronounced: “Hue-guh”
Hygge is a norwegian word that means well-being. It’s used in the Danish language to embrace the small things in life that really matter. The art of living well and about being, not having.
The art of creating intimacy: a sense of comradeship, cosiness, and contentment all rolled into one.
meik wiking
Hygge is about the here and now. An atmosphere that can’t be exploited. It’s not about material things.
By going through the process of discarding and organizing your home, I’m sure you’ll be more aware about how much you consume. It’s crazy and embarrassing to see how much crap we own and accumulate. It’s even crazier when you see the trash bags pile up with the things that don’t bring you joy no more.
Hygge philosophy
So before making your next purchase, think about these key components of the Hygge philosophy:
- Connect with nature: Hygge is the presence of nature calling us back to the present moment (Louisa Thomsen Brits)
- Shelter: A feeling of home. A feeling that we are safe, that we are shielded from the world and allow ourselves to let our guard down. (Meik Wiking) This is your tribe. This is a place of peace and security.
- Togetherness: The art of creating intimacy cannot be bought by anything but time, interest and engagement in the people around you. Build relationships and narratives.
- Pleasure: We don’t hygge to be content, we find contentment in Hygge. It’s about pleasure, presence and participation. Food for example always brings me joy when I pair it with an activity.
- Comfort: In its aspect of comfort, Hygge involves a sense of well-being which encourages relaxation and peacefulness. Take a break. It’s all about relaxation.
- Harmony: It’s not a competition. We already like you. You don’t have to prove yourself to us.
- Gratitude: Take it in. This might be as good as it gets.
Consciously cozy.
meik wiking
The Hygge movement
Perhaps you’ve been doing it all your life. But did you know that there was a word for it? I surely didn’t. The Hygge philosophy became a trend in 2017 (I missed it) and it became commercial.
By using the word you become more aware of it. Focus on the values rather than on the manifestations.
The hygge movement is a good thing. It’s not something you should feel guilty about.
Example of a Hygge moment: Sunday afternoon cozied up on the couch with your kids watching a movie, eating ice cream or popcorn, drinking hot cocoa or a fresh lemonade.
Hygge: Only requires a certain slowness and the ability to not just be present but recognize and enjoy the present. (hyggehouse.com)
As you put your house in order and decrease possessions you’ll see what your true values are. What is really important to you in your life.
Are you ready to organize your home today? Don’t put it off to tomorrow.
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