I’m sure you’ve seen a Zen garden. Often created from no more than a few boulders, a water feature, some carefully pruned trees and gravel paths sinuously raked to look like ripples in water, its minimalist design produces a feeling of serenity.
This approach is something the Japanese carry over into other areas in life, such as the KonMari Method of re-organising and de-cluttering your possessions, keeping only those things that ‘spark joy’ in your life.
Applying this principle to your own life, and letting go of things or people that don’t bring you joy, can be transformational.
An easy start point could be your wardrobe, which is probably stuffed with clothes you haven’t worn for years. The accessories you bought for a special occasion, the unworn sale items which are two sizes too small, the dress you hold onto just because you loved it once. They are all expressions of another, earlier you and have no place in your present life. They most definitely don’t bring you joy, so let them go.
You may think that this kind of clutter doesn’t really matter, especially if it’s out of sight, out of mind, tucked away in a wardrobe, and to some extent that may be true. However, keeping clutter has an impact in your life even when you don’t realise it, and this is why.
1. Physical and mental clutter slows you down.
These things get in the way of how you want your life to be. A happy family photo, your child’s first painting, a favourite piece of jewellery, are a positive presence in your home and your life. On the other hand, clothes that are too tight, books you will never read, the box of mystery cables waiting to be sorted through, most certainly do not spark excitement and actually make you feel that you’re not in control of your home, let alone your life.
2. It’s a waste of resources.
One person’s clutter is another person’s treasure. Clothes that don’t fit you, someone can wear and enjoy. Books you aren’t going to read, someone will get pleasure from. Cables that you no longer use can be re-cycled. So take the whole lot to charity and by tomorrow you’ll have forgotten all about them, but they’ll actually be doing some good, to someone, somewhere.
3. It keeps you trapped in the past.
It reminds you of earlier events and experiences, good and bad, often filling you with feelings of regret about what might have been. Too much backward looking prevents you from fully living and enjoying your present life, where you can actually influence and change what happens to you.
You know how cathartic – and enjoyable – it can be to reorganise a room, a cupboard, even a single drawer. Often one of the reasons you don’t de-clutter is that it involves confronting the past, and forces you to make choices you find uncomfortable.
If you throw something away given to you by a friend, but which is no longer ‘you’, that could make you feel disloyal. The same goes for things you may have inherited, though they never have and never will fit into your life. Even your tastes in interior decor change over time, so the style, colours and accessories you once loved, probably are no longer ‘you’. Going through such a process forces you to re-examine your feelings about certain people, objects or periods in your life – something most of us would rather avoid.
And once you get going, you can bring KonMari to other parts of your life, like work. Why keep redundant paperwork in your filing cabinet that you haven’t looked at in years, ancient emails in your inbox that you will never answer, or even clients who far from sparking joy, bring only aggravation? You could even ‘get rid’ of your present job altogether, if it makes you miserable!
Whether it’s deciding what to wear, or what to cook for dinner, or what to do with your life – try going with the emotion, and don’t over-analyse. You will find that suddenly decisions become easier and life becomes simpler.
If looking at the expensive top you never managed to squeeze into makes you sad, send it to charity. If the job you go to each day makes you frustrated, find something else to do – something that sparks joy – and get out.
De-cluttering doesn’t have to mean living in a minimalist home. What matters is enjoying and appreciating the benefits of greater order and simplicity in life, then avoiding starting the process of accumulation all over again.
So take a look at your surroundings and decide whether the things around you still matter to you and make you feel good about yourself, or whether it’s time to part company.
Think of it as a life ‘spring clean’, whenever you decide to do it. How about making this weekend a KonMari one? Sometimes less is definitely more.
Author Bio
Maite Barón is a multi-award winning author, passionate about courageous leadership, happiness and wellbeing. She is a co-founder of The Corporate Escape™, which specialises in helping professionals rekindle their passion for life and reinvent themselves. She’s an international speaker and a regular contributor to the influential Huffington Post, Global Banking and Finance Review (GBFR) and Entrepreneur.
