Sparking Joy: KonMari Your Life
Many people have written about the magic of tidying up with the KonMari method (including me), including the impact it has had on their lives and the spaces they live in. I have seen many posts about people getting rid of things they don’t need anymore, as well as finding a new way to shop and organize their houses, but I think there’s another application for this method that hasn’t been discussed yet. This method could easily be applied to your life and the things you do. Many of us have a list of things we do because we feel like we have to or should. But if you ask yourself this same question, “Does this spark joy for me?,” you’ll find that you get a lot of clarity in your day and week. I tried going to spinning classes, but I realized that wasn’t really my type of workout. Did it spark joy? No. I have found other workouts I enjoy more, so I don’t need to waste my time and money trying to like spinning. I’ve pretty much stopped watching TV. I always felt like the hours flew by when I watch TV and I never even enjoyed it that much. There are two shows i will drop everything to watch: House Hunters and Fixer Upper. Beyond that, I don’t miss it. I used to follow a bunch of blogs and have slowly realized there is a core set that I really love reading, and it felt like it was a burden to keep up with the rest. Nobody was making me read those blogs, so why did I feel a need to? I stopped following them and it’s made me look forward to the list I do have so much more. The same goes for podcasts - while I wish I had time and energy to listen to all the podcasts, I’m just not that interested in many of them anymore. I really dreaded opening up dating apps and trying to wade through all the muck (sorry guys). Every exciting match or profile has about ten times as many profiles that I’m just not that interested in hiding away after it, and it truly became a source of stress in my life. I would rather be single or meet people more organically than stress myself out about an app. Now, maybe my opinion will change in the future, but for now, I’m going to stay off the phone and out in the real world. I think the important thing to remember is this is about making room for things you love in your life, not cutting out things you simply don’t want to do. I found my niche in barre/pilates classes (and more recently running), and instead of wasting my time with other exercises I don’t enjoy, I’ve carved out more time for the ones I do. There are things each of us has to do every day just because that’s how life is - it builds character! You can’t stop doing the dishes because it doesn’t spark joy - that’s just silly. But you can find ways to maximize what you do love and want to learn more about, so now I look forward to washing the dishes because it gives me time to catch up on the podcasts I don’t listen to as frequently since I don’t walk to work anymore. This method is all about maximizing joy and pleasure, and using your time in a way that is most effective for you. What do you secretly want to give up? Go without it for a week and see what happens!