You may have heard of Marie Kondo over the past couple of years. She is a Japanese organizing consultant, author, and TV presenter. Kondo has written four books on organizing,the first of which was published in 2011, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Her books have been translated into many languages and published all over the world. She was listed as one of Time's "100 most influential people" in 2015. In 2019, Kondo opened an online store called KonMari. Also in 2019, Netflix released the series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo with the follow up series Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo in 2021.
I have not read her books but I have watched both of her series on Netflix and explored her website. Her approach to living and how you interact with the things you have is very inspiring. Kondo’s method says you must follow it exactly for it to work. With me being a creative, I am always collecting ideas & bits of things that inspire me, the minimalist life will never be for me. On the other hand, I have definitely taken the parts of her method that work for me and implemented them in my life where they work best. There is very rarely a one size fits all method that works for everyone but it has taught me to stop and appreciate the things in my life.
The KonMari method is a two-step system to get rid of your extra stuff. You first have to touch each item you own and ask yourself if it sparks joy. If it sparks joy, you keep it. If the item does not, you thank it for its use and let it go. When you have the items left that make you happy, find a place to store each item that’s visible and easily accessible.
I love surrounding myself with things that make me happy. And while I can appreciate getting rid of things, some things in our lives do not spark joy but are practical and must be kept, like a toilet brush. Unless you love cleaning toilets, most people do not find joy in a toilet brush.
There are two other things from Marie Kondo’s method that I really like. The first was thanking and letting go of the items you do not want to keep. We don’t usually consider thanking an item before we get rid of it. Everything we have came into our life for a reason and it is good to be mindful of that.
The second thing is appreciating what we have and taking care of it. This is where folding clothes comes into play. All my life my dresser has had stacks of clothes that make it hard to find what I’m looking for. When I do find that item, pulling it out messes up the folding of the clothes left in the drawer. Over time the drawer is left messy with everything crammed into it.
I decided to try Kondo’s folding system. First you lay each garment out before folding it. I like this part because as I smooth out any wrinkles, it makes me appreciate that I have this item and should take care of it. Each garment is then folded into a neat bundle that can stand up on its own. Then arrange the bundles so that you can see every item at a glance, just like being able to see the spines of books on a bookshelf. In doing this, I was able to condense 3 drawers of clothes into two and a half. All of my clothes are lined up front to back with the items I wear most often in the front. I can see everything in the drawer when I open it. The clothes stay folded and aren’t wrinkled when I put them on.
The videos below are of folding t-shirts, shorts, long sleeve shirts and pants which are the items I keep in my dresser. My folding might not be exactly the way Kondo or others direct as I have made slight adjustments to make it work for me. My other clothes hang in my closet so if you want guidance on folding other items, you can find it here.
Folding T-shirts
If you have a graphic or logo tee, you want the front to be on the outside so it’s easily identifiable in your drawer. Lay your shirt face down. Take one side and fold it in toward the center, then fold the sleeve back in the other direction. Repeat on the other side so it is folded in thirds. Once you have a long rectangle shape, fold the top of the shirt up toward the bottom hem, overlapping the hem a little. I grab the top and bottom hem between my fingers and flip it over. Fold the shirt in thirds again. After each fold, smooth your hand over the entire garment before moving to the next step. This helps the item to keep its shape long term. Per Kondo, folding properly deflates clothes and maximizes the amount you can store.
Folding a long sleeve shirt
Folding a long sleeve shirt is similar to folding a t-shirt. Lay your shirt face down with the sleeves spread out to the sides. Bring one side in toward the center. Fold the sleeve back away from the center of the shirt and then again toward the bottom. Repeat with the opposite side. When you have a long rectangle shape, fold the top of the shirt up toward the bottom hem, overlapping the hem a little. I grab the top and bottom hem between my fingers and flip it over. Fold the shirt in thirds again.
Folding shorts
To fold shorts, lay the shorts flat, face up. Fold one leg on top of the other and fold over the point that sticks out. Then fold them in half, bringing the waistband up to the hem and in half again.
Folding pants
The only pants that I have folded in my dresser are pajama pants or leggings. All others hang in my closet. The first step is to place the pants flat, face up. Fold in half lengthwise, putting one pant leg on top of the other. If the seat of the pants sticks out, fold that part in so you now have a straight line. Next, fold the waistband up toward the legs, overlapping the bottom hem a little. Then fold this in thirds or in half twice, depending on the length of the pants, until you have a neat little bundle. With the waistband facing down, line them up in a drawer for easy access.
Take the time to appreciate what you have! And if it’s something you decide no longer fits in your life, let it go. If it’s an item that is still in good condition, consider donating it to Goodwill or other organization in your area. Someone might be in need of what you are letting go of.
Video Credits
Background photo: https://www.vecteezy.com
Music: Give Me A Smile by Free Music | https://soundcloud.com/fm_freemusic
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US
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