Recently I’ve been struck by the decluttering bug and finding all sorts of parallels and benefits to help me flex my Partner muscles.

After listening to Fumio Sasaki’s book ‘Goodbye, Things’ every day I jumped out of bed and spontaneously decluttered parts of my home.

I managed to recycle 5 bags of items barely blinking an eye. Sasaki was influenced by Marie Kondo, who’s series Tidying Up I recently started following on Netflix. I think it’s safe to say she’s fast becoming a household name. If you don’t know who Marie is, picture an iconically petite, beautiful, soft spoken Japanese woman with effervescent energy, who manages to graciously stay Partner in even the messiest situations!

Many wealthy people are little more than the janitors of their possessions

Frank Lloyd Wright

Have you ever noticed in your family of origin, some siblings naturally have gifts that not everyone else has? Well in my family, my sister Sheila has always had the clutter-free bug, one which I admire every time I come home from a trip with a suitcase full of trinkets and souvenirs I just couldn’t live without. Not only has Sheila generously applied her skills to her desperate siblings, she has taken it to the next level and now has her own business in Vancouver, helping other closet clutterers liberate themselves.

Here’s an example of a Mum who inspired her 2 young children (8 & 5 years old) by showing them the first episode of Marie Kondo’s series. Immediately after dinner they both rushed to their respective rooms, enthusiastically folded all their clothes in the KonMari way and have managed to continue this tradition!

The KonMari method suggests having empathy for things, only keeping items that give you joy and places great importance on being mindful, introspective and forward thinking.

I encourage you to find inspiration in either Sasaki’s book or Marie Kondo’s Netflix series. By practising decluttering regularly we are flexing the Partner mindset muscle of detaching ourselves from things and thus bringing more joy into our lives.

Happy Decluttering!

Amy