Forget de-cluttering your stuff, you need to Marie Kondoize your life. How many times do you hear yourself and others talking about how busy you are. But do you really need to be this busy? Is everything you are ”busy with” important to you? Is it sparking joy?
Marie Kondo’s the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up has sparked a sensation of decluttering and minimalism across the country. Some of it is a little crazy (empty out your purse every night, no thank you!). But the basic idea is important. The premise, if you haven’t read the book, is that you methodically evaluate all your stuff; item by item, you touch the item/pick it up and decide if it “sparks joy” in your life. If it does, great, keep it, if it doesn’t give it away to spark joy for someone else. It totally makes sense, that sweater that makes you feel frumpy? Get rid of it. Those shoes that make you feel sexy and confident? Keep them. Do this category by category and your life will be simplified decluttered and beautiful.
And although this decluttering minimalism frenzy has swept across the US (and the world), have we thought about doing it to our lives?! Yes, your life….your friends, your activities, your job, your family, everything. And perhaps this life decluttering might actually spark more joy and happiness than just house decluttering (although that is pretty joyful too).
Think about it. How many activities, commitments, events do you go to that don’t spark joy? What if, just pretend, you got rid of them? Would this bring you more joy? More time? Less “busy”?
What about the events, friends, activities that do spark joy? Are you spending more time there? Are you really present when you are with those people? Are you feeling the joy? Could you do that more often?
Now we know not everything can be “gotten rid of”, ahem, family, ahem, work, etc. But if you do this exercise, take an inventory of how you spend your time, with whom, doing what for the week, and take note of what “sparks joy” and what does not. What can you easily get rid of? Friends that are draining or not nice? Trips to Costco in traffic to save $5? That school event you go to because you feel guilty not going?
After you evaluate your week and decide what can you get rid of, next look at what can you NOY get rid of, but COULD change? So for example, say you spend time with family, but don’t enjoy it, could you change it to spark joy instead? Change location? Invite other family or friends along? Do something different that brings joy to your moments? If your job is not joyful and you can’t change it (although maybe you can), can you add lunch with friends to spark joy? Can you take a walk on your lunch break and enjoy the day? Can you take a coffee break at the cute coffee shop across the street and savor the moment? How can you spark joy where previously maybe you had lost it?
And then comes the fun part…what sparks joy in your life? How can you do more of it? Can you take some of the time you were doing things that didn’t spark joy and turn them into activities or people that do?
My favorite quote is “Today is not a dress rehearsal”. If your day is all “busy” and no joy, how can you reverse that equation. How can you live your most joyful life today, not tomorrow?!