A few years ago, I embarked on a three-day odyssey to clean my student room. Three. Full. Days. In a 16m² room, no less. Imagine my amazement as I hauled out the seventh bag of items I hadn’t used in over a year. How did I manage to live, eat, study, socialize, and sleep in that tiny space filled with so much junk? It’s almost impressive.

Recently, I found myself with some spare time and decided my apartment needed another round of the Marie Kondo cure. I revisited her acclaimed book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” and stumbled upon this striking observation:

“If you tidy up in one shot, rather than little by little, you can dramatically change your mind-set.”

Kondo goes on to mention how her clients have stayed clutter-free since their ‘tidying marathon.’ It dawned on me that what Kondo describes is nothing short of a transformative experience. She presents decluttering your room as a profound act that can alter your very being. Pretty neat.

Transformative Experiences

For an experience to be transformative in nature, two things need to be at play. The person undergoing the experience changes:

• Epistemically: They gain knowledge of what the experience is like which they could not have obtained without undergoing the experience.
• Personally: A fundamental component of themselves such as their perspective, mindset, or core preferences changes.

The Epistemic Power of Discarding

Marie Kondo’s method for effective tidying boils down to two important actions:

1. Discarding: Removing items that no longer serve a purpose or bring joy.
2. Storing: Determining where to store what you have not discarded.

The transformative nature of tidying is captured primarily in the act of discarding. Here’s why:

• Emotional Experience: Going through all my belongings and discarding a significant number of them is an experience that needs to be felt to be understood. It’s unexpectedly emotional because we often build up relationships with our belongings or have memories attached to them.
• Mental Freedom: Discarding items frees up mental energy. For example, I had a guitar that I hadn’t played in years. Keeping it around, I always told myself I’d get back to it eventually. Realizing that I wouldn’t, and discarding it, was liberating.

The book is called “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” but you won’t be granted access to any life changes without actually going through the process of discarding. This process reveals a unique, personal insight into just how liberating it is to finally let go of all that stuff.

Shifting Mindset

The experience of meticulously discarding all items that do not spark joy changed my mentality towards tidying:

• Recognition of Clutter: When my living area becomes less tidy, I now understand that accumulated stuff likely helped me achieve past goals but no longer serves a purpose.
• Superficial Solutions: Storing items in a smarter way only superficially solves the problem. True tidiness comes from having fewer items that genuinely fit my current identity and bring joy.

Going through this meticulous discarding process shifted my entire mindset towards tidying. It’s not just about a cleaner space; it’s about realizing what truly fits my current identity and letting go of what doesn’t.

Embrace the Change

So, are you ready to transform your space and mindset? Dive into Marie Kondo’s radical tidying method and watch your cluttered room turn into a serene haven. Say goodbye to that dusty old guitar and hello to a joyful, clutter-free life! Who knew tidying up could be this liberating?

Sources:

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Marie Kondo’s Life-Changing Magic of Tidying