Sort Ideas, Sort Cabinets

We have all done the dreaded closet cleaning at some time. A tiring and time-consuming task. This fatigue that causes us to sort, classify and reposition objects or clothing, is so exhausting  because deep down it involves a great mental effort. Not only do you have to order cabinets, you also need to order ideas.

When we tidy up a room or a closet, we are not simply moving objects or clothing from place and throwing away or discarding the old in disuse. It is about ordering ideas, since our subconscious is processing memories linked to these objects or clothes, reliving some situations and deciding if they are useful or not.

According to Marie Kondo,  an expert on the subject and known for her book, “The magic of order. Tools to organize your house and your life! ”, The order begins with the elimination of excess objects in our life. Because according to Kondo, it is the mania of storing everything that causes an excess of objects in each home or office. So it is necessary to know how to get rid of some objects and / or clothes. Quite a challenge that produces anxiety for many and that through its KONMARI method can be made a reality without so much difficulty.

Sort ideas

When we decide to keep an accessory object it is because somehow we are still linked to a series of sensations that it evokes us, sensations that can be both happy and sad or even bittersweet. But if we let it go somehow we are giving way to the new. Order is a more important element than many people think.

The truth is that  maintaining an orderly space, whether in our home or workplace, is a source of tranquility and happiness. Maintaining order in everyday life makes it easier for us to also keep our heads in order, establishing more effective and practical relationships between thoughts and ideas .

We do not mean by this that you have to get rid of everything and less in these times. It means that it is not positive for us to remain linked to a family garment to infinity and beyond, even if the memories linked to it are positive. We must move forward and make room for the new, even if this scares us. It is paradoxical, but the truth is that the only thing that many fear is a future that is yet to come and perhaps a present they are not (or are) capable of appreciating.

Lucky garments and objects

We have all had an article of clothing that we have worn over and over again, until we have had no choice but to throw it away because it had broken, and, even if it was useless, we have shown a certain resistance to getting rid of it. Perhaps because we have lived many special moments with her, such as going to the concert of our favorite singer, meeting a special person, spending an unforgettable night with friends….

We have also had or at least heard of lucky garments or objects, that special garment that gives us luck on an exam or on a date. That rabbit’s foot, the lucky clover, or a simple keychain that a loved one gave us… ..

With all these experiences, we link our emotions to our memories and to our objects or clothing. As time goes by, these garments or objects wear out and it is time to say goodbye, which sometimes is not easy, but is necessary, leaving room for the new. To new objects and garments, to new memories, to new experiences in short.

Leave the past behind

In certain circumstances we can obtain strength from the memory of some moments. These are usually circumstances in which we need to step back in order to gain momentum forward. On the other hand, and with rare exceptions,  only if we are brave and say goodbye to the past with gratitude will we leave room for new experiences, which would allow us to clarify and organize ideas, living the present more intensely and building the future with hope.

For Marie Kondo , by not throwing away certain objects – CDs, gadgets, torn and discolored clothes, etc. –  what we do is cling to the past.  In this sense, the space we live in should be for the person we are becoming, not for the person we were in the past.

These closet cleanings, but especially of emotions and memories, are even more necessary in the grieving processes. When we lose a loved one, either because he or she dies or due to a romantic breakdown or of any other kind, letting go of their belongings helps us face the loss.

Of course, each person needs time and it must be respected. You don’t need to get rid of everything at once. In fact,  doing this cleaning abruptly and without being prepared will not help; on the contrary, it can aggravate the pain and “infect” the wound.  We ourselves will be able to detect when we are ready to let go of certain belongings of that loved one; we just have to listen to our hearts.

The KONMARI method

The Japanese Marie Kondo gives a series of guidelines with which to maintain order, especially in the closet, through her KONMARI method. These are just some of its most significant guidelines that will also allow us to organize ideas:

• Keeping all garments upright is essential to make everything easier to see and identify.
• The most important thing about the method is knowing how to order and dispose of all those things that are not used .  Marie  advises picking up objects one by one with her hands. In order to know if we want them or not, thinking about whether they make us happy, when we use them … and if we decide not to keep them, we have to let them go, say goodbye with gratitude for the good times shared.

• Separating clothes by seasons is not necessary. The best thing is to have everything at hand and get rid of those clothes that we know that next season we will no longer use them. According to the specialist, after cleaning clothes we should be left with less than a third of what we had.
• Hanging clothes take up much more space  than folded clothes and are more uncomfortable to see and select when we are going to get dressed. He advises folding as much as possible and simply hanging what you need, such as shirts or jackets.
• When stacking we are not aware of what we have, the bottom garments are forgotten and the bottom garments are crushed.
• Storage solutions  (lockers, containers…) are not necessary. Although it seems incredible, they tend to complicate the order.

In short, cleaning is necessary to improve our well-being. Cleaning our living space means creating space in our lives to open ourselves to new experiences, to unknown experiences, therefore it is to leave our comfort zone. Of all those emotions, memories and ideas that are familiar and manageable to us, to leave space and open ourselves to live the present and build our future.