By E J Shaffert
E J is a therapist and feng shui consultant with Holistic London.
For information about his work, visit here.
One of the greatest benefits of being in the HOLISTIC LONDON community is being privy to the expertise and discoveries of other members of the organisation. And, this certainly paid off a few weeks ago!
On Thursday evening, Oct. 29, we had the first official gathering of the Holistic London Meet Up group, held at a pub in Vauxhall. It was a fun event, and it was during a conversation with another practitioner that I had a wonderful discovery. She asked me if I had heard of a book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Japanese author Marie Kondo.
It sounded like a strange and incredulous title for a book, but as she spoke, I became fascinated.
The book has sold over 3 million copies in Japan, with amazing insights into bringing a home into an extraordinary level of organisation. I felt I had to get a copy. And I have been so inspired by one particular recommendation in the book, that I felt compelled to share it here.
The topic: clutter. For me, the most difficult aspect is with clothing. I enjoy shopping but hate getting rid of old clothes, usually for sentimental reasons.
I have tried all sorts of techniques, often prompted by my wife’s urging, but few approaches seem to be successful. In the end, my closets and drawers were as overcrowded as ever.
The book had a rather strange but insightful suggestion. The author asserts that we should never have anything in our homes that does not bring us a sense of joy. She suggests that, with each item, we should ask ourselves: “Does this spark joy in me?”
The sense of joy Kondo is suggesting is not just delight in owning the item, but an actual felt sense of joy. In fact, she suggests that, even by just putting our hand on an item, we should get that feeling.
I decided to try this with my overly abundant supply of clothing. I started with the first item, a shirt that I had for years and rarely wore, and I asked myself how much joy I experienced from it. And I felt… nothing. Nope, no joy. So into the bin bag it went.
On to the next item of clothing, and then the next. Hand over hand, asking myself about the joy factor for each item, I found myself filling two bin bags of clothes to discard, without a moment of concern. And off to the charity shoppe they went.
I was astonished. I had never gone through and discarded clothing in such an easy manner. So, after the clothes, I have shelves full of books to address!
I am offering this as my blog tip this week, because it gave me a particular sense of hope, that a mass of clutter, especially of sentimental items, can now be brought under control
I hope you find as much empowerment in this approach as I did. En-joy!
E J is a therapist and feng shui consultant with Holistic London.
For information about his work, visit here.
One of the greatest benefits of being in the HOLISTIC LONDON community is being privy to the expertise and discoveries of other members of the organisation. And, this certainly paid off a few weeks ago!
On Thursday evening, Oct. 29, we had the first official gathering of the Holistic London Meet Up group, held at a pub in Vauxhall. It was a fun event, and it was during a conversation with another practitioner that I had a wonderful discovery. She asked me if I had heard of a book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Japanese author Marie Kondo.
It sounded like a strange and incredulous title for a book, but as she spoke, I became fascinated.
The book has sold over 3 million copies in Japan, with amazing insights into bringing a home into an extraordinary level of organisation. I felt I had to get a copy. And I have been so inspired by one particular recommendation in the book, that I felt compelled to share it here.
The topic: clutter. For me, the most difficult aspect is with clothing. I enjoy shopping but hate getting rid of old clothes, usually for sentimental reasons.
I have tried all sorts of techniques, often prompted by my wife’s urging, but few approaches seem to be successful. In the end, my closets and drawers were as overcrowded as ever.
The book had a rather strange but insightful suggestion. The author asserts that we should never have anything in our homes that does not bring us a sense of joy. She suggests that, with each item, we should ask ourselves: “Does this spark joy in me?”
The sense of joy Kondo is suggesting is not just delight in owning the item, but an actual felt sense of joy. In fact, she suggests that, even by just putting our hand on an item, we should get that feeling.
I decided to try this with my overly abundant supply of clothing. I started with the first item, a shirt that I had for years and rarely wore, and I asked myself how much joy I experienced from it. And I felt… nothing. Nope, no joy. So into the bin bag it went.
On to the next item of clothing, and then the next. Hand over hand, asking myself about the joy factor for each item, I found myself filling two bin bags of clothes to discard, without a moment of concern. And off to the charity shoppe they went.
I was astonished. I had never gone through and discarded clothing in such an easy manner. So, after the clothes, I have shelves full of books to address!
I am offering this as my blog tip this week, because it gave me a particular sense of hope, that a mass of clutter, especially of sentimental items, can now be brought under control
I hope you find as much empowerment in this approach as I did. En-joy!
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