Spring is almost here (at least on the calendar), and most areas of the country will soon warm beyond the overnight frost. That means that it’s time to start preparing your garden for a fruitful growing season. Like any area of your home, the garden will only flourish with a little forethought to tidying up. The first thing to do is to remove debris and clutter such as decaying leaves, weeds and invasive plants, Huffpost says. It’s “also a good time to sharpen your garden tools, if needed, because you’re going to require them for plant maintenance and soil care.”
Tag: decluttering
Marie Kon-Don’t #4: Don’t (Necessarily) Get Rid of Books
While the KonMari Method recommends eliminating anything that doesn’t “spark joy” in one’s life, it doesn’t necessarily advocate getting rid of all one’s books, IndieWire says. Marie Kondo limits herself to 30, but tells would-be declutterers to discover what they value in their lives — and if it’s lots of books, so be it. “If the image of having only a few books makes you angry, that should tell you how passionate you are about books,” she says. “That, in itself, is a very important benefit of this process.” On the other hand, “if you’re retaining so many that you’re not reading, you might have to let go of some.”
Marie Kon-Don’t #3: Don’t Store Without Decluttering
One the biggest “don’ts” in Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method is to attempt to tidy up one’s home by storing everything without getting rid of anything. “When things are put away, a home will look neat, but if the storage units are filled with unnecessary items, it will be impossible to keep them organized, and this will inevitably lead to a relapse,” she told The Telegraph in 2016. “Consider any storage solutions made during the discarding process as temporary and focus all your attention on sorting the next category.” For help getting that excess stuff out of the way fast, contact ClothingDonations.org for a donation pickup.
Marie Kon-Don’t #2: Don’t Tell the Family
Marie Kondo, the star of Netflix’ hit show Tidying up With Marie Kondo, says that if you want to be successful in getting rid of excess stuff, don’t tell or show your family members what you’re getting rid of. “You’ve worked so hard to figure out which things are right for YOU to keep and what should be discarded,” says Apartment Therapy. “When your mom sees the huge bags of clothing and home goods you’re ready to kick to the curb, she’ll get nostalgic about certain pieces or worried that you won’t have enough left, so she’ll try to convince you to hang on to more than you should.”
Marie Kon-Don’t #1: Don’t Keep Things That Don’t Spark Joy
The central “don’t” of the KonMari Method for organization is don’t keep anything that doesn’t “spark joy.” Taking inventory of her clothing as Marie Kondo suggests, Happier blogger Nataly Kogan discovered that this is a simple and powerful concept to use in making decluttering decisions. What drives us to hang on to most things is the emotions we attach to them, she finds — everything from fond memories of the past to the thrill of the shopping “hunt” to feelings of guilt about the money spent. Ultimately, she says, “fewer things you love is better than many things you kinda like.”