Have you ever tried to move or pack with someone who’s paralyzed by indecision? That was me. Between procrastination, indecision, and constant “what ifs,” I took forever to make a decision on what to bring, store, or let go. Every packing session became an emotional ordeal—from the cute blanket gifted by a dear friend that never matched anything to the leather jacket I bargained hard for but worried too much about ruining to wear. For me, holding onto everything was easier than tiring myself with decision fatigue or, as I learned later, confronting the underlying emotions of letting go. Who has time for all that?!
Letting my possessions take over my own mental and physical space is one thing, but it became a bigger issue when I began sharing space with roommates. It caused a lot of strain on my friendships.
Now flash forward to moving in with my husband — sharing a space is unavoidable. He had an idea about how much I had, but the reality soon hit, seeing my luggage show up box by box, day after day before I arrived. He would make room for a box and rearrange it multiple times when another box arrived, overflowing our closet and the spare room closets.
I’d quip, ”We need a bigger closet, more storage,” or anything else I could pull out of my hat without hitting the root: something needed to change. I needed a system or method to keep everything organized. In 2016, I stumbled on articles referencing Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying.” What a promise that title is! I bought it. I skimmed it. It seemed crazy, but I was willing to give it a try.
That first attempt at the KonMari method opened my eyes to how much I had. She had a response to every excuse I used to hold onto items up to that point. I wasn’t ready to switch my mindset, thinking, “She can’t be serious,” or “She doesn’t know me!” But each time I started a Tidying Festival again (or re-attempt it), I would finally internalize a different lesson that she drove home that I resisted at first.
Today, I comfortably share a regular, non-walk-in closet with my husband, much to my family’s disbelief. Do I slip back into old habits? Absolutely! The difference now is I have the tools to re-evaluate and give myself the space and freedom to adjust. My goal is to share these transformative tools with you so that you, too, can reclaim your space, find clarity amidst the clutter, and embrace the liberating feeling of letting go.
This journey can be life-changing, but only if you make the time, commit, and trust the process. It starts with your items but may show up in so many other aspects of your life. Letting go helped me remove things that weighed me down and held me back. It helped me make room in my life for more joy. There will be peaks and valleys that make it feel impossible—but I’m here to help you because you are worthy and deserving of a joyful, organized life.
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