This month marks one year since I began my purge. I notice a few things have shifted and a few are still the same.
Most of the house is pretty spotless and tidy. It seems that once an area is dealt with and Kondoed I resist recluttering it. When I walk into our bedroom and there is something out of place I quickly tidy it. It is sort of like being inhabited by an alien: seeing my arms reach out and put things away.
I adore (ADORE!!!) the Mari Kondo style of folding clothes. It has changed how I view my clothes. Taking out a carefully folded packet gives me a lovely feeling. I feel as though I am someone who cares about her possessions, not someone who lets them get all scrunched up. I carefully selected what stays and what went so everything left is loved and appreciated. This feels new to me.
Walking into the kitchen and seeing things on the counters feels icky so I don't let things accumulate much any more. Such a delicious feeling.
I still have a pile of "to be dealt with" stuff. Dealing with that and not having it accumulate again will feel amazing. it is in the same spot it has been in for a year. It all requires more attention such as scanning. Scanning seems to be my bugbear. Only one closet in the house left to do plus the one remaining pile of stuff. I have put this off for some time. I have never lived without clutter and I wonder if I have resistance to getting rid of the final bits?
My new habits seem to be ingrained but time will tell. I am very aware of my love of visual order now and how clutter messes with my serenity (this from someone who used to have piles of paper and clothes next to her bed). I feel a new peace when I am at home. When I survey a room and it is tidy I feel a wave of ease come over me.
How are things with the rest of you? Notice any shifts in behaviour? Are you loving your new life?
Wintersun, it sounds like we are feeling similarly, although I don't think I'm quite as far along as you. I started at the end of January. My bedroom also now feels calm and relaxing, and I make the bed as soon as I get up, and hate to have anything out of place. I also find myself dusting and vacuuming much more frequently, because I get pleasure out of it looking nice. Never thought I'd say those words!
However, not everywhere in the house is like that yet, I still have work to do.
I'm also still folding MK style, and loving it. Even the underwear! But I have stopped organising everything by colour - dark and the back to light at the front, as she suggests. I just found it was harder to see what I had. 2 black t-shirts next to each other morph into one, but if I can see them distinctly I can recall what is different about each of them and why I like them.
The hardest part for me is using things up and not immediately replacing them. With most things I'm finishing them and THEN seeing if I miss them / need them. But I'm pretty much at the point now where everything is 'necessary' (used loosely, because, you know first world and all that), so when I empty something I immediately want a new one, even if I won't need it for a couple of months (eg hair dye. I'm used to having a current one, and one in stock. Now, I've finish everything I have in the house... but I still won't need the replacement for weeks or months). Forcing myself to wait.
Re scanning, would it be quicker / easier / acceptable to take photos instead? If you are just looking to 'take a copy' just in case, and will likely never look at it, I often find this sufficient, and far faster, using a camera, iphone, or ipad.