Joy of Tidying

I've recently re-organized my study so that my desk looks out onto the backyard instead of the neighbor's house. I swapped my desk and books with my sewing machine and all my sewing supplies; this shift took a few weeks and required a longer power strip.

I'm in the phase now of finding final homes for knick-knacks, odds and ends, and lots of papers. In fact, I've got a problem with notebooks, folders, and binders - like an addiction - they are everywhere! and it's making me itch. I want to find a new way to approach this situation that doesn't make so anxious.

1. Read "Kurashi at Home"

2. Read "Happier at Home"

3. Create a shrine to paper

1. Read Kurashi at Home:

This new book by Marie Kondo is a look at lifestyle (Kurashi means lifestyle) and the joy of tidying. Kurashi is the art of living each day; how I spend my time. Marie asks, "If you could make any dream come true, what would your ideal lifestyle be?" I'm not in a stage of re-defining my life style; it's all fine-tuning. 

She talks about blocks: For example, what does my collecting of so much paper say about me? I remember really enjoying the process of collecting the papers I now have so many of: I used to clip magazine articles, and research lesson plans and file them, and save all the cards and drawings my kids made. Now it's a burden that I need to sort through, because what if I throw away something special or important? And no matter how many bags of papers I recycle, I never seem to make a dent.

I'm holding on to this piece of advise: "If tidying starts to feel stressful, take a break. ... Remember: the true purpose of tidying is not to cut down on your possessions or declutter your space. The ultimate goal is to spark joy every day and lead a joyful life".

2. Read "Happier at Home":

I'm also reading Happier at Home, by Gretchen Rubin (2012). The first chapter is Possessions (Are you seeing a pattern in my reading?)

Last week I wrote about engagement with my possessions, filling my shelves - and giving more prominence to - the things I own that matter to me, so I can use them and engage with them. 

Gretchen's advise is to cultivate  shrines: To transform some areas into places of engagement by choosing and arranging items with care. She suggests a shrine to family, with photos and other objects that evoke memories that are rotated by season, and she also talks about making her office space "shrine-like".

3. Create a shrine to paper:

Something clicked for me after reading these two books. I realized that the quantity of papers, and their prominent position in my study, was overwhelming me, but if I set a goal of organizing my shelves to display the papers that were meaningful to me, and make them somehow beautiful, the task might become enjoyable.

So, my plan is to look through and recycle just a few notebooks every morning, and group the keepers in an eye-pleasing way.