The Magic of Tidying

I'd been avoiding Kondo for a while, partly because she's become such a meme, and partly because years living out of a backpack left me reluctant to touch anything vaguely resembling minimalism. I already experienced living with very little, so why not enjoy the luxury of some extra stuff?

Recommendations from friends and family led me to finally finish this book last month, and undertaking a deep tidy of my space has made me appreciate the true profundity of her approach.

At its heart is the practice of individually handling everything you own, asking your heart whether you truly love or truly need it, and if not, discarding it with gratitude and respect. And then repeat, with every. Single. Thing.

Unlike many other minimalist approaches, this focuses on what you want to *keep* rather than what you ought to discard. More importantly, it focuses on trusting your heart and letting intuition be the guide.

As I de-cluttered, I realized how frequently and automatically my rational mind overrides what my intuition knows is true. I would hold an object that my heart immediately knew it was time to discard, but my mind would jump in with all sorts of rationalizations for why I should keep it, even if I hadn't used it in ages, even if it was only wasting physical and emotional space.

I discovered I had been gaslighting my own deepest feelings, but that it always fest best to trust my heart.

It turns out minimalism was never really the goal, but instead I've regained trust in my own intuition, finding a confidence I didn't know I had lost.

Letting my instincts lead in simple decisions, like whether to keep a dress or a book, has made it easier to trust myself in bigger decisions too. That voice of doubt remains, but as I trust my intuition, the pieces of my life start to fall smoothly into place, and the easier it is to trust that inner voice even more.