I recently read "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" (some of you might be familiar with the Konmari method), which contains some strange advice. The author begs the reader to talk to their belongings like people, like thanking them for doing a good job, etc. She also mentions frequently throughout the book to ask yourself "Does this item bring me joy?".
Now, on the surface, and from the Western viewpoint, this will seem like very strange, bordering psychotic behavior, and it's definitely strange, but there is something to it and I'd like to explain what I think it is.
When I held up an item of mine and started talking to it, I started asking it questions like "How are you doing?" or "What can I do to help you?", which led me to think about the maintenance of the item, and if you frequent this sub you'll know that few things are BIFL without proper maintenance.
I've never been great at keeping my stuff well maintained, even though I had the intent to do so when the item was purchased. Talking to each item as I put it away for the day kinda tricks me into thinking about it. And asking if the item brings me joy, helps me realize when something really isn't working for me, and it's time to replace it with something better or get rid of it altogether.
The book is a great read, probably more /r/minimalism than /r/buyitforlife, but I got a lot out of it. One of the main points is, if something doesn't bring you joy, replace it with something that does or get rid of it. Take the new item, give it a home where it goes when you're done using it, and treat it with some form of dignity since it's now a part of your life and something you love that deserves to be taken care of. Obviously not all items are created equal, holding up a toilet brush and asking yourself "does this bring me joy" seems stupid, but it's a simple way of explaining a more complex effect and after following her steps I found her system to be an elegant solution to a problem I've had since I can remember.
Submitted May 10, 2017 at 01:27PM by IDontWantToArgueOK http://ift.tt/2qsetu9
