I Guess I Really am Tidy!

It turns out that I might just be a tidy person after all. Last month I wrote a column about not being a tidy person, based on the list of 5 things tidy people don’t do. I currently do 4 of the 5, so I resigned myself to the fact that I must not be tidy. With the onslaught of snow days this winter, I found myself watching far too much Netflix. After my February column, I was talking to my coworkers about my inability to consider myself a tidy person based on the blog post I referenced in my column. One colleague asked if I had watched the Netflix show, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” I had not, but on snow day #9, boredom and curiosity got the best of me and I found myself binge-watching it. Marie Kondo is the organizing guru of the moment. She advocates keeping things that “spark joy” and getting rid of things that do not, (after you have thanked each item for its service). Marie then gives a bunch of helpful tips on how to organize everything from your kitchen to photos. She calls it the KonMarie Method ™.

1.     Commit yourself to tidying up

2.     Imagine your ideal life

3.     Finish letting go first

4.     Tidy is by category, not location

5.     Follow the right order

6.     Ask yourself if it sparks joy

I was inspired. Since I had already organized my closet on snow day #5, I was ahead of the game. I went in the bathroom and systematically organized and tidied until it was like a new room. Next was my dresser. Everything came out and only the joy-sparking items returned. I thought the whole “sparking joy” thing was a little hokey, but it turned out to be a good gauge when I was on the fence about what to get rid of and what to keep.  With the new way of folding, that Marie teaches on her show, I now have drawers that are arranged in such a way that I can see every pair of leggings I own simply by opening the drawer. It’s pretty amazing if I do say so myself. I organized my scarves and bathing suits in the same way using bins in my closet. What I discovered in this cleaning and organizing frenzy, was that I was a little hasty in my decision to reject the tidiness wave and my ability to join in. It took some coaching from a Netflix mentor and a few too many snow days, but I too can say that I’m a tidy person, at least for this month.

Why I'll never be a Tidy Person

Why I’ll Never be a Tidy Person

The title of a blog caught my attention as I wasted some time on my monthly Facebook
check-in. It’s called “5 Things People with Tidy Homes Don’t Do” by Cozy Minimalist.
That article was really intriguing to me, so much so that I haven’t stopped thinking
about it since I read it. I’ve always wanted to be a tidy person. I’m envious of people
who can keep their homes in a constant state of tidiness, no matter what time of day.
You know the type.
These are the people who don’t have to frantically vacuum, dust, and pick up when
some texts to say they’re dropping by to drop off this or that. Maybe you are that person.
I most definitely am not. But I aspire to be. So I read the article wondering if I could pick
up some tips for myself on what not to do, and therefore become a tidy person in the
process.

Here are the 5 things people with tidy homes don’t do:

Tidy People don’t act like a slob all day, and then get their house tidy in one fell swoop
Tidy People Don’t Run out of Cleaning Supplies.
Tidy People never let the sun go down on their filth
Tidy People don’t store things on the floor
Tidy People don’t over decorate

Some of these made sense to me, but some didn’t. I get that you can’t act like a slob all day and
then suddenly pull it altogether. I’ve been trying to walk around and pick things up as I go. That
stray water glass on the side table, or the dog toys on the living room floor are getting more attention
from me. I’m not sure about tidy people not running out of cleaning supplies. Doesn’t everyone keep
Lysol spray and toilet bowl cleaner under the sink in the bathroom? I might not always use it, but I do
always have it. I also wonder about number 5. I think by “over decorate” the author means “too many
nick-nacks.” Too much of anything can look like clutter. My problem here is more of an eclectic mix of
things that don’t go together, rather than too much. Number 4 surprised and shamed me all at the
same time. I am so guilty of storing things on the floor. I mean, if they are attractively arranged, why
can’t I keep my orange muscle roller and my Tru-Back next to the couch? As I write this I look over
and the neck massaging pillow is peeking out from behind a chair, and yes, it’s on the floor. Before I
sat down to write this, I picked up the dog’s toy basket and put it on a shelf, misplacing the magazine,
file folder, and iPad keyboard that had taken up that space. I replaced one tidy person faux pas with
another. I could add about 3 more to that list of what tidy people don’t do, because I’m a pro at what
not to do to be called a tidy person. So I guess I have a decision to make. I can either put forth the
effort to become a tidy person, or stop reading articles that make me feel bad about not being a tidy
person. Sorry Cozy Minimalist, I’ll do the dishes tomorrow.