This isn't the usual posting, but lately, nothing has been usual. With the current worldwide pandemic, a lot of us have had to retreat and face ourselves in a way we never did before.

I find myself, more than ever, grateful for even the smallest everyday things. Cause let's face it, if staying at home is the worst-case scenario, we're considered very lucky.

During this quarantine, I picked up a habit that I've forgotten for decades and thought I'd give it another go. I think this abandonment started with blogging since I was able to put all my writing in digital form.

But as the years moved on, blogging became very specific. I was confined to a niche cause that was what everyone did. But yet, the more I did that the further it felt from being authentic.

I'm multiple things, and much more than just the outfits I style. And I missed the more natural days of blogging when I could just jump on and shared what I wanted for that day. Be it fashion, beauty, or just random ramblings like this one.

So journaling for 5 mins a day has been a great refresher.

Thanks to Netflix, all of America is on a cleaning craze. Yes, I'm talking about Marie Kondo's show and her Konmari Method.

Personally I've already been exposed to her work roughly 2 years ago.

I first read her book (The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing ) after I saw a friend of mine mention it in her instagram post. Being the OCD me, I immediately took the opportunity and dived into being even more organized 🤣

Most of my home I've already reorganized using the KonMari Method (see previous post / vlog: minimalist-life-style-vlog-404-konmari ) but I had one area which I had put off cleaning up for awhile simply cause I have yet to figure out what I wanted to do with it.

But new year new resolutions right ? I decided I've been putting it off long enough and I'm going to do something about it!

Since this was one of the areas I found harder to reorganize I thought I'd share my tips, which will work hand in hand with Marie Kondo's spark joy method 😊 . I'll also provide links to the products I used for those who might be interested.

Now lets begin .. 😉

Tip #1: Figure out your Spark Joy Aesthetic 

A lot of times people just go ahead and start organizing without really thinking about how they'd like their space to look once it is cleaned up. I find that as a big no-no. If the space looks sloppy, even though the clutter minimized, your motivation to keep it organized will wither as time goes on.

If your space makes you happy, or as Marie Kondo puts it: Sparks Joy , then most likely you'll cherish it more and want to keep it that way.

The key to looking organized isn't really that complicated, it's finding a coherent look through out your space.

For example, for my home, an minimalistic look is what sparks joy for me. I decided the colors which I want my home to have will consist of black, white, grey, dusty pink, and rose gold. These are the colors I'm most attracted to and eases my mind the most. A easy way to figure that out is going on pinterest or instagram and look at home related photography to see what aesthetic you are most drawn to. That helped me a lot 😁

Once I had that, it made it so much easier when I shopped for some additional pieces to help reorganize the space.
As some of my friends put it, even before reorganizing the space didn't look "messy". But it sure didn't spark joy for me. But after I reorganized it to what aesthetically eased my mind, now every day when I wake up and look over to my dresser it motivates me to keep it organized. 💛

Tip #2: Understand Your Available Space 
What do I mean by that is, before you start throwing things out and just buying all sorts of reorganizing products, spend some time and look at your space & what you can utilize base on what you already have.

For example, for this reorganization, I decided that I'm limiting my jewelry space to the top of my dresser and 2 dresser drawers which I will clean out.

Once I know how much space I'm working with, it minimizes the unnecessary reorganizing products you might buy otherwise.


Tip #3: The 2 Years rule
Know that this rule applies to only non-sentimental objects or your "Spark Joy" pieces as Marie would put it.

I think Marie is brilliant but sometimes the idea of "Spark Joy" can be very vague and wide. For those that have severe separation anxiety with their things, it might not really work. So on top of the spark joy mentality, I also apply a 2 years rule.

"Spark Joy" for me are usually things which has a sentimental story behind it, be it a memory associated with it, or it being a gift from someone I love and care about. These are no brainers. For example, the Chanel clip on earrings my mom passed down to me from her collection, even though I never wear them I 100% will never get rid of it. It gives me joy as it reminds me of my mom.

But there are the things that land in a grey zone. There really isn't a great deal of sentimental meaning behind it but you feel like you might still want to use it. With these things I apply my 2 years rule. That is: if I haven't used it in 2 years it's a go!

As human beings we're creatures of love for new things. That one pair of hoop earrings that you think you'll still use will be overshadowed by a new shiny pair in the future. If it's not irreplaceable and you haven't touched it in 2 years, it's safe to say you can let it go.