KonMari’s Click Point
The Just-Right Click Point is Marie Kondo’s term for the ah-ha moment we experience when we reach an amount of belongings that’s just right for us.
For many of us, the Click Point is the whole point of tidying. It’s the culmination of the tidying journey. It means we’ve reached equilibrium: We have enough things that bring us joy. In addition, going forward, we also know exactly how to identify what contributes to or detracts from this equilibrium.
The KonMari Method® teaches people the process, indeed the method, to get to said equilibrium. But as we know from practical experience, having a GPS and good directions is no guarantee of smooth travel. Planning and experience help mitigate risks and avoid unpleasant surprises. This is where I, a KonMari Method® Consultant-in-Training, come in.
The REVEAL Mission
I shared earlier today that I updated my Instagram Profile to reflect what REVEAL is all about: propelling personal transformation and freedom.
I strive to live this mission in two ways. First, no matter how challenging this year or my day has been (especially with three young kids), I show up to my work every day. I focus on execution. For my clients, this means an explicit and ongoing commitment and dedication to my craft. Second, I strive to stick to a few core values, one of which is integrity. For my clients, this means that I act with integrity during our interactions and I champion their integrity – that is, living wholesomely – through the process of tidying.
When transformation and freedom seem appealing but feel daunting, I’m there to guide people through the process and be an example. I’ve undertaken the tidying process myself. I’ve experienced my Click Point. I’m living my ideal lifestyle.
A great but ordinary example of this dynamic is my closet. The KonMari Method® of organizing begins with tidying clothing. Clients often ask: “So, what’s your closet like?”
I understand their curiosity. This question typically comes up when the tidying process still feels new, but is in full swing. In other words, the transformation is visibly, concretely underway. There’s lots of evidence of progress everywhere. For instance, you can see it in the number of bags that leave the house after each session. You can see it in clothes being folded in a new way. You can see it in refreshed, though temporary, storage solutions. However, clients are still learning to trust the process, and there’s little evidence of an end in sight. Execution can be hard and we can easily veer off course.
I always try to have pictures on-hand to demonstrate what “the other side” of tidying has looked like for me… over time. And that’s key: Everyone’s tidying journey is unique. In fact, the journey is by nature as unique as each person’s sense of joy. And it takes time and work. If a picture is worth a thousand words, though, I’m ready to inspire and encourage my clients onward with personal photos.
My KonMari Story
In today’s increment of my #tidystories, I share with my Instagram followers the evolution of my closet. I take a candid look behind the scenes and share my closet and clothing items in the wild, just as they are today. 🙂 But make no mistake. There was a messy beginning.
I hope the photos act as a testimonial for my personal KonMari tidying journey, which began in earnest in January 2019. At the time, we knew we wanted to welcome another baby into our family. However, I’m naturally organized and tend toward minimalism (I live with ADHD, and it’s very helpful to my ability to focus to have strict organization, routines, and limited visual noise). I couldn’t imagine fitting even more “stuff of daily life” into my house as things stood.
I started my festival with baby clothing and finished tidying my closet by March. When I was done, storage still felt temporary. I hadn’t yet managed to have everything in one place.
I also instinctively knew it: I hadn’t reached my Click Point.
Even though I had carefully assessed, that is, joy checked, each items’ place in my life, I had a sneaky suspicion that I might still have duplicates (I’ve since learned how to use things creatively to live with less) and that some of the things I kept were sparking a less-than-resplendent joy.
I didn’t become discouraged or feel guilty that I’d “done it wrong.” I pressed on. Each time I took a piece of clothing out to wear, I was keenly aware of my level of satisfaction with it. Perhaps the shirt was too high maintenance and needed dry cleaning or ironing (both things I just don’t do and have no plans to start doing). Maybe the fit was less than ideal; my body has certainly changed after pregnancies. At other times, I took a more global view of an entire subcategory of clothing, such as socks or pants. I continued to edit my clothing with clear eyes and an awake heart.
If I felt like putting a shirt back to try another, I’d just decide on the spot: Does this piece of clothing get me closer to my ideal lifestyle?
By Summer 2019, I had managed to fit all of my clothing into my closet. There were no boxes of seasonal items in the attic or hanging in the spare closet. Even my single fancy evening gown was there. Still… I had not reached my Click Point!
For example, I noticed that I still had too many stockings. I haven’t worked a career job that requires stockings in at least 12 years! My stockings were tidied and forgotten… If I were honest with myself I could not see more than two pairs fitting into my ideal lifestyle. I also had items that were beloved but too worn out to truly spark joy. Out they all went.
You could say my KonMari journey took at least six months. That might seem long. But here’s the payoff: I can confidently say I’ve reached my Click Point. I am free.
Living my Ideal Lifestyle through REVEAL
The KonMari Method® has supported me in becoming laser focused on my ideal lifestyle, which is this: to do God’s will, to be a good wife and mother, to honor my wiring (hello, ADHD) and work tempo as well as my education and training background through entrepreneurship, to lean heavily onto my natural abilities at work, and to love God and neighbor through excellent work.
When I show my clients pictures of my closet, I do so with integrity – for myself, and for them. I know my closet is only one very ordinary reflection of my ideal lifestyle in action. There’s no glory in the perfect “After” shot. To me, it’s the process that matters. I harbor no pretension of impressing clients with how few pairs of socks I own.
My sole goal is to illustrate that the KonMari Method® supports people in attaining transformation and freedom on their terms: Whether they choose to keep just enough items to get them through to laundry day or a veritable collection. Their Click Point is theirs.
The method supports growth. There is no expectation that you’ll reach the endpoint within three or five sessions. It’s your journey toward your ideal lifestyle. This mindset has absolutely transformed my life and I’ve found freedom in so many ways:
- I own fewer things that I have to maintain and steward
- I have a level of clarity on my life mission that I never thought possible
- I’m becoming better at my craft, and therefore I’m coming to love it even more
- I have purpose for today and dreams for tomorrow
Friend, it’s good stuff!
The ultimate goal of tidying is to transform your relationship with your material environment so that it becomes the purest reflection of your true identity.
The process is meant to free you from any ill-fitting notions or limiting beliefs that hinge on a “should” mentality.
Your things are simply resources, support actors, and manifestations of your journey. There is only what is and what is going to be, not what should be – that is a tempting lie, my friend, don’t believe it! Tidying is an event, but joy checking is a lifelong habit. It refines your lifestyle choices to get you closer and closer to living in your true identity.
Your Click Point is a water mark that helps you stay on track.
Our growth happens within the context of our ordinary, everyday lives. This is why I’m so passionate about home and family life. They are the backdrops against which personal transformation and freedom are attained. In this way, tidying your home and belongings, and remaining faithful to the process over time (execution!), is one of the most powerful ways to experience congruency and integrity.
When you expect your home and things to support who you are and where you’re headed, every day, you cannot help it but stay connected to your true identity. Friend, the world desperately needs you as you are, not as you should be.
Onward with love,
Ren