How the "art of decluttering" can help you hit the refresh button on your journey

A few years ago, someone told me about a book called “The life changing magic of tidying up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing” by Marie Kondo. I was intrigued because I love organizing things and making it all look pretty but I can never manage to actually keep it that way.

I quickly read the book and the main concept was that essentially your belongings should “spark joy” and if they don’t, you thank them for their service and let them go. After you have decluttered, everything you keep should have a place in your home and be put back in that place when you are not using it. She recommends cleaning out your home by categories, not rooms. For example, go through all the clothing in the house first, then books, then photos, etc so that junk doesn’t get moved from one room to the next.

The concept resonated with me and I began to Marie Kondo the shit out of my house. If it didn’t “spark joy” it was gone (I was a bit ruthless!) but man did it feel good. My home and most importantly my mind, was cleared of all this “baggage” that had accumulated from the physical objects I was holding onto. I was able to focus more on my business, writing, and doing the things I wanted to be doing with my family rather than wracking my brain each morning trying to figure out what to wear or where I had left my keys and wallet.

I know you’re probably wondering why I am bringing this up here and what does this have to do with your fertility journey?

A lot, actually. It’s finally spring time and spring always brings about a sense of renewal so I wanted to share this idea with you as a starting point on how to begin to reset your mindset. After being cooped up all winter long and dealing with the holidays and being around lots of family, spring gives us the opportunity to hit the refresh button and start over. When we go down this road of trying to have a baby and it doesn’t come easily, we usually discover that something in our mindset is blocking us. But sometimes, it’s difficult to access what those blocks are. This exercise of decluttering your space is a great tool to help you clear your mind and focus on what you really want and how you are going to achieve that. Part of being unstoppable in your journey is creating that perfect mindset, energy, and space to attract the family you desire. You will be quite amazed at how open and light you feel after doing this exercise (there is a reason Marie Kondo has a long wait list for her services and why this book became a #1 New York Times bestseller).

So I challenge you to take on the “KonMari” method and see what happens. What have you got to lose? (Just a few clothes you never wore anyway!) Happy decluttering and happy spring!