Celebrate or Reallocate - the GiMari Method of Mindful Living

Last night, my mom and I watched an episode of Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, a show based on the KonMari method of organizing and cleaning. It reminded us that the ways we keep our home organized and full of joy are essentially the same ways we bring these things elements into our lives.

Take a step back from your life to assess the areas that have become cluttered or they’ve become so full, you’ve lost track of what’s in it. Are there relationships that take a lot of time and energy, but no longer bring you joy? Are there routines that you continue with only out of habit rather than necessity or choice? Are there old hobbies taking away from new passions you haven’t had the time to pursue?

It’s not until we take the time to assess and organize our lives that we can recognize these areas that have become cluttered. What’s worse, is that sometimes those cluttered spaces in our lives contain things we really value, things that bring us a lot of joy, but that we haven’t experienced them in so long, we’ve forgotten about them.

If you could press pause on your day-to-day and evaluate your relationships, hobbies, habits, ways you spend your free time, etc, I bet you’d rediscover some valuable things you forgot about. Give yourself the opportunity to hold it in front of you and ask, “Does this serve and bring joy to the life I want to be living?” or has it stuck around simply because you just never got rid of it.

I’ll propose the GiMari method of organizing and cleaning your life:

Area by area, evaluate the elements of your life in their totality.

Look at relationships (friends, family, coworkers, counselors) and ask if these people are supporting the version of You that you want to grow into. If they are, celebrate and spend more time with them. If they aren’t, allow yourself to mourn the loss and reallocate your energy.

Pay attention to your daily routines and habits. From the time you wake up to the time you go to bed, what items do you use? When do you check social media? What times do you eat? Are you watching TV or playing on the computer? Do you read? Are you studying? If you had to make a conscious choice to do each of these things, would you say yes, or are you doing it because it’s habit? The actions should be bringing you joy or be crucial to fulfilling your obligations. Habits are the things we do over and over, and the things we do determine who we are. Act according to who you want to be.

Notice the way you eat and the foods you choose. Do you sit down for meals or are you eating on the go? Is your food freshly prepared or out of plastic? Does it make you feel energized, healthy, and happy? Review the things you are putting into your body and make sure that what you have in your house is supporting your health so you can function at your best every single day.

You get it, right? The things in your life need to set you up for your success and happiness. Reorganize your day-to-day to be joyful, functional, and supportive.

Whether it's time, people, or things - Celebrate or reallocate!

I’ll have to talk to Marie Kondo to collaborate with her on this one…