Yo!

It's your Locks Lash homies, Jess and Ali!

We're both heavily obsessed with this gorgeous little babe Marie Kondo. If you like organisation, then you probably know exactly who she is.

Click here for reference if you're completely lost on who we're speaking about. We would also highly recommend watching one episode of her show Tidying Up on Netflix. It makes you wonder why we keep and want, so much stuff. 

 

 

Anyway, we figured since we are coming to the end of our Spring Clean Sale, that we would share some of the wise tips from Marie and break them down in our own interpretation and examples, because let's face it, we're all a fan of STUFF. If we weren't, then we'd all be in little forest huts camping away, making Louis Vuitton shoes out of bark and leaves...and if you're reading this blog, then you're definitely not doing that 😏

First of all, there's nothing wrong with having stuff. I think it's great to like STUFF! We both love stuff! But it's only when it becomes so consuming that you start to dislike your own space...and more we feel good in our own space, the better human beings we are for ourselves and others!

Okay, let's get into it! 

 

5 Spring Cleaning Tips from Marie Kondo (explained by Jess & Ali)

1. Start by discarding

It's always nice starting with the easy part. Start with one room and get rid of the things you already know you don't need/want. Old tax receipts, containers with no lids, expired food, cute little gifts that you keep but haven't a need to use since you got it...and it's now been 3 years. It's time.

A good question to ask for each thing is, "does this have a purpose?". For example, let's say you find an old vase that was gifted as a wedding present agggges ago. The colour and shape doesn't suit your vibe, so you've kept it in it's box and it's just been sitting in the top shelf of your kitchen cupboard. Well, "what purpose does that vase have?". None right? You know you definitely don't like the style and you've got 8 other vases you'd much prefer. Great. Time to part ways. Give it to your local Vinnies Op-Shop or pop it on Market Place and get a couple of $$. Jess x

 

 

2. Organise by category

If you think about it, this point is really just applying common sense to your belongings. If you don’t have a system or a category for how you organise something, how are you going to keep track of it?

I'll give you an example.. Last week I had a craving for nutella on toast (nothing out of the ordinary there). I went to the cupboard and couldn’t see any. Sent my man down to the shops to get some for me, happy days I now had nutella on toast.

Come the weekend we decided to do a massive clean out of EVERYTHING. Let’s organise, let’s make our cupboards and draws have some rhyme and reason.

Nek minute, out pops a GIANT jar of nutella that was hardly used from the last time I had a nutella on toast craving. Now we have 2 jars of nutella. In the grand scheme of things, having 2 jars of nutella is not particularly a problem - however imagine if I just kept doing that.. Each time I had a craving.

You actually end up WASTING money because you don’t know what you actually already have.

So by organising by category, we can be more efficient when looking for things and likely save a few dollars too.

(Side note: from the Nutella incident, I actually came up with an idea for a TV show, please let me know if this is something you would watch… That you send a chef/ clean freak into a house of a person who complains they have nothing and spend too much money on groceries, and then you get them to create good/filling meals from what they find in the person cupboard and fridge when they do a clean out… sounds like a boring show now that I type it out, but in my head it’s fun.) Ali x

 

 

3. Empty your bag every day

Okay, I feel there are two types of people in the world. The ones who pack only what's necessary in their bag and each thing has its spot which makes it all organised and neat. 

Then the other kind who, over time, accumulates random things; receipts, 3 drink bottles, 5 packets of tampons. Like your modern day Mary Poppins, but they still know where everything is. 

The first type is definitely me. So much so that when I was in primary school, I used to voluntarily clean out my Mums handbag at the end of the day. Like, it was a cathartic thing to do for me. I relate to Monica from Friends a little bit. Structure and tidiness are my jam. 

 

 

Anyway, something simple you can do is tip out all your bag belongs out on the table- everything, even hang the bag upside down to get any other dust or things, so it all comes out. 

Then, look at what you definitely need! What do you use every single day? And then place the other things you don't need in their suitable place in your home. When it comes to receipts, I would suggest having a little folder or pocket somewhere in your accounts book and every night, just empty out your purse or bag and pop them in there. This helps with your bookkeeping in the future when it comes to getting ready for tax time- having everything in the one spot.

 

4. Identify what is truly precious

This is the part where we look deep down into our hearts and decide if we really need to keep that concert wristband from Big Day Out 2007.

Obviously there are things we need to hold onto because they serve some purpose, they are useful, we need them to get things done.

But then there is this other category of ‘things we keep because they make us happy’.

Maybe there is a good memory attached to it, or it was passed down generations, or it’s a present your mum got you that you like seeing every day.

You know what… you know if something has meaning. So keep it. Enjoy it!

And get rid of the clutter and anything that you don’t love. Ali x

 

5. Designate a place for everything

If it doesn't have a place, it doesn't need the space - OMG, I just made that up on the spot!! Amazing. 

But, really makes sense right? Photos go in photo albums or a photo box. Fruit goes in a fruit bowl, takeaway menus go in its own draw maybe with the cutlery on the side, books go on the book shelf. Having all these things in a designated place, make room for clear thoughts and a bigger space. And you will ALWAYS feel good when it's done, I'm sure of it.

It's important to take responsibility of your things. Care for them as you would care for someone else's item. After all, it's YOUR stuff. Jess x