After my last birthday I wrote a list of all the things I wanted to achieve by my next birthday, among them was the need to create calm and improve my surroundings.

I knew that when I said 'create calm' I meant continuing the de-cluttering I'd started. I saw this as an on-going project, I thought I'd tackle one room at a time, do a little everyday, improving things bit by bit.

I mentioned this book in yesterday's post but when I heard about the KonMari bandwagon I jumped right on it. I purchased The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever by Marie Kondo and I read it within three days.

Her method is to tackle things in a certain order and to do it all at once, to avoid rebound (clutter building up again).

But before you can start the process of discarding Kondo explains that you need to identify why you want to tidy, and imagine the lifestyle you want to lead, and then to examine the reasons by asking 'why?' three or four more times.

I asked myself these questions and wrote down the first thing that came into my mind, my gut reaction. I was surprised by what I discovered, I hadn't realised I was feeling this way.

What do you hope to gain through tidying?

A tidier home (obviously) which is calmer and easy to look after.

Visualise the ideal lifestyle you dream of.

Calm, organised, free - the house is warm, clean, tidy, welcoming.

What do you mean by calm, organised and free?

Calm is uncluttered, which is a feeling as much as a state of tidiness. Organised, so everything has a home, nothing in boxes, or in random piles. And free from thoughts like 'I really must get round to doing X' or 'I really should sort out Y'. To be free of the feeling that I'm constantly tidying up and getting nowhere.

It would be nice to welcome people into our home without apologising for the mess / half finished decorating / unpacked boxes.

Why are these things important?

I feel like I'm constantly chasing my tail, nothing stays tidy for long. I'm increasingly frustrated that we've been living here for over four years and I'm still sorting things out. I feel like I should've had this sorted ages ago.

Why is it important to have these things sorted?

I don't feel like we're as far forward as we could be. We've stalled on home improvements, grinding to an almost complete halt. Having less clutter will make it easier to move forward, to make the changes we want to make. Instead of spending my time tidying, I can focus on housework, DIY and finding furniture. We can move onto the next stage of our lives.

I have always done things at my own pace, long after my peers, and it's never bothered me at all. This is the first time that I've felt ill at ease with the fact I feel I'm lagging behind. Not that anyone is judging me (that I know of) for not having painted the woodwork in the hallway yet, or unpacked some boxes, but I am. It's really bugging me.

This is why I want to tidy.

Part of the book explains that once the clutter is cleared you can see your life more clearly, some of it sounds far fetched and verges on ridiculous (talk to your house, thank your belongings) but I have to say, I was surprised by my answers to the questions. I knew I wanted to create calm but hadn't questioned why. Knowing gives the process purpose. This is a very positive feeling.

I'll keep you posted.

Have you read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo?

(Day 31 of blogging everyday for 40 days)