Ideally you would allot an entire day and make one giant pile with all your clothing items on your bed. Seeing everything all in one place can have a big impact on your overall effectiveness. However, life and living situations must be taken into account so here are some alternatives.

1. Use an extra bedroom, sofa, or even an air mattress in another room so that you can still sleep in your bed if you don’t finish in one day.

2. Split your clothing in two— do all your drawers in one session and then your closet in another. Just please don’t go drawer by drawer. Do the maximum amount you can in one session. (and remember you might move things around a bit once we talk about storage).

3. Do shoes, undergarments, and accessories in their own sessions.

   Find what works best for you while still adhering as close as possible to the method. This is about joy after all!

It can take some time to really hone your sensitivity to joy and that’s okay! You may be looking at your pile thinking none of this sparks joy… or maybe everything sparks joy! Try this– pick up one item that you KNOW you love. Think- the shirt that just feels so comfy, or the items you always fall back on when you aren't sure what to wear. Now hold that item in your hands and close your eyes. Observe how your body feels. You may “feel a little thrill” as Marie says. This is the joy spark. If you don’t feel anything, don’t be discouraged. Just go with your gut and you will get the hang of it.

If something doesn’t immediately spark joy, ask yourself these questions—

• Will this item help me achieve my ideal lifestyle?

• Will it serve me moving forward?

• Do I want to carry this with me in my next steps?

If the answer is no, it’s time to let go with gratitude. Be sure to say thank you to the item and gently place it in the bag. I recommend a donation bag and a trash bag (things that are very worn, etc).

You may also want to have a bag for items you would like to try to sell. If this is the case, I recommend giving yourself a timeline to sell by so that the items don’t sit around creating clutter in your home! For example, if you haven’t sold them in a month, then donate them.

There are several reasons people experience feelings of guilt during tidying— the item was expensive, the item was a gift, the item was never worn. I’m here to tell you that none of these are reasons to keep an item that doesn’t spark joy! I’m giving you permission to let the items go live a new second life!

It doesn’t matter how expensive something was if you are never going to wear it. The money was already spent and the damage has been done. You either release it now, or you keep it around for another 10 years and release it then. So either commit to wearing the item if it does spark joy, or say goodbye, let it go, and forgive yourself. Use it as a lesson to be more intentional with your shopping moving forward.

Let’s talk about gifts— gifts serve their purpose when they are given. The giver felt joy when they gave the gift, and the receiver felt joy because someone thought of them and bought them a gift. If someone gave you an article of clothing that you are never going to wear, it is okay to let it go.

This is a tough one because it can bring up a lot of emotions for people. Here are two scenarios—

If it doesn’t spark joy and it doesn’t fit… thank you, goodbye.

If it sparks joy but doesn’t fit, it’s a little more complex. Here are my thoughts— You deserve to be happy and comfortable in the body you have now. Opening a drawer and seeing a bunch of pants that don’t fit is not good for the psyche. A few years ago I had a bunch of pants in my drawer that no longer fit and here’s how my daily inner voice went– “None if these pants fit. What am I going to wear? All my pants that fit are in the laundry. What’s wrong with me?” None of that felt good. I highly recommend you get rid of things that no longer fit you. Imagine opening your drawer and only seeing things that make you feel beautiful just as you are. If this feels like too much right now, then keep things that don’t fit but DO spark joy in a separate box or basket and revisit them in 6 months or a year. (I normally wouldn’t recommend keeping some clothes separate but our bodies change and fluctuate and life throws a lot at us and that is okay!)

I encourage you to try going with your gut instinct rather than trying things on. You will find you get a momentum going (this is your sensitivity to joy developing) and you don’t want to interrupt it. However, if you really need to try some things on, that’s okay! If there’s something that sparks joy but you think you need to try it on, set it to the side and do all your try ons at the end.

Sometimes we have items that don’t necessarily spark joy but we have to keep for a certain reason (i.e. work uniforms). In this case, think about what the items allow you to do that DOES spark joy. For example, if you like your job, then your work uniform allows you to have this job you love! If you don’t like your job, your uniform helps you to earn money to provide for your family. Or maybe this is just the push you need to realize its time for you to pursue a new job! (just sayin’… I warned you, tidying can bring clarity towards your next steps!)