In this episode, we attempt to uncover and put a price tag on the hidden costs associated with delaying your KonMari tidying event. Like many common lifestyle challenges (losing weight, getting out of debt, finding a new job) the longer you wait to get started, the more the issue compounds and slowly steals your joy. So it’s time to get real and talk about the physical and emotional costs associated with keeping clutter around.

Now we want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Joy Checks: Karin surprises her mom in Kansas City and Kristyn finds joy on the 606 running trail in Chicago.

We breakdown 17 costs associated with clutter:

• The cost of storing your clutter outside of your home

• The cost of not using everything that you've purchased

• The cost of having unutilized space within your home
  Clutter Cost Formula

• The cost of buying/renting a bigger home to accommodate things that don't spark joy

• The cost of the clutter damaging your home over time

Calendar clutter: time and energy
Refer to Ep 30 | Simply B Organized with Laurie Palau

• The cost of clutter getting in the way of you finding what you need

• The cost of clutter getting in the way of things you truly need to do
  Book: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
  Refer to Episode 16 | Stress Free Holiday Joy with Amanda Jefferson

• The cost of negative thinking or self talk

• The cost of ignoring your own reality

• The cost of using shopping to cope
  Refer to Episode 31 | Shopaholic No More with Dr. April Benson

• The cost of linking your self worth to a certain type of collection of things or a particular lifestyle

• The cost of clutter that blocks your ability to execute certain physical activities

• The cost of clutter that limits your ability to make healthy choices
  Refer to Episode 3 Face Your Stuff with Dorothy The Organizer

• The cost of clutter that limits relationships and your quality of life with your friends and family

• The cost of clutter that prevents you from accessing information critical to uncovering the reality of your finances, preventing you from reaching true wealth/abundance
  Refer to Episode 6 Declutter Your Path to Wealth with Tess Wicks

• The cost of clutter that locks you into consumption patterns that lead you to having no choice in the type of job situation or career choice - even if it’s not ideal
  Refer to the the ChooseFI community

• The cost of clutter that prevents you from pursuing your life purpose/feeling fulfilled, understanding what true joy means to you

Don't worry, we end this episode on a joyful note! We discuss the many ways decluttering can pay you back to counter some of the clutter costs.

Gems:

"Having a storage locker is like going to visit your past mistakes."

"Your space itself is way more valuable than your stuff."

"Is this space honoring what's being stored within it?"

"Is this space supporting the ideal lifestyle that I desire?"

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-What's Sparking Joy for Karin: The benefits of living a simpler life, gratitude for good health and an appreciation of modern medicine. Keep going, Scientists!

-What's Sparking Joy for Kristyn: The joy of living a W-2 free life, the excitement of pursuing her passion and the good health that has come along with it all.

-Best of 2018 Highlights. Hear clips from our favorite, and most impactful shows, of 2018:

• Ep 39: Closet Joy Part II: Build Your Capsule Wardrobe with Courtney Carver

• Ep 47: Nailing DIY with The Nestrs

• Ep 48: Living Life in the Front Seat with Jessica Butts

• Ep 59: Help for the Chronically Disorganized with Kristi Meyer

-A look forward: We'll be releasing encore episodes each Tuesday in December for you to enjoy during the holidays.

-Spark Joy Podcast Contest Winners!
Spark Joy has been running a contest for a signed copy of Marie Kondo’s “Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up”

• Tammy [T_Steinbeck]
• Dustin [Dustin Sherrill]
• Elisabeth [Elisabeth Swim]
• Monica [moniru123]
• Lynn [Hopefilled]

CONGRATULATIONS to all our winners!
If you are one of our lucky winners, you'll be receiving an email soon and your book will be on the way.

-The Spark Joy Podcast Membership Community!
We are launching an exclusive community for Spark Joy Podcast listeners! This will be a way for you to support the podcast as well as gain access to some amazing premium features. We are working out all the details but there will be tiers of support that will allow you to become a more involved part of our community, unlock exclusive content and even access personal coaching. Stay tuned to learn more!

Gems

“We love helping KonMari work for you!”

“It helped me get clear on the differences between minimalism and KonMari.”

“Why do you want to get organized? When I have clients who don’t continue the process it’s sometimes because their “Why” wasn’t big enough.”

“Singular focus around your business and having a point of view. I need to get through one thing at a time.”

“I applied this idea of zeroing-in on just 3 goals in 90 days.”

“Pick out the books that you consider your friends. Now, I’d like for you to pick out the strangers.”

“What a great supplement this podcast is to the KonMari books. I spent time over the summer going through the KonMari process and was feeling great, but, not I feel like I need to revisit some things.”

“I love listening to this show while I am going through my KonMari process…keep calm and KonMari on!”

“Having heard almost every episode of Spark Joy podcast, my life is completely different. I have a better sense of what I need in my life and what is no longer supporting my values and vision for the future.”

“If KonMari were a religion, Spark Joy Podcast would be my morning prayer (wake up and be awesome). Every episode is pure gold, the inspiration I need not only to keep my tidying festival going, but to know I can do something towards my vision: Be Better Every Day."

“If Spark Joy can do what they did and are still doing, I can do MY thing.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

In this episode, we attempt to uncover and put a price tag on the hidden costs associated with delaying your KonMari tidying event. Like many common lifestyle challenges (losing weight, getting out of debt, finding a new job) the longer you wait to get started, the more the issue compounds and slowly steals your joy. So it’s time to get real and talk about the physical and emotional costs associated with keeping clutter around.

Now we want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Joy Checks: Karin surprises her mom in Kansas City and Kristyn finds joy on the 606 running trail in Chicago.

We breakdown 17 costs associated with clutter:

• The cost of storing your clutter outside of your home

• The cost of not using everything that you've purchased

• The cost of having unutilized space within your home
  Clutter Cost Formula

• The cost of buying/renting a bigger home to accommodate things that don't spark joy

• The cost of the clutter damaging your home over time

Calendar clutter: time and energy
Refer to Ep 30 | Simply B Organized with Laurie Palau

• The cost of clutter getting in the way of you finding what you need

• The cost of clutter getting in the way of things you truly need to do
  Book: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
  Refer to Episode 16 | Stress Free Holiday Joy with Amanda Jefferson

• The cost of negative thinking or self talk

• The cost of ignoring your own reality

• The cost of using shopping to cope
  Refer to Episode 31 | Shopaholic No More with Dr. April Benson

• The cost of linking your self worth to a certain type of collection of things or a particular lifestyle

• The cost of clutter that blocks your ability to execute certain physical activities

• The cost of clutter that limits your ability to make healthy choices
  Refer to Episode 3 Face Your Stuff with Dorothy The Organizer

• The cost of clutter that limits relationships and your quality of life with your friends and family

• The cost of clutter that prevents you from accessing information critical to uncovering the reality of your finances, preventing you from reaching true wealth/abundance
  Refer to Episode 6 Declutter Your Path to Wealth with Tess Wicks

• The cost of clutter that locks you into consumption patterns that lead you to having no choice in the type of job situation or career choice - even if it’s not ideal
  Refer to the the ChooseFI community

• The cost of clutter that prevents you from pursuing your life purpose/feeling fulfilled, understanding what true joy means to you

Don't worry, we end this episode on a joyful note! We discuss the many ways decluttering can pay you back to counter some of the clutter costs.

Gems:

"Having a storage locker is like going to visit your past mistakes."

"Your space itself is way more valuable than your stuff."

"Is this space honoring what's being stored within it?"

"Is this space supporting the ideal lifestyle that I desire?"

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Our guest, Alaia Williams takes her clients from stuck, stalled and struggling with overwhelm and helps them get to a place where they can run their business with a greater sense of calm, clarity and confidence. Alaia started her professional life as a professional organizer and this has informed her work as an organizer of business systems.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• How Alaia accidentally stumbled upon entrepreneurship when she realized she needed to confront mental clutter that manifested as physical clutter

• How working with her first organizing client taught Alaia how to lead with empathy when organizing both closets and businesses

• Why our shared personal decluttering experience best prepare us to relate and help clients grow

• The impact the recession and feedback from existing clients had on the direction of her business offerings

• The similarities between being attached to your physical clutter versus attachment to your business

• The importance of taking time (even a few minutes) to plan every day

• The five essential systems that every small business needs

• Alaia's podcast -One Organized Business

• Why even if you aren't "born" organized, you can learn how to be organized with practice

• How tiny steps and habit change is the key to lasting change

• How Alaia was introduced to minimalism when studying the quaker culture, which sparked her continuous quest to live more simply across all areas of her life

• The benefits of small space living and outsourcing tasks that don't spark joy

Gems:

• "If we don't take time to plan, we walk through every day with our blinders on."

• "You can spend your entire day marketing and still not make any progress."

• "The business side is not that different from the personal."

• "Yesterday was better than today. Today's better than tomorrow."

• "A small space with good storage is all I need."

• "Anything that doesn't bring you joy that you can delegate...do it."

• "Just make the space around you feel good."

• "Do one tiny thing to move yourself forward."

Alaia's favorite tidying tip: Start where you are and start with something small.

What sparks joy for Alaia: Simplifying things and keeping everything in her life as simple and harmonious as possible; Having joyful work relationships.

Parting words of wisdom: Don't beat yourself up and start where you are right now.

To connect with Alaia Williams visit www.alaiawilliams.com and follow her on Facebook, Instagram (@oneorganizedbusiness) and Twitter (@alaiawilliams). Also, check out her podcast and At the Helm women's conference

Alaia is offering a free guide to Spark Joy listeners: How to Organize Your Home Office for Maximum Productivity

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Alaia Williams.

How does your personal clutter impact the world?

Today’s guest on Spark Joy is Evan Zislis. He is a professional organizer and bestselling author of Clutter Free Revolution. Evan helps people focus on the things that matter most: who we love, what we do, how, and why we live…because everything else is just stuff. Currently, Evan is the founder of Intentional Solutions, a business focused on organization, operational systems, time and task management and more.

We want to hear from you. Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• How Evan's diverse list of job experience all had a theme of organizational leadership that tied it all together and led him to helping people organize their life

• The free services Evan provides to public school teachers and classrooms

• How Evan gives back to the community on his terms through 1% For The Planet

• How Evan's book Clutter Free Revolution picks up where KonMari drops off

• Products and companies that empower local communities through fair trade and socially just practices: The Good Trade ; Pact

• The ridiculously simple three step process - simplify, clarify, and inspire - that makes up Evan's organizing philosophy

• How Evan builds his client's sense of self efficacy and confidence by focusing on incremental successes while incorporating a bit of tough love

• Evan's lid-on-a-box helps accumulators with little to no self control

• Why Evan believes, in some cases, your joy is not enough your joy is not enough

• The technique that Evan uses to get his daughter to voluntarily clean and honor her room daily, without fail

• What monks and mountaineers have in common

• Why "The Velveteen Rabbit" is the Zislis family's favorite book

• A thank you to Evan's friend Dr. Melva Green (Episode 19) who inspired this interview

Gems:

"Need less."

"Abundance is having a sense of gratitude for having that which is needed when it is needed and not a single item more."

"Was anyone harmed in the making of this item?"

"Things are easy to find and convenient to put away."

"Proximity equals urgency."

"You don't love it, you don't have a place for it, and storing it is an inconvenience for you."

"This sense of joy can be transcended [by] this sense of purpose."

"The things that I need..support the idea of generosity, and compassion, and philanthropy."

What sparks joy for Evan: Working on his new book project "Good Company" that highlights entrepreneurs that support fair trade, social justice, and environmental sustainability.

To connect with Evan Zislis, visit www.clutterfreerevolution.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Evan Zislis.

No matter how intentional you are with your spark joy decision making, excessive shopping can severely compromise your ability to either finish your KonMari tidying event or maintain a tidy home and lifestyle long term. Therefore, it is important to address any compulsive or addictive behaviors that you may have uncovered around shopping and consumerism.

Our guest, Dr. Benson, is a nationally known psychologist specializing in the study and treatment of compulsive buying disorder. Author of To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop, she offers individual, evidence based coaching and a comprehensive website - www.shopaholicnomore.com - filled with information and effective strategies.

Now, we want to hear from you. Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• How the closing of her favorite store led Dr. Benson to explore her own shopping behaviors, which led her to transition from working with people with eating disorders to working with people with shopping disorders

• Why compulsive buying is often referred to as the "smiled-upon addiction"

• The three cardinal signs someone is suffering from an addiction

• The common reasons why we overshop

• The primary and secondary consequences of shopping addiction (emotional, financial, physical, etc.)

• How to confront a compulsive buying disorder, along with certain questions to ask yourself to determine if you're a shopaholic

• Six major shopping magnets and tips to deal with these triggers

• Extended tips on avoiding impulsive online shopping

• What to do if KonMari tidying triggers compulsive shopping behaviors used to fill an emotional or social void

• Take the evaluation: Who Needs Help? 3 Ways to Know, Are you an Overshopper?

• Six questions to ask yourself before you make your next purchase: Why am I here? How do I feel? Do I need this? Can I wait? How will I pay for it? Where will I put it?

• Take the Values in Action Character Strengths evaluation

Gems:

"Create a pause between the impulse and the action."

"Shopping is a short cut solution to issues related to how someone feels about themselves."

"You can never get enough of what you don't really need."

What sparks joy for Dr. Benson: A collection of passion flowers in her greenhouse, dog-sitting, and a love of learning Russian and the piano.

Parting words of wisdom: Effective help is available. [Compulsive buying disorder] is something you need to be serious about.

To connect with Dr. Benson visit www.shopaholicnomore.com.

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Dr. April Benson.

During the show, we play some of our favorite clips and talk about the impact they have made on us and how they influenced our work as KonMari consultants.

Creating a podcast that focused on the KonMari Method has been our shared vision since the very end of 2016. We spent the first half of 2017 researching, preparing and putting all the pieces together and finally launched on August 31st.

We are so grateful to all of our guests for their talents, wonderful stories and the amazing tips and tools they shared with us.

Our listeners have been amazing. We have learned so much via your questions, comments and feedback. Thank you for being a part of Spark Joy!

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life.

Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and email us at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via @sparkjoypodcast.

Before we get to our highlights, we ask, “What have sparked the most joy this year?”

We would love to hear what sparked the most joy for you!
Email us at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com and share your most joyful moments of 2017.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

We share big news: Spark Joy Podcast has been downloaded over 40,000 times!

Two listeners sent us great questions:
Sara asked about how to apply KonMari principles to the ongoing struggle of paper management in a busy family.
Ep 9 | Tidying by Location is a Fatal Mistake
Spark Joy Episode 9

Kimberly’s question was about how to determine what sparks joy when it comes to seasonal items, in this case, Halloween costumes.
Ep 13 | Does It Spark Joy?
Spark Joy Episode 13

And now, on to our favorite clips!

Ep 2 | Meet Marie Kondo’s First Employee Jenny Ning
Jenny Ning, Marie Kondo’s first employee in the US, shares what it’s like to work for the Queen of Tidy and her journey from KonMari super fan to Bay area home organizer.
To connect with Jenny Ning, you can visit her at www.jennyning.com or follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (@jennyorganizes).
Spark Joy Episode 2

Ep 3 | Face Your Stuff with Dorothy The Organizer
Dorothy Breininger, author and veteran professional organizer as seen on A&E’s hit show “Hoarders” sorts out the mind-body-home clutter connection and related addictions.
To connect with Dorothy Breininger, you can visit her website, www.dorothytheorganizer.com for free tips, videos, newsletters, organizing resources for your life, home, office, and relationships. Be sure to check out her book “Stuff Your Face or Face Your Stuff” via her website or Amazon. Also, check her out on the hit show “Hoarders” on A&E.
Spark Joy Episode 3

Ep 6 | Declutter Your Path to Wealth with Tess Wicks
Tess Wicks, personal finance coach and educator, breaks down the journey to financial independence into key actions and makes the connection between our priorities, the things we acquire, and our life vision.
To connect with Tess Wicks visit www.wanderwealthy.com and join the Wander Wealthy community on Facebook and YouTube. Also, check out Tess’ podcast Words and Money.
Spark Joy Episode 6

Ep 7 | Design and the Future of Minimalism with Lloyd Alter
Lloyd Alter, architect and design editor of Tree Hugger magazine, helps us understand our changing relationship with our possessions and how the upcoming generation will view design and functionality.
To connect with Lloyd, you can visit Treehugger, https://www.treehugger.com, Mother Nature Network, https://www.mnn.com, or follow him Twitter @lloydalter and Lloyd Alter on Facebook.
Spark Joy Episode 7

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

Ep 8 | Make Bold Moves with The Traveling Organizer Holly Southerland
Our guest, Holly Southerland is a professional organizer who has been traveling nationwide since 2008 helping families and entrepreneurs get unstuck and find peace in their homes.
To connect with Holly Southerland, visit Waco Home Organizers (www.wacohomeorganizers.com) or email info@wacohomeorganizers.com. You can also follow her on Facebook or Instagram at @holly_southerland
Spark Joy Episode 8

Ep 11 | [Tidy] Like a Mind Reader with Jonathan Pritchard
Jonathan Pritchard, professional mind reader and author, opens his psychological toolkit to help us apply the predictive art of mind reading to reach personal goals across all areas of our life.
To connect with or hire Jonathan, you can visit www.likeamindreader.com. His book Think Like a Mind Reader is available on Amazon (http://amzn.to/2yb9WwC).
Spark Joy Episode 11

Gems

• “We are proud to announce since we launched Spark Joy on August 31st of this year we’ve received over 40,000 downloads!”

• “It starts as just a means to get the house in order, but I don’t think most of us really expect the snowball effect!”

• “The clutter never lies and the truth is often in the clutter.”

• “I remembered resistance I receive from clients around trying something a new way because obviously my way isn’t working.”

• “This idea that we honor the item by showing appreciation for what it meant to us, and making sure the item goes on to it’s next useful life.”

• “I believe that organizing is really just lots and lots of small steps and lots and lots of small decisions.”

• “It’s ok if every rule in the book is not a perfect fit for your life! If you even apply 50% of the method you’ll notice an improvement in your lifestyle, so it’s not an all or nothing deal.”

• “We’ve got an amazing line-up for 2018, more guests who exude joy and embody the KonMari lifestyle that we’ll share them with you each-and-every Tuesday.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

A Certified Simplicity Parenting Coach and KonMari enthusiast with over a decade of experience, Christine coaches women to create home environments that support harmony and connection.

Christine coaches from the heart, using joy as a guide and her clients find so much peace in having less, doing less, and editing their lives and their homes with intention.

In this episode, Christine will share her unique approach in helping moms find their own path in creating an intention-filled life. Christine transformed her space with the support of her husband and their young, spirited daughter.

You can follow Christine on her website, Creating Calm Coach, on Facebook at Christine O'Brien Coach or on Instagram @creatingcalmcoach. Download her Free Creating Calm Checklist.

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com, email us at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Christine’s private Facebook group community, KonMari Method: Life-changing Magic for anyone working through the KonMari tidying process

• Christine’s virtual consulting program, From Chaos to Calm, which consists of group and individual support for making joyful transitions

• How Christine combines two powerful schools of thought to inform the way she supports moms to relax into full presence with their children: Simplicity Parenting and the KonMari Method

• Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne

• Re-occurring KonMari related pain points that may sound familiar:
  1) feeling too overwhelmed to start, 2) getting stuck at some point in the middle of the process, and 3) uncertainty regarding doing KonMari with a family

• How to guide a family through the process and how to find the joy click-point when you have growing kids

• How speaking to your items can “soften” and facilitate letting them go

• How focusing on the positive and the joy can apply to your vision for fitness and diet

• Learning about Brene Brown , who says that gratitude creates Joy

Christine’s favorite tidying tip:
“Tune in to your intuition and trust your joy checks.”

What sparks joy for Christine:
Her family and the transformation she has witnessed as a result of this process. She’s joyful about sharing this way of living!

Gems:

“The toys she’s interested in change all the time.”

“As you get more in tune with what brings you joy, more space develops for experiencing joy.”

“Put your oxygen mask on first and make sure you complete your tidying first before you move on to your children.”

“Different personalities come out for display when you do KonMari with a family.”

“What? Talk to my clothes? Say thank you and goodbye?!”

“The process is about connection and not perfection.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Christine O'Brien.

In this episode, we discuss what "spark joy" truly means and how to apply it to your tidying event. We share practical tips on how to build your own personal awareness of joy and how to apply this concept to your decision-making. The term will start to become part of your vocabulary and you’ll see joy everywhere.

But first, we begin by sharing what's sparking joy for us today. We also answer a great question from a Spark Joy listener about how to determine what sparks joy when it comes to seasonal items, in this case, Halloween costumes.

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at  www.sparkjoypodcast.com, email us at  contact@sparkjoypodcast.com to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, or on Twitter at @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Learning the Japanese language origins of the phrase, "spark joy." The Japanese translation is Tokimeku ときめく, which means "to flutter with a little thrill" in the same way that we describe how our hearts can flutter with joyful emotion when something makes us happy or excited

• How Marie Kondo demonstrates what sparking joy looks like while interacting with possessions. See videos below:
  -- Marie Kondo: Organize the World: Design Your Life to Spark Joy - SXSW 2017
  -- Marie Kondo explains Spark Joy

• How to avoid getting caught up in how many things you're keeping or discarding instead of focusing on the joy

• Being reminded of the importance of vision, as discussed in Episode 5, to keep your thoughts future-focused and in tune with the quality of life you envision for yourself

• How to set a high joy bar by developing a criteria for what stays and what goes

• How considering the passage of time and your evolution as a person can help you understand whether something is part of your future or just hanging out from the past

• Marie Kondo states, “When we really delve into the reasons for why we can't let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.”
  The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

• "If it makes you happy, then the right choice is to keep it confidently, regardless of what anyone else says."
  Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up

Gems:

• “The practice is to pay attention to how your body reacts when you’re holding your possessions.”

• “You want to be able to live in harmony with your things.”

• “Does this item spark joy AND fit into of my vision for the quality of life I’ve envisioned for myself in the future?”

• “This is an area I really do want to invest in instead of buying the cheapest things to just make do.”

• ”Keep your joy bar high!”

• “Objects like having a job to do.”

• "If it makes you happy, then the right choice is to keep it confidently, regardless of what anyone else says."

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

In this episode, we begin by sharing what is sparking joy for us today. We discuss the work of Mel Robbins, of The Five Second Rule fame, along with some aspirational travel goals!

We take a look Marie Kondo’s famous quote, “Tidying by location is a fatal mistake.” What it means and how it guides the practice of KonMari. We talk about the concept in practical terms, with some real life experiences sprinkled throughout, so that you can apply the concept to your own Tidying Festival.

We also answer a great question from a Spark Joy listener about how to apply KonMari principles to the ongoing struggle of paper management in a busy family.

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at  www.sparkjoypodcast.com, email us at  contact@sparkjoypodcast.com to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. Join us on Facebook or on Twitter at @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:
• Learning about the Mel Robbin’s course that Kristyn is enrolled in and it’s ground breaking, action focused plan for success: The Power of You

Mel Robbins first came on the scene with this TED talk on the Five Second Rule: The Five Second Rule

• Hear about Karin’s holiday wish for a yoga retreat in Thailand. Here is one of the retreats she is considering: Absolute Sanctuary
And here is a good resource for doing yoga retreat research: Yoga Journal

• We review the KonMari categories we described in Spark Joy Podcast, Episode 1 | KonMari 101

• Why processing each clutter category, completely and in order, is critical to long-term success

• As a review, here are the categories:

• Clothing
  
• Books
• Paper
• Komono (miscellaneous items)
• Sentimental
  

• Hear more about why the Clothing Category is the first category and how it builds your ability to determine what sparks joy

• Learning how coming to terms with the amount of things you own will help you hone your decision making process

• Why revisiting your vision statement is a helpful next step when you are struggling with a particular category. We discussed this in Spark Joy Podcast, Episode 4 | The KonMari Lifestyle

• Discover tips on how to deal with paper clutter:

• Stop paper at the source
• Use available tools to keep it from coming into your home in the first place
• Use flat surfaces for activities and not for storage
• Rethink your self-talk about time: manage your priorities and expectations

Gems:
“When items are dispersed throughout the home, you can never fully grasp the overall volume and get discouraged before finishing.”

“What does my clutter say about me?”

“Buying more organizational tools such as file folders is not always the best solution.”

“Flat surfaces are for activity not for storage.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

In this episode, Spark Joy explores how you can clarify your vision of the kind of life you want to lead and why it’s important step, but often overlooked, in the KonMari journey.

We discuss the why and how of identifying the vision of your ideal life and how it can help you complete the KonMari process to greater success. Your life vision will help you clarify why you want to tidy and how your life will look once the tidying is completed.

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com, email us at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• Tips for how to begin identifying your vision, making it specific, focused and intentional

• Learning how to break down identifying your ideal life into manageable parts:

  • What is your ideal day?
  • Your ideal moment that would spark joy? Picture yourself doing something delightful.
  • Begin with gratitude and appreciation - what is currently working for you in your space and in your life?
  • Imagine how you would be living your life today if money, time and obligations were not a constraint?
  • Take a holistic look at how you’re doing in each area of your life: Career, Relationships, Hobbies, Spirituality, Health, Finances, Community.
  • Check out the The KonMari Wheel of Impact
  • List the first five life goals (long- or short- term) that immediately come to mind as they relate to those categories.
  • Close your eyes and imagine you’ve reached the end of your tidying journey. Describe in detail how you envision your home to look and how you feel

• We share our own visions and visions of some of our clients from all stages of life: single people, families, couples, downsizers and empty nesters

• How to create your own Vision statement!

  • Get it out of your head and onto another media: diary, Pinterest board, website, blog, Facebook post, anything.
  • Establish a new tradition of creating a vision board and display it proudly in your home

Example of Vision Boards and Statements:
A Goal Setting Strategy That Sticks

Gems:
“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life”

“I just want things to be different instead of thinking about what that different looks like.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Our guest this week is inner voice coach, Kelly Covert. She is the host of the popular podcast, "In Her Voice", which explores ways in which women can begin to love themselves fully every single day.

Kelly Covert has a passion for helping women lay down their lifelong habits of perfectionism and chronic overachieving, so they can listen to their inner voices and break free of the past.
Through her coaching, online programs, writing and speaking, she is creating a movement of women that are practicing “worthy now” instead of “worthy if or when”.

Her work has been featured on The Huffington Post, The Elephant Journal, YourTango.com, and she has been a featured guest on many podcasts.

In this episode, we talk with Kelly and learn about how coaching has allowed her to exercise her dream of helping women while teaching her so much about herself. She shares how her inner voice work has allowed her to grow as a woman, a partner, a mom and a musician!

To connect with Kelly, you can visit www.kellycovert.com or connect with her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @kellycovert

You can also learn more about Symphoria here! Symphoria

Spark Joy wants to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com, email us at contact@sparkjoypodcast.com to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via @sparkjoypodcast

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

-How Kelly found her voice and decided to help others via individual coaching Inner Voice Coaching and group coaching Inner Voice Group Coaching

-Learn about the Worthy Collective on Facebook:The Worthy Collective

-What to look for in a personal coach to meet your own goals.

-Kelly’s evolution as a podcaster and her new podcasting project, In Her Voice. In Her Voice

-How Kelly has practiced KonMari and how tidying has made a difference in Kelly’s home and family

-Kelly’s tips for balancing life as a mother, as a professional and as a creative person

What sparks joy for Kelly: Coffee! The ability to take a long, hot bath in the morning and working on my new podcast!

Kelly's parting words of wisdom:
“You are worthy right this minute. You do not have to do one thing to earn that. You were put on this earth with beautiful gifts that you need to share. And the only way that you can share is to believe that they are there and that you are good enough. So, get shining because we are waiting for your light to shine brightly!”

Gems:

“Create a space to access accountability.”

“We don’t have to do anything to be worthy. It’s just there.” 

“It comes from the action. That is how we embody that joy.”

“It’s about knowing who you really are and being 100% ok with that.”

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Kelly Covert.