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

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.