Before listening to this mindful shopping and gift giving episode, please note, this one may not apply to you this season.

If you are actively managing your finances and shopping habits, head over to Spark Joy Episode 31 with Dr. Benson, as an alternative. In that episode we explore the intersection of KonMari and shopping. In the show notes, Dr. Benson shares a great quiz that can help you flag any unhealthy shopping behaviors that could be weighing you down.

KonMari Quick Tips:

• Ask yourself the following question 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?

• Step 1: Have a vision and refer to it regularly.

• Step 2: Shop your home first.

• Step 3: Be present when buying presents. Recommended Gift: Spark Joy Club Membership!

• Step 4: Buy nothing.

• Step 5: Have fun!

Kristyn's Shopping List:

• Waterproof Winter Boots
• Bullet Journal Related Supplies
• Favorite Underwear
• Advent Calendar
• Official Hamilton Ornament
• Wooden Watch with engraving
• Cross It Off Weekend
• Grazing Board Workshop
• Trips to VA and TX

Karin's Shopping List:

• Bathroom Renovation Project
• Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
• Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions in NYC!

We are pleased to introduce the following new members of The Spark Joy Club, joining at the Joy Sparker level:

Welcome!
Kadra Pixton
Paige Allen
Jen Kobrick
Laura Panopolous

We continue to welcome our listeners who are serious about extending the conversation around taking action, living, and maintaining a tidy lifestyle. Please join the conversation by visiting sparkjoypodcast.com and selecting Join the Club

And don’t forget to enter our Anniversary Giveaway!

As announced during Spark Joy episode 100, we have KonMari-themed gifts ready for you to claim by entering into our giveaway, celebrating our two-year anniversary.

The prizes include:
• Marie Kondo’s tidying sequel, Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up, signed by the Queen herself
• A Virtual KonMari Tidying Lesson provided on behalf of For the Love of Tidy
• An honorary membership to the Spark Joy Club at the coveted Joy Sparker level!
• And finally, a copy Marie Kondo’s highly anticipated new children’ s book, Kiki & Jax: The Life-Changing Magic of Friendship, which will be officially released later this year.

Head over to sparkjoypodcast.com/itunes for instructions on how to leave a star rating and written review on iTunes.

Then, shoot an email to contact@sparkjoypodcast.com with your username for a chance to win one of six prices we have for our listeners this year.

You have until November 26 to enter and we’ll announce our winners during our “Best of” show on December 3.

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

Now that school is well underway, you may be experiencing a lot more daily chaos at home.
Kids or no kids, fall usually finds us back in a routine that’s a little more rigid than the lazy days of summer.
So today, we share strategies and tips for setting up good daily routines using Konmari principles.

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.

Head over to Apple podcasts to subscribe and review the show, which helps us reach others along their tidying journeys.

To extend your tidying experience, you can join the Spark Joy Club! Visit sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Join the Club” to become a member of the Spark Joy Community or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

KonMari Quick Tips:

• The key to a great morning routine is to start it the night before

• Wake and start your day with mediation, exercise, or catching up on the news. OR, you may prefer to sleep as long as you can and then jump up and be on your way!

• Start your day with gratitude. Put each foot on the floor while saying “Thank” and then, as the next foot falls “You.” (Out loud of course!)

• Reduce the amount of children’s clothing items that aren’t suitable for day-to-day school wear

• Special occasion, weekend and play clothes should be separate from everyday school wear or uniforms. The same is true of your day to day work wear as well

• Select clothes the night before or invest in a clothes valet

• Create a Command Center: This may consist of a bulletin board, calendar, whiteboard or chalkboard on a desk that is central to the home

• Use your Command Center as a place for you and your family to schedule appointments and to-do’s

• Consider one “daily item” basket for each family member: keys, chargers, action items, homework, etc. live there

• If possible, designate a spot by the door for a system to keep things centrally located at all times. One hook, one bin, one backpack or bag for each person is a good way to think of it

• Keep only the current seasonal things near the front door in the coat closet whenever possible

  • KonMari Lite this area often! It will be much easier if the day-to-day clutter is limited to one area of your home instead of scattered on all available surfaces. For more on how to KonMari Lite, check out Episode 94: Quick Tips KonMari Lite

• Homework, business, and mail should come out of the bag and be sorted each day: stuff to do, stuff for parents, stuff to put away or relocate, stuff to discard. Avoid delayed decisions!

• When it comes to paper clutter, encourage your school to communicate via email whenever possible

  • Remember three high level paper categories: an act now pile for urgent decision, “Keep temp” files for things that are time bound and Keep forever items for emergency or legacy. For more on how to address paper clutter, head over to Episode 45: KonMari Paper Category: Cutting Paper Clutter

• Homework and business work stay in a central place until done, try to establish a set homework schedule and a zone to complete work with a clear, flat surface. As soon as it’s ready, completed work goes in the school bags the night before

• Consider what you can prepare for tomorrow’s meals the night before. Can the coffee machine be set to a timer? Lunch prep? Items added to the shopping list? This is also a good time to check the inventory. Are things in the fridge old or unused?

• What about a thoughtful evening conversation with the family members? Maybe you could share three things you want to accomplish the next day as one of many table topics. Questions like “Do you have what you need to make that happen? How can we help each other have a good day tomorrow?

We are pleased to introduce the following new members of The Spark Joy Club, joining at the Joy Sparker level:

Welcome!
Jan Atkinson
Heather Arsenault
Kate Bunch
Louis St-Amour

We continue to welcome our listeners who are serious about extending the conversation around taking action, living, and maintaining a tidy lifestyle. Please join the conversation by visiting sparkjoypodcast.com and selecting Join the Club

And don’t forget to enter our Anniversary Giveaway!

As announced during Spark Joy episode 100, we have KonMari-themed gifts ready for you to claim by entering into our giveaway, celebrating our two-year anniversary.

The prizes include:
• Marie Kondo’s tidying sequel, Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up, signed by the Queen herself
• A Virtual KonMari Tidying Lesson provided on behalf of For the Love of Tidy
• An honorary membership to the Spark Joy Club at the coveted Joy Sparker level!
• And finally, a copy Marie Kondo’s highly anticipated new children’ s book, Kiki & Jax: The Life-Changing Magic of Friendship, which will be officially released later this year.

Head over to sparkjoypodcast.com/itunes for instructions on how to leave a star rating and written review on iTunes.

Then, shoot an email to contact@sparkjoypodcast.com with your username for a chance to win one of six prices we have for our listeners this year.

You have until November 26 to enter and we’ll announce our winners during our “Best of” show on December 3.

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

The beauty of Marie Kondo’s Method is your KonMari tidying event, when executed properly, gets you to a place where you are surrounded by only the things that spark joy. So what happens when down the road your joy changes? Your maintenance strategy may be in need of a KonMari Lite. Today we’ll walk through scenarios where KonMari Lite is appropriate after your initial tidying journey comes to an end and how to approach this transition.

Note: We also discuss tidying maintenance in Spark Joy episode 41: How to Maintain a Tidy Home Post-KonMari

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.

Head over to Apple podcasts to subscribe and review the show, which helps us reach others along their tidying journeys.

To extend your tidying experience, you can join the Spark Joy Club! Visit sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Join the Club” to become a member of the Spark Joy Community or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

NOTE
The strategies we cover are advanced, and should only be applied once you’ve reached a click point in your home. Everything has a place. Everything that crosses the threshold of your home sparks joy for you and you are a confident decision maker. This one of the many reasons why it’s so important to implement KonMari quickly and all at once the first round. As months or even years go by before completing the next clutter category vision may become a moving target and you may be at risk of taking two steps forward three steps back.

Are you just getting started with your tidying journey? Head over to Spark Joy Episode 1: KonMari 101 for the fundamentals.

Reasons why you may need to KonMari Lite

• If the vision of your ideal lifestyle or ideal living environment has changed significantly (See: Spark Joy Episode 5 | How to Visualize Your Ideal Lifestyle and Living Environment)
• When you invite someone into your home or send them a fond farewell as they move out
• If you are a parent of young children, you may need to KonMari Lite fairly regularly
• If the boundary of your space changes (See: Spark Joy Episodes 77 and 78)

KonMari Quick Tips:

1. Keep tidying up on your radar by engaging with the tidying up community.
2. KonMari your existing vision
3. Take an overall joy inventory by category to determine which category of items are in most urgent need of a joy check
4. Evaluate what sparks joy?
5. If at any time during this process you feel like you’ve reached a tidying plateau, reach out to a KonMari Consultant (See: Spark Joy Episode 49 why hire a KonMari Consultant

We are pleased to introduce new members of the Spark Joy Club.

Welcome!
Joy Sparker: Katherine Ko
Joy Riser: Linda Paxston

Visit sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Join the Club” to become a member of the Spark Joy Community.

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.

Head over to Apple podcasts to subscribe and review the show, which helps us reach others along their tidying journeys.

To extend your tidying experience, you can join the Spark Joy Club! Visit sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Join the Club” to become a member of the Spark Joy Community or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

KonMari Quick Tips:
-Tip: It’s all about the list! Create a master travel list that contains just about every type of item you want to consider when packing for any type of trip. As per good KonMari practice, break it down into categories: clothing, shoes, accessories, necessary documents, toiletries, medications, and technology. Make it as detailed as possible for your particular travel needs.
You certainly won’t be packing all these things for each trip, but it’s a good idea to review each time you pack.

-Tip: A good strategy is to make copies of the list and put a copy in each suitcase. Having a copy of the list right there forces you to look at it and think through what you are packing without relying solely on your memory (while charging). store in plastic or laminate. If you forget something on a trip, write that item down on the packing list to continue to customize and remember frequently left objects.

-Tip: Anyone who takes The Tidy Pledge receives a copy of an illustrated KonMari folding drawer liner and bonus travel KonMari Packing list, also available here.

-Tip: Timing is key. Don’t wait to pack at the last minute. Especially if it’s a fun trip, it’s so much nicer to get ready in advance so you are relaxed on your journey. Scrambling around the night before a big trip is no fun.

-Tip: Have your toiletries bag packed and ready to go. This is one time that having a few duplicates can be helpful. Your toiletries bag set up and in your suitcase can save lots of steps in packing. Just be sure to restock your supplies after each trip.

-Tip: If you are trying to pack lightly, think in terms of “If I need this, could I get it there?” Most hotel bathrooms have all the basics stocked and some hotels now provide workout gear for you to borrow at many of their locations.

-Tip: If you are sensitive to certain skin care products or someone who is very loyal to my favorite brands, please do invest in reusable toiletries bottlesthat you can fill with liquids.

-Tip: The Serene Home in the New York Times regarding those bottles and their impact on the environment: NYT: Those Tiny Hotel Bottles are on Their Way Out

-Tip: Pack outfits, not items. Think: top, bottom, socks, shoes accessories for each outfit. Don’t pack a top unless you know what bottoms, shoes, and accessories you will wear with it. Avoids getting to your destination with incomplete outfits.

-Tip: Conversely, don’t pack outfits you probably won’t need. “What if” outfits can eat up lots of space. Yes, there might be a sudden unexpected cold snap, but pack for the “probably” and not the “maybe.”

-Tip: Packing cubes can be very helpful in keeping things orderly. Buy a different colored set for each member of the family. In most cases, you’ll pack a cube based on type of object: socks in one, undies in another, tee shirts in another. Or, you can pack each one with a different complete outfit if that idea appeals to you.

-Tip: Carry on packing: If your luggage doesn’t arrive with you, could you charge your phone, find your hotel, get your rental car, take needed meds, have enough money/credit cards to buy what you need? Those are the items that for sure should go in your carry on.

With a little preparation, travel can be one of life’s greatest pleasures, full of memorable adventures and perfectly packed suitcases. Happy Travels!

We are pleased to introduce the new Joy Sparker members of the Spark Joy Club.

Welcome!
Julia Franco
Kate Hudson
Helen M Richie
Maile Shoul
Soraya Rudofsky

Visit sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Join the Club” to become a member of the Spark Joy Community.

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