So I’ve noticed a few parallels in terms of dealing with fitness and konmari-ing:
Making the wait delicious
Instead of jumping right into doing the thing now, I’ve been deciding to hold off on different projects.
I’ve found myself reading about them, itching to get started. I’m finding that makes me more excited once I do get started.
And then when I do, I’ve been taking on less than I can handle (inspired by Tiny Habits), which makes continuing those habits really tempting.
Not sure if this will work with other things too, but interested to see!
Reduce focus on opposition
Another parallel with exercise is the fact that so much exercise is framed in opposition to the body instead of building it up. Or the destruction or reduction of things, like fat or weight. Or numbers that ultimately aren’t the *best* reflection of wellness.
For instance, I kept finding myself taking the most pleasure in the number of reps going up or increasing my weights.
I’d then find myself unfortunately glancing at the scale and getting a tiny bit deflated when I saw the numbers go up, when isn’t that exactly what I’d *want* to see happen if I’m weight training?
I’ve instead tried to focus on the tiny little bump at the bottom of my bicep that’s now starting to bulge, or the way I just *feel* stronger.
I realized that I need to reduce taking pleasure in the numbers; I need to reduce that focus to stay healthy.
I started noticing a similar thing with Konmari-ing. Like I was thinking about all the things I need to get rid of, all the material pounds I need to shed or bags of stuff to donate or throw out, all the *decluttering* I needed to do to slay the clutter monsters.
But I’m not sure where I saw this but somewhere it was mentioned that Konmari is more of a mindfulness exercise. And I realized that something may have gotten lost in translation.
Just like yoga has become about “poses,” Konmari has become about “decluttering” instead of really about the mental shifts that are at its core. I need to focus more on that inner work now, to process the grief and fear that’s making it hard to break the attachment to random shit.
Beware false / exploitative messengers
I’ve also been trying to be better about the people I’m allowing myself to read.
Like I’ve started listening to my gut when I notice that certain subreddits about these topics make me feel not great, make me feel more dragged down than uplifted.
I’ve also been hating on all the ways in which content can be exploited. Like, let’s be real, there are articles that are really just basic Konmari principles + getting us to buy shit + not citing the WoC who popularized the ideas in the first place. Let’s not pretend that you came up with that “pose” yourself; it’s an asana that’s existed forever.
Obviously a lot of content creation and teaching is about repackaging ideas in ways that are more applicable and beneficial for the audience, which is a huge value! I’m just saying please cite your sources, please and thank you.