Oh yes, I’m going there. Unless you’ve been living under a rolla bolla for the past few weeks (and hey – some of you actually have), you’ve probably been hearing about the magical KonMari Method of tidying ad nauseum. What is it? Should you care? Can it be used to “spark joy” in other areas of your life?

What the Heck is KonMari?

Last year, I read Marie Kondo’s book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”. I parted with three items, thanked my socks a few times, and moved on. Fast forward to this year, when Netflix aired her new show, and BOOM. I don’t know if it was just the timing, a fairy dusting of inspiration, or the fact that my Mister is now working from home (in a very, very messy corner), but I went ALL IN. All. IN.

In a nutshell, the KonMari Method includes:

• envisioning your ideal home situation
• committing to completing the process within a short time (so you see noticable results)
• get rid of items that don’t spark joy, make sure everything else has a home
• tidy by category, not by location
• tidy in the correct order (clothes, books, papers, komono, sentimental)
• ENJOY!

So, I did it. Yes I did. I KonMari-ed high, I KonMari-ed low. In NYC, we’re pretty used to getting rid of clutter, but I always felt like chaos was waiting in every color coded bin (it was). The change in my home was astonishing, and (I’m gonna say it!) life-changing. I was chatting about it while putting my Dear Danglers through their warm-up, and someone in the throes of hollow-body holds grunted, “I should do that with every area of my life!”

….. you guys…….

We can do the same thing to our circus life! Think about it. Wouldn’t you love to reconnect with your circus joy? Are you swimming in span sets? Is your training regimen feeling more like a burden than a blessing? Hmmmmm……

Costumes & Training Clothes

If you’re anything like me, you’re awash in spandex and spangles. Because honestly, why wouldn’t you be? 😉

• Figure out how you use stuff. Do you have complete training outfits or costumes, or do you mix and match? How often do you need to get at ’em?
• Dump it all in one place. If it doesn’t spark joy, donate or sell it! If you’re struggling with an item, would someone else use it more? Would they let you borrow it? If an item needs to be repaired, or could be altered to spark joy, get on it or get rid of it.
• Fold fold fold. Containers containers containers. Google videos of her method of folding – it legit gave me tons more space, and it’s amazing to be able to see everything at once. (Note: don’t stress about containers. I made them out of cereal boxes, Amazon boxes, shoe boxes (shoe stores often give them away for free!), the carton my mushrooms came in from the grocery store, etc. You’ll find them!).

Equipment

I couldn’t imagine being able to get rid of anything, but actually found a number of things to pass on (I’m looking at you, Pepto Bismol colored silk). I also – finally – really organized the Bins of Chaos.

• Divide everything into Used Frequently and Used Infrequently. You want to be able to easily access and inspect stuff.
• Anything (in good condition) you almost never use? Is it something you could pass on or let someone else have, on the condition that you can borrow it here and there? Is there a circus school who might need it? Everyone wins!
• Does anything need sprucing up or repair in order to become useful again? Did you know that you can pay people to re-cover trapezes if you don’t want to do it yourself, or send equipment out for repair? Just saying. Do the thing!
• Consider starting with apparatus, then moving to rigging.
• Store everything in a way that looks *together*. Pay attention to the way things like to be stored; for example, rigging might like being in a backpack with lots of compartments and space for biners, swivels, etc. Silks don’t like plastic bins (stinky), but do well hanging. Lyras and trapeze can stack on hooks, etc. Whatever works in your space! Just make sure it’s easily accessible and suits what you’re storing.

Classes

This one’s a little tougher, right? It’s not a physical thing that you can hold and ask, “Does this spark joy?” I mean, sometimes I can’t wait to get to class; other times, I’m tired or done with everything and the only reason I show up is because I paid for the class. Sometimes we’re in it to win it, other times we’re battening down the hatches.

Classes are like a relationship, so this is what I came up with.

• First, ask The Question. Does it spark joy? If the answer is a clear yes or no, there you have it. But, if it’s a maybe, we’ve got to dig deeper. Is it because of life circumstances? Are you crazed and stressed with work or family or both? Are you feeling squeezed? Or, are you not sure you want to continue, but have spent all this time and money learning and you don’t want to quit now? Are you cancelling or no-showing to classes often? Consider taking a short break and seeing how you feel.
• Is it time to mix it up? Consider training with multiple teachers, finding a new resource, or switching studios. You’ve gotta keep the romance alive!
• If it’s time for a break, for the love of all that’s holy, do not ghost on your teacher. Especially if you’ve been training with them for a while, email or tell them face to face that you’ll be taking a break; we sometimes take disappearances personally!

Training

Oh glory. This is a toughie. I don’t know a single pro who rushes to training giddy with joy every day. Some days, you’re excited! Some days, I’d honest to goodness rather have a root canal. You’re tired. You’re in pain. You just don’t wanna.

There’s a lot of discipline at play here, but I also think sometimes we make ourselves suffer needlessly. When I find myself dragging my carcass to training, or – GASP – skipping it entirely, I know it’s time for an intervention.

• Give yourself what you need (no, you do not NEED that fourth Snickers bar). Do you need a rest day? Do you need to eat or drink? Do you need to be more deliberate in how you’re spending your time? What do you need?
• Mix it up. Find the training equivalent of a trip to Babeland and put a little something different on the menu – new exercises, new moves, even a new apparatus.
• NEXT! We all have exercises we despise (I will NOT do burpees, and you can’t make me). Swap out exercises you hate with conditioning that hits the same areas. Life is too short for burpees training you hate.
• Explore adding other people to the mix (wink). Have you ever trained with a partner? What about duo work? At the very least, it can add accountability (just be careful you don’t spend the whole time gossiping and eating Raisinettes).
• Take a private! Sometimes, you just need a good, swift, kick in the a$$.
• Sign up for a show. If you’re performing regularly, consider doing a show where you get to do something a little less commercial – something experimental, funny, or brand new.
• Artist dates! Going to see a fabulous circus show can often reawaken the magic and rekindle that fire.

And then, there’s the day when you may decide that it’s time to let it go, or at least this incarnation. Have you reached that place? That’s OK too.

I highly recommend the book! It may not be for you, you might think it’s the best thing since low-stretch fabric. But – it’s a ridiculously freeing thing to get really, really honest about what brings us joy, and what has gone from blessing to burden. This stuff goes DEEP! Remember: it’s circus. It’s essence should be joy! If it’s not, it’s time to declutter. Love and pull-ups, Laura

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