Ep 59 | Five Unconventional Rules for the Chronically Disorganized with Kristi Meyer

Kristi Meyer, KonMari Consultant, shares tips for the chronically disorganized on how to adapt the KonMari Method in a way that results in lasting change.

Have you ever said to yourself:
I’ll never be organized.
I’ve been this way all my life.
I always struggle to keep things tidy
I’m such a hoarder!
Why can’t I be and stay organized like everybody else?

Our guest, Kristi Meyer of Simple Surroundings Consulting. Kristi is a certified KonMari Consultant and a Certified Professional Organizer based in Charleston, SC. She is also an Institute for Challenging Disorganization Specialist in Chronic Disorganization, Hoarding and ADHD and a longtime member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals. For the last ten years, Kristi has been helping her clients achieve dramatic change that forever transforms the way they feel and function in their homes.

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.

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In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• How Kristi's love for teaching organizing skills to her K-8 students branched into a professional organizing and KonMari practice
• The similarities and differences between Kristi's conventional organizing experiences and her KonMari practice and journey
• The "aftershocks" that led Kristi to revisit certain aspects of the KonMari Method
• More information about how to nail the vision of your ideal lifestyle and living environment - Spark Joy Episode 5
• Hoarding experts featured on Spark Joy Episode 3 and Episode 19
• Kristi's definition of chronic disorganization and hoarding disorder and the tell tale signs of each
• How Kristi keeps the basic rules of KonMari intact when working with the chronically disorganized with some adaptations
• How Judith Kolberg's book, Conquering Chronic Disorganization influenced Kristi's practice
• Kristi's Five Unconventional Rules for the Chronically Disorganized:
  • Make it social
  • Overpersonalize
  • Make it emotional
  • Adapt to your individual learning and organizational style
  • Set up a maintenance plan
• Kristi's top resources for those who may be struggling with chronic disorganization or hoarding
  • The Institute for Challenging Disorganization
  • Dorothy The Organizer
  • Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding by Tolin and Frost with accompanying workbooks
  • Digging Out: Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding, and Compulsive Acquiring by Michael Tompkins
  • Children of Hoarders
  • Therapists, professional organizers, or certified KonMari Consultants

Kristi's favorite tidying tip: Simplicity. The less detail the better.
What sparks joy for Kristi: The KonMari Consultant community and her daughter.

To connect with Kristi, visit www.simplesurroundingsconsulting.com . While you’re there take, her free quiz "How Organized Are You, Really?"

Gems:

• "...academic performance could really be correlated to how organized a student was."
• "I wanted to have a really huge impact on their physical space and also their mental space."
• "I started to realize other stuff around me that seemed to really change my outlook and my thoughts about what I wanted for the future."
• "If you find that [clutter] really undermines your quality of life, then that could be considered chronic."
• "Talk out loud. Whatever you're thinking in your head, vocalize it out loud."
• "Find your treasures. Find the things you absolutely love."
• "If you keep [maintenance] very simple simple, it's also going to lead to more relevance to your current self."

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

Special Guest: Kristi Meyer.