The magic of the “snowball effect” when you decide to tidy up your home

« … I am like a snowball – the further I am rolled the more I gain »

Susan B. Anthony

Talking about the KonMari method and snow in Switzerland…

I participate a few weeks ago at the « Salon du mieux-vivre »a very interesting well-being and home faire in Fribourg, Switzerland. This year’s theme of the exposition was “home sweet home” and during 3 days I had the joy to talk about the KonMari Method.  I went there to help my friend and KonMari College Ewa from « Joy at home », we holder together a stand. That was really an amazing experience. Our stand was a real success! and Ewa and I have a lot of fun. You can read her blog post about this event here. 

What I loved the most of this experience is that this time I got the opportunity to talk a lot about the « snowball effect»! No, no no it was not snowing yet in Switzerland, let me explain to you why:

The best excuse for not tidying-up…

When I tell people that I am a Tidying-up coach and a KonMari Consultant there is always this little smile in their face (that I love to see) and right after there is the «really? » expression. Then, I start to talk about the life-changing method and at that moment I get to my favorite part: People’s excuses! and I am sincere when I say « I love that part » of my presentation because actually, it helps me to realize that we all have very good excuses for not doing what is right for ourselves.

So far one of my favorite excuse that people use for not using the tidying up method in their homes is:

« … well, I can organize my home, but my husband/wife /kids/boyfriend/girlfriend will NEVER get organized! ».

It is right at this moment that I talk about the « snowball effect » and how magically everybody in the house gets in the “tidying up mood” and then I share my own experience with my husband and my girls. I told them that when we start the process ourselves without pushing anybody, little by little the other members of the house will join us and the “snowball” effect will appear. I always get the looks « I do not believe that can happens to me ».

At the end of the fair, I have to confess that somehow I was feeling that maybe the « snowball effect » does not work all the time (maybe because I was a little bit tired) and I even started to think that maybe I pushed a little bit my husband to KonMari his things, so maybe it was a good opportunity to talk about it with him.

Teach by example before teaching lessons…

But, I came back home and I found my house « perfectly » tidy as it has been for 4 years already and my little family happy to have spent a weekend together doing nice things (and not tidying up). I realized then again that the « snowball effect » really happened in my home.  Few hours after, My husband said to me: « … ah! by the way, I KonMari again the bedsheets because it was not well done » … At that moment it was me who had the « really? » expression in my face.

I went upstairs to check out our cupboard and I found out that actually, he had rolled the sheets the KonMari way in a better way that I did before. So I felt like I have had a “snowball” directly in my face! and you cannot imagine how happy and proud I was feeling. I wished I had all the people that visited our stand in Fribourg and told me that typical excuse next to me to tell them: see! it really happens the snowball effect! It will happen to you as well, so keep rolling!

So if you have not started yet your own tidying festival and you have the excuse that the people around you will not follow you, let me “challenge you” to start your tidying journey now and you will see how much you will gain and you will see the magic that tidying up can bring to your life.

With warm regards,

Eli