That’s right. You can clean up your entire mess of a life after reading this one blog post. What? Too much? If you’re neck deep in Marie Kondo’s world of deciding which of your race medals brings you the most joy, I’m here to save you. Forget your material things and your messy house and focus on your messy life. You know what doesn’t spark joy? Finding the time to pick up every single material thing in my house and decide if I want to keep it. Of course I don’t! But, I’m too busy picking up my kids’ shit, doing laundry, working out, writing, making dinner (ok, that’s a lie, ordering dinner) and watching Netflix (truth!) to tidy up!
And, I’ll let you in on a secret. Being “tidy” does not fill me with joy but anxious frustration. I’m a clean and everything-in-its-place person by nature and it drives me insane! I wish I didn’t have to make every bed, clean up every pile of papers, wash every dish and every piece of clothing or bed linen in order to be relaxed. I really wish I could sit on the couch and have the room not be in perfect order for me to sit comfortably. Trust me, it’s not joy I feel as I’m fluffing the pillows and re-arranging coasters, but insanity. I also feel my time could be better spent weeding out the crazies in my social media feed and in my actual, real life. Now that sparks some sick ass joy!…but, can it be done?
WEEK OF JANUARY 28, 2019
RUNNING
Running to me sparks so much joy, until it doesn’t. I don’t find it joyful to run in 5 degrees with ice and snow on the side of the road, nor is it joyful to run indoors on a treadmill for more then 30 minutes, especially when my kids are home for an extra two hours in the morning because of the frozen tundra we’re living in lately.
However, once I actually get outside in treacherous conditions or on the treadmill, I am filled with joy on some level. I absolutely love running and have for almost 20 years now.
Wednesday – treadmill run after strength session | 3.75 miles | 8:00 average
Thursday – brick (bike + run) | 3.58 miles | 8:24 average pace < – – this was cut short because of no school for the kids and my treadmill being in my husband’s home office FML
Friday – long run | 9.2 miles |sadly, this was done on the elliptical because I’m nursing an aching soleus
Total = 16.33 miles
Joy? YES! Keep running. Check.
CYCLING
Lately I’ve been preoccupied with getting my old road bike (instead of my triathlon bike) ready for a trip! That’s right, it’s official. I’m heading to Florida at the end of the month for a training camp my coach is hosting in Clermont. I’m not excited to fly there solo but I’m super excited to be training with my teammates for four days and to ride outside on the roads!
Until then, I’m in the basement on the trainer with my laptop, which is why this thread about Peloton on Twitter is so hilarious…
Obviously those people have Marie Kondo on point! Anyone know where I can get that peacock?
Tuesday – criss cross w/o | 53:12 | 15.0 miles
Thursday – brick (ride + run) | 1:30:04 | 24.5 miles
Sunday – speed changes | 1:10:00 | 20.7 miles
Total = 60.2 miles
Joy? YES! Keep cycling. Check.
STRENGTH + SWIMMING
Once again I had one day of each. My strength training definitely brings me joy because of my trainer. Swimming and I, on the other hand, have a complicated relationship. My solution? FINS! That’s right. Every time I’m not feeling joyful about my swim, I give myself the option of putting on my swim fins. Just by having a choice has made even the most grueling swim better.
Monday – swim 100s and 25s | 2,000 yards
Wednesday – strength training then run | 45 min
Joy? YES! Keep training and swimming with fins (sometimes). Check.
THINGS I LOVE
Purging my social media accounts! Instead of getting off social media all together or bitching about this person or that person, I decided to apply Marie Kondo’s tidying up to social media. Here are my filters:
If you look anorexic, are wearing a bikini and doing a “workout,” have any affiliation with the Kardashians or Trumps, if you watch The Bachelor, if you post all bible quotes or really bad pictures of food – thank you, next… – oh wait, that reminds me, if you like Ariana Grande, automatic unfollow.
If you use any of the following hashtags:
#persuepretty | #popular| #harryandmeghan | #Iloveschoolcancelations | #MAGA | #HimToo | #followback |#fitspo or any hashtag I have to Google because that usually turns out horribly and also makes me feel old…
Joy? Now there is. Keep socializing online. Check.
THINGS I DON’T LOVE AS MUCH
Getting rid of toxic people. Sometimes they are in your family so…
The ones who are not family are sometimes harder to get rid of. And if you’re female, it’s 1 million times harder. I’ve had two such friendships end completely, one over a way too long period of time and the other happened over night. Both were pretty painful but, in the end, I’m way better off for not having them in my life.
Joy? YES! Check!
TELEVISION
I started watching a super creepy, super dramatic, millennial show on Netflix because I saw a 10-second clip of an interview on The Today Show with the main actor, Penn Badgley, and thought it would be a good idea.
If you haven’t heard of the show YOU, consider yourself very lucky. The acting is not great, the dialogue leaves a lot to be desired and the characters are (some quite literally) horrible. I think I have one more episode before the season finale and I will probably never watch it. I’ve had enough.
Joy? Aw hell no. Check!
RANDOM QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Overheard at Home Goods because the woman was sitting in the middle of the store with her phone on speaker!
Woman: Well, she’s very into her make-up and is always focused on the wrong things but you have to just realize that’s the way she is and deal with it.
Person on the other end: I know! But I can’t deal with this anymore and it’s a never ending cycle. < – – yes, I could hear every word because she is on SPEAKER!
Woman: Well that’s fine but I wish you would stop calling and telling me about it because it stresses me out.
WTF? You’re stressing ALL of us out! It is never.ever.ever. okay to have a conversation in public on speaker. Never. No joy. Not ever.
And that concludes how to tidy up your life and send sparks of joy flying evrey where. Please send me a check for remaking your life. #Burdickmylife
Have you tried the Marie Kondo method?
What is your most hated hashtag?
I’ve been watching it as well as and nothing makes you more motivated to clean the house right? LOL. I’ve actually been cleaning out a lot of social media as well because what’s the point? I don’t need to follow people for fitness advice or those who make me roll my eyes every post.
I actually haven’t watched the show but I have seen clips of it on other shows. And no eye rolling allowed! Automatic unfollow!
Can I tell you how my heart just swelled with love as I read your post? I’m right there with you, cleaning my social media accounts of people who do not bring me joy. Besides the ones you mentioned, there are those who keep reminding me of how happy I should be…if want to be miserable, dammit, let me be! I so needed this post and yes, you are my spirit sister!
That Peloton thread made me LOL. Who are these people?
YES!!! We are definitely spirit sisters and sometimes we just want to be miserable and wallow in it!! So glad you enjoyed the Peloton thread as much as I did, I mean come on!?
Oh boy! Yes I watched 3 episodes of Marie Kondo and my local church got 7 entire bags of clothing. I haven’t shopped for myself since LOL my room is a lot freer. I had shit everywhere lmao.
So sorry about the friendships. I got rid of a big one last year and that has sparked tons of joy.
Dear universe—can someone get me a Peloton already?!
Also that thread is amazing.
Well donating is always a good thing! And so glad getting rid of a toxic friendship sparked so much joy. Mine definitely did too but they stung at first.
And happy belated birthday!!!! I was sick in bed all day yesterday so I didn’t make it “FB official” but hope you were surrounded by your amazing family on your big day 🙂
hahahahaha I love this so much. I much prefer your way of cleaning house tho’ I do like some Arianna Grande so does that mean I’m out?? I’m really to #BurdickMyLIfe for reals. And You, sigh. It was so bad but also so bad that I couldn’t stop watching it. I don’t think I’m down for season 2. I hope that your calf is feeling better.
Say it isn’t so!! Really? I’m shocked. I guess we can still remain friends but I demand an explanation next time I see you 🙂
And my SIL told me how season one ended and now I kinda want to see it – LOL!!
Amen sister! Life is too short for all the crapola. I Marie Kondo’d my running gear drawers a few years ago and I’ve maintained the rolled-up technique she recommends. Problem is she’d probably frown when she saw I’ve got stuff about 3 layers deep in there. Whoops!
There’s no such thing as “too much” running gear/clothing 🙂 I use the roll up technique when I pack and it’s amazing!
Lol!!!! I got rid of any Trump supporting people long ago, and toxic friends and family long ago…. I am actually tidying up a little around the house not because it sparks joy but because it was getting out of control…. but I have to say that “thank you next” is in my playlist, so this may be the end of our stalkership
I guess I’m just catching up to you and sadly, no, not even Ariana Grande could make me stop stalking you 🙂
I feel complete now that you have #burdickmylife – all is well! I will say that much joy was sparked when I took my kids playroom by storm. It feels so good to take a whole storage basket it and dump the contents in the trash. Lol! I’m very good at tidying up my social media. Any inkling of MAGA and I’m like .
I feel like no matter how many times I clean out the kids playroom, stuff just reappears or collects in there. It never ends and there is zero joy there. *sigh*
Thanks for confirming my decision not to watch “You.” I read the book and liked it, but really have no desire to watch the show.
I have not watched Maria Kondo’s show or read her book. I don’t need to roll my underwear, thank you. And I have stuff that doesn’t bring me joy, but not having it would cause me stress.
Now purging my life of toxic people is definitely a goal I can get behind…fortunately, I don’t have any of those at this point.
You’re welcome!
I haven’t watched the show but it’s impossible to not be aware of that women and her mission!
And yes to purging toxic people! I think as you get older you can rid yourself of them quicker and easier 🙂
Okay so I have the Peloton bike and I love it, but my friend sent me those tweets and I laughed SO hard. I’ll admit that their commercial seems like you can place your bike anywhere. Our bike is in the basement with one small window – so NOT like the commercial, LOL.
So I did a lot of purging before the New Year and that was before I watched the Tidying Up show. I don’t really have anything else to give up, but I do like her method of folding! Now I can totally get behind the social media purge. I do this about once or twice a year and it’s SO freeing! Oh and getting rid of Trump supporters on my newsfeed, especially on Facebook, brings me an immense amount of joy!
That is too funny! I think MOST people who have the bike or treadmill do not have it in their living room or spacial palace outdoors. Crazy!!
YES to the purging of people on social media. Total joy!!
I love the feeling of purging out my social media feeds. At this point, half of my feed is dogs and I’m ok with that. I haven’t watched the Marie Kondo show yet – something about the messes that those people start out with makes me shudder.
That Peloton thread is hilarious!
I haven’t watched the show either but have seen clips of it on everywhere else!! And I love that most of your feed is dogs. I need that in my life. Babies and dogs.
I have to say I laughed all the way through this post!! I actually love Harry and Meghan, but why do I need a hashtag for them? LOL. Your workouts look great. I’m actually enjoying Marie Kondo’s show but haven’t tried to spark joy in other areas yet. If that was the case I’d probably get rid of my IG altogether!
Oh I’m so glad!! And I think the royals do a lot of great charity work and are probably good people but enough already!
It’s funny that as you’re purging some social media it does cause you to think “maybe I should just delete the whole thing?” LOL!
I totally LOVE your sense of humor!!! I said the very thing (well, I guessed it was paraphrased) as you about doing a Marie thing to the social media “friends” who do not bring me joy. Truth. I’m really done with the nagging whiners, and the ones who compose a three paragraph novel with each and every pic (Insta), and please, no more butt shots, girls. Whew. thanks for being my sounding board 😉 Anyways, I agree with you on the running bringing me joy. Even my six consecutive treadmill runs weren’t as terrible as I anticipated.
I’m so glad you “get” me 🙂 And no, no butt shots ever!! How could I have left that one out? And here’s to having many more joyful treadmill runs this winter!
This was a fun read! I can sympathize with your social media purging, I eventually stopped doing this on facebook and instead avoided it as much as possible. Still use their messenger functionality though.
I like to listen to audiobooks and podcasts while cleaning, makes it a breeze. Actually, instead of getting my entertainment dose from watching tv-shows on Netflix, I listen to some high production value audiobooks from Graphic Audio. They are really exciting and immersive, and great to listen to while taking a walk or cleaning.
I listen to a lot of podcasts and audio books! I love listening in my car and on my runs – absolutely brings joy! Thanks Marcus.
I didn’t hear about the Marie Kondo show and craze until a few weeks ago; however, my husband and I have been purging crap since the fall and it feels so good!
I’m impressed with the amount of time you’re getting on your bike. And heading to Florida to train – how fun!
I feel like I purge constantly but I don’t do it enough with non-material things 🙂 Both feel excellent!
I have a big race in 9 weeks so time on the bike is a must, but I really enjoy it. And yes – warm weather and open roads with some teammates and my coach is going to be great…I hope.
Hahaha I love this! I have heard so much about that Kondo lady and have yet to watch her. Part of me just doesn’t want to. I’m trying to keep the chaos somewhat orderly in my house, but currently feel like I’m drowning 🙂
I like your technique of weeding through joy in this post. Running – yes, JOY! Can’t choose your family, but the majority (not all!) bring me – JOY. Talking on speakerphone in public – No thank you, never joy!
I have actually never watched the show but she was hard to avoid on tv and social media for a while! Glad you can relate and agree with me 🙂 Thanks!