The KonMari method of tidying up
Posted on February 21st, 2020Marie Kondo has certainly had a lot of attention these past few months, and her technique of decluttering and tidying up has changed the lives of many. For those of you that haven’t had the time to read the book or watch the series, here are the basics of the KonMari method of tidying up.
Only keep what you love
In her teachings, Marie emphasises the importance of only keeping items in your life that “spark joy”. By this, she basically means that you shouldn’t hold onto items that either don’t serve a purpose in your life or that don’t make you happy.
Keeping items ‘just in case’ you need them in the future is something that she strongly advises against. Likewise, holding onto things because you would feel guilty about getting rid of them is highlighted in Kondo’s teachings.
Declutter by category
Where most of us would simply go room by room, clearing and throwing away unwanted things, the KonMari method details instead to declutter by category (clothes, shoes, sentimental items, etc). This way, she says, is more effective for you to see exactly what you own of each category and therefore get rid of any unnecessary duplicates.
Do it all at once
In her book, Marie Kondo actually suggests setting out a day – or even weekend – to go through your entire house. She says that this is because the house will revert straight back to its ‘pre-decluttered’ state in a matter of weeks if the process is not completed.
However, since most people don’t have the luxury of doing this, she instead proposes that you do each category at once. For example, don’t stop halfway through the process of clearing out your clothes. Pick a category and work your way through until it is done.
Tidy in order
Yes, the KonMari method even outlines a specific order for you to declutter your home in. Of course, you don’t have to stick to this, but it is the official guide. It goes like this:
- Clothes
- Books
- Papers
- Miscellaneous
- Sentimental
She suggests this order due to the ‘easy’ items to declutter being first and the more difficult ones coming later. Psychologically, you are more likely to finish a hard-to-do task once you’ve experienced a small win, so this order is essentially to help you build up to the mental hardships of decluttering your sentimental items.
Are you ready to declutter with the KonMari method?
With spring just around the corner, what better time than right now to give your home a much-needed clear-out? We hope you find the KonMari method of tidying up to be useful and that our guide has made it easy for you to follow.
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