Written by SAORI | November 18, 2022
I recently finished reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo, a book about organizing your home and your life.
The author’s technique of tidying up (the so-called “KonMari method“) is very simple, but it has drastically changed my life and, therefore, I want to share with you the key learnings of it ✨
The basic principle of the technique is very straightforward: you should surround yourself only with things that spark joy.
By doing this, not only can you restore balance in your house, but also in your relationships.
To tidy up your space according to the KonMari Method, you have to follow 3 simple steps:
- Discard items that don’t spark joy
- Decide where to store the belongings you decided to keep
- Create a sanctuary
Let’s go through each of these steps together.
KONMARI METHOD
STEP 1: DISCARD EVERYTHING THAT DOESN’T SPARK JOY
The root cause of a messy space is the difficulty of throwing things away.
Therefore, the first step to tidy up your space is to declutter, i.e., get rid of everything that does not spark joy.
When you declutter, make sure not to fall into one of the 5 common traps that make you keep an item even though it doesn’t spark joy anymore:
- Its physical value
- Its functionality (I can’t throw away this machine because it still works!)
- The information it contains (I can’t let go of this seminar handout because it has so much valuable information in it!)
- The emotional attachment you feel towards it
- Its replaceability (how rare it is)
Follow the right order
To start the discarding process, you first need to collect all the items from one category in one place so that you can have a look at all of them at once.
The order in which you discard your belongings should not be random.
Marie suggests to follow this sequence:
- Clothes
- Books
- Papers
- Komono (i.e., miscellany)
- Mementos
Mindful discarding + organization tips per item type
Clothes
- Before discarding your clothes, subdivide them into tops, bottoms, clothes that should be hung, socks, underwear, bags, accessories, clothes for specific events, and shoes
- If you’re evaluating an off-season item and you’re not sure whether to discard it, ask yourself: Would I wear this right away if it was the right season? If the answer is yes, keep it, else, discard it.
- Stop downgrading clothes that you don’t love anymore to loungewear. What you wear at home impacts your self image, so you should wear things that spark joy also at home!
- When you store your clothes, make sure to fold them (here’s a video on the basics of the KonMari’s folding method). This not only optimizes storage space, it also conveys good energy to your clothes and make them last longer (as Marie says, in Japanese, the word healing “te-ate” literally means “to apply hands”)
- Store your clothes vertically
- When hanging clothes, categorize them by material and put heavier items on the left and lighter ones on the right
- Never ball up your socks, nor tie up your stockings, fold them!
- Remove tags from all of your clothing and remove your stockings from their packages. The items won’t feel like yours until you do this
Books
Before staring the discarding process, remove all of your books from the bookcases.
If you have many books, divide them into the following categories:
- General books you read for pleasure
- Practical books
- Visual books
- Magazines
Then, hold each book in your hands and ask yourself, does it spark joy?
Make sure to ask yourself this question when touching it.
Then, as usual, keep it if it does and discard it if it doesn’t.
Papers
As a general rule, papers (which DO NOT include letters or diaries of sentimental value) should be discarded except if they…
- Are currently in use
- Are needed for a limited period of time
- Must be kept indefinitely
After you’ve discarded useless papers, you need to organize them. To do this, divide them into:
- Contractual papers to be saved
- Other papers to be saved (e.g., warranties)
- Papers that need to be dealt with (e.g., forms that need to be submitted, letters that need a reply, etc.)
For the first 2 types of papers, subdivide them further according to their frequency of use.
Bonus tip for warranties: when you store warranties, get rid of those instruction manuals you never use! If you ever need to know how a machine works, you can figure it out on the internet anyways 😉
Komono
When discarding miscellaneous items, divide them into:
- CDs, DVDs
- Skin care products
- Makeup
- Accessories
- Valuables (passports, credit cards, etc.)
- Electrical equipment and appliances
- Household equipment (stationary, sewing kits, etc.)
- Household supplies ( medicine, detergents, tissues, etc.)
- Kitchen goods/food supplies
- Other
Mementos
Marie states that dealing with sentimental items and deciding whether to keep or discard them is a way to process our past.
When you store such items, they often become a weight that holds you back and prevents you from living in the present moment.
Therefore, putting mementos in order is a way to put your past in order too.
For each letter, photograph, poem or any other sentimental item you own, ask yourself if it still sparks joy.
If it does, keep it, if not, discard it.
Bonus tip for sorting photos: although it sounds like a lot of work, Marie recommends to remove all of your photos from your albums. By holding each picture in your hands, you will be able to properly evaluate whether to keep or discard it.
STEP 2: DECIDE WHERE TO STORE YOUR BELONGINGS
The second step of the KonMari method is to decide where to store your belongings.
To do this correctly, you need to follow 3 simple rules:
- Make sure each item has its own spot and can be easily returned there
- Store all items of the same category in one place (or at least in proximity)
- Don’t scatter storage space
Store things vertically!
One of my favorite tip from Marie’s book is to store things vertically.
According to Marie, stacking things horizontally is bad because it’s hard on the things at the bottom and it makes you forget that they even exist.
This tip is so simple, but trust me, it’s a game changer ✨
STEP 3: CREATE A SANCTUARY
The KonMari method is not only about tidying up and organizing your space: it’s about transforming it into a sacred space and a power spot.
Therefore, the final step of the tidying process is to create a sanctuary.
To make it more shrine-like, your altar should be on an elevated location (for example, on the top shelf of your book case), where you can place any talisman or charm that you own and that is still effective.
BEST MARIE KONDO QUOTES
To conclude, I want to share with you some of the quotes I really enjoyed from this book:
“There are three approaches we can take toward our possessions: face them now, face them sometime, or avoid them until the day we die. The choice is ours.”
marie kondo
“To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose”
marie kondo
“If you can’t feel relaxed in a clean and tidy room, try confronting your feeling of anxiety. It may shed light on what is really bothering you. When your room is clean and uncluttered, you have no choice but to examine your inner state. You can see any issues you have been avoiding and are forced to deal with them”
marie kondo
“But when we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.”
marie kondo
“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life. Attachment to the past and fears concerning the future not only govern the way you select the things you own but also represent the criteria by which you make choices in every aspect of your life, including your relationships with people and your job”
marie kondo
The last quote really got me because one or two days before reading it, a friend of mine told me that I am very “future oriented” person (something I had never realized before), which reflects the ease at which I throw away stuff.
Very interesting 🙂
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Overall, I really enjoyed Marie Kondo’s book.
It was simple and easy to read, and full of love.
The way it was written really transpired Marie’s passion for tidying. I love that she sees objects almost as living beings and, therefore, treats them with respect and love.
The main learning I took from this books is this: we should surround ourselves only with items and people who spark joy within ourselves. Nothing less than that.
I hope that the KonMari Method will help you to transform your home and your life as it has been helping me <3
If you have any comments, feedbacks or wishes, please let me know in the box below!