Find out how to follow the Marie Kondo method in the right order and keep track or your decluttering with our easy Konmari Checklist!
The new Netflix program called Tidying up with Marie Kondo has been received very well making decluttering a popular topic again all a sudden.
But why so many people have trouble getting rid of clutter?
If we are honest with ourselves almost every person could use some sort of decluttering in their lives and homes.
Most of us really want to have an organized house but we often come up with “excuses” or have real problems stopping us from getting organized, such as lack of time, procrastination or not knowing where to start.
In fact, the number one problem stopping people from getting rid of clutter and staying organized is not knowing where and how to begin with the decluttering process.
Mess and clutter can be so overwhelming that makes us keep putting organizing off to later (when it never happens!).
But getting organized can be simple and doesn’t have to take a lot of time every single day.
Marie Kondo, the author of the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing has a method to get your clutter under control – the Konmari Method. Today we will be reviewing some of her key points.
So read on to learn why you should declutter your home and how to tidy up your house following the Konmari declutter method. I also have a free Konmari Checklist pdf printable at the end of the post to help you keep track of your organization.
Why to declutter your home
Decluttering is important to both your physical and mental health.
Studies have shown that clutter and disorganization directly affects your health.
It adds stress to your probably already busy life. And it also sucks away your energy, making you even more tired. And if you already suffer from mental illnesses such as depression it can increase the symptoms.
This is all very real stuff and the reason why getting organized should be one of your priorities today!
How can decluttering improve your life?
below are a few of the many benefits of decluttering and being organized:
- Improve sleep
- Improve every day moods
- Better relationships
- Makes house management easier
- Optimize your space
- You get more time to do things you actually enjoy
So, are you ready to start tidying up?
How to organize your home with the Konmari Method
If you are reading this post it is very likely that you have a real desire to simplify your life at home.
Are feeling stressed or frustrated with the mess? Or you need to manage papers better because you keep forgetting the bills to be paid? Or are you just looking for a system to help you get organized?
If you want to take a step towards ending clutter once and for all The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo is a great method to learn!
So, how how does this help me get rid of clutter and put my things in order?
Read on to learn exactly what you need to do.
What is the Konmari Method Book?
The Konmari Method is simply a short term to describe the system shown in the “Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”, a book written by author Marie Kondo.
Please note that this post is not intended to be a replacement for reading the book. I suggest you to get Marie Kondo’s book here from Amazon and learn all her techniques for tidying up.
Marie Kondo teaches the importance of decluttering in her book and also gives you plenty of tips on how to do your decluttering.
The author has a very particular way to decide whether you should keep a item or not, all based on your emotional attachment to it.
Below I share some of the take-away from the book that helped me declutter my home and life the most!
Put your belongings in one big pile
Doesn’t matter what exactly you are decluttering, it is key to get all the items from the same category and place them together in a pile.
This is the first step to help you figure out what you will be keeping and getting rid of.
When we put all items in one pile we have a great overview of the amount that we owe and the idea that we must part with some items become obvious.
Right away, you will probably find pieces that you know you no longer want. After you make the pile it is time to find the joy.
Does this item spark joy?
The next step is to check if the item spark joy. This could be a time consuming task but it is worth to do.
Pick each item in your hand and ask a simple question: does this item spark joy? The concept may sound a bit abstract but with practice you will understand what it is about.
Is it useful? Do you like knowing it is there with you? Does it bring up a lovely memory?
If you don’t know exactly what sparks joy really mean to you then start with items you absolutely know you want to keep, this will set the bar for the next items coming.
If you think an item does spark joy then you keep it, otherwise you thank the item and put it on the pile to get rid of.
Go down the list and pile of things asking this question to yourself.
By the time you are finished you should have a pile of things that you are going to get rid of.
Find a home for everything
Now that this particular area is done it is time to find a place to put the items that you are going to keep.
It is important that everything has a place to live so you can keep it organized. The good news is that there should be a lot more available space since you already did the decluttering, now it is time to tidy up.
The Konmari folding method
Marie Kondo suggests a very simple way of folding clothes which ensures that you can see all clothes at once and have an overview of your belongings.
The folding clothing is like a filling process. You fold your items into a small rectangular shape and put each piece standing up like in a file. So when you open your drawers for instance you see all of you clothes at once, nothing is piled up!
For wardrobe shelves you can use baskets to help keep the clothes in the right shape so you can also keep them in a filing pattern without them falling out of place.
The konmari order for decluttering
Marie Kondo suggests that we should start our decluttering process in a specific order so we get used to tidying up everyday items before we get to the hard items that have a lot of emotional value.
The order is as follow:
- Clothes: tops, pants, dresses, jackets, shoes, underwear, gymwear and accessories.
- Books: general, magazines, cookbooks, phone books.
- Paper: warranties, coupons, cards and notes, legal paper and files.
- Miscellaneous (komono): this is pretty much everything else (toys, utensils, CDs, DVDs, cleaning products, office supplies, pantry and baking goods, appliances, tools and electronics).
- Sentimental items: photos, trophies, special gifts, souvenirs, diaries.
So you first start with clothing before you go through other items where you likely to struggle more with letting go. Clothes are normally a huge task but the easiest to do compared to sentimental items for example.
How often to declutter?
There isn’t a timeline to do all the finish all the categories. It is important that you take the time to pick each item in your hands and see it they spark joy.
You can do categories by weekend and take the day to sort through the items or you could do it on consecutive days and get over with. It all depends on how much time you have.
The Konmari decluttering is not the quick tidying up that you do little by little every day, it is a method that may take you considerable time depending on how much you have.
The important things I think is to declutter one subcategory in one go and when that part is done you can take a rest before starting a new one.
The konmari checklist pdf
You can download and print this free konmari checklist in pdf format to keep track of the categories and subcategories that you have already decluttered.
Have you decluttered using the Marie Kondo Method before?
Let me know what you think about it in comments below.
