Marie Kondo’s book, ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,’ is the essential guide to decluttering and taking back control of your home. Trust me when I say that I’ve tried a lot of decluttering methods over the years, but the Konmari method is different. It’s life-changing! I swear, I’m not even being dramatic here.
Decluttering using the Konmari method has changed my life in ways I wasn’t expecting. Who knew bundling up a bunch old junk could have such a profound effect on a person?
I would definitely recommend buying a copy of the book for yourself so you can get to grips with the ins and outs of the method and understand exactly where Marie Kondo is coming from (fair warning: she’s a little quirky). But, until you get your hands on a copy, here are 10 decluttering hacks I learned from ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.’
Visualise Your Sparkly New Life
You can’t just throw yourself into the decluttering process without first asking yourself what you hope to get out of it. Yes, we’re all hoping to end up with less junk, but everyone’s reason for wanting a clutter-free home is different. Visualise what you want your life to look like at the end of the process and hold onto that picture when you’re tempted to hoard things.
Do it All at Once…Like Ripping off a Plaster
Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean frantically trying to organise your entire home in the space of an afternoon. Marie Kondo recommends trying to finish the entire tidying process within six months. We take gradual changes for granted, but making a drastic change in a short space of time makes it more impactful. This is what’s going to stop you from reverting back to your old ‘shop and hoard’ cycle.
Tidy by Category Instead of Location
The easiest way to tidy is by location. Maybe you start with the bathroom cabinet and then move on to the shoe cupboard before tackling the dressing table. Stop right there! Marie Kondo insists that the most effective way to tidy is to do so by category. Take absolutely everything that falls into a certain category (clothes, for example) out of its storage space and pile it all up together to sort through. That way, you’re confronted with just how much of each type of possession you own. Hint: it’s probably five times more than you thought.
Stick to the Magic Order
It’s not just enough to tidy by category. You also have to work through those categories in the right order. (I bet you never thought tidying up had so many hard and fast rules, right?)
The magic order is:
- Clothes
- Books
- Papers
- Komodo (Miscellaneous)
- CDs and DVDs
- Skincare
- Makeup
- Accessories
- Valuables (passports, credit cards etc)
- Electrical items
- Household equipment (stationery, sewing kits etc)
- Household supplies (medicines, detergent etc)
- Kitchen goods (pots, pans, cutlery etc)
- Hobby-related items
5. Sentimental items
Ask Yourself if it Sparks Joy
Practicality goes out of the window here, but roll with it. As you sort through your pile of items, hold each one and ask yourself, “Does this spark joy?” Forget about when the last time you used it was or whether or not you feel you got your money’s worth. Only think about whether that item brings you a sense of happiness or not. If it does, keep it. If it doesn’t, toss it.
Finish Discarding Before you Organise
Don’t fall into the trap of putting things away before you’ve finished working your way through the pile. In fact, Marie Kondo insists that you shouldn’t even think about where you’ll put things until you’re done discarding.
Every Item Has a Purpose
Marie Kondo says that every item that comes into your life has a purpose and the purpose of each item isn’t the always the same. Some items of clothing were bought to be loved and worn threadbare. Some might hang in the wardrobe with the tags still on, but maybe their purpose was to teach you not to buy things just because they’re on sale. Don’t hold onto gifts because you feel obligated to. Their purpose was to make you feel loved so it’s ok to let them go now. Understand what the purpose of each of your items is so that you can part with them without any sense of guilt.
Don’t Downgrade to Loungewear
It’s tempting to hang onto things you don’t wear much to use as loungewear. Don’t! If you’re in need of loungewear, go buy some loungewear. Don’t use loungewear as an excuse to cling onto things that you know you won’t wear.
Store things properly
Marie Kondo goes into this in great detail, but here’s a brief overview: fold as much as you can, hang what you must so that everything rises to the right, store things horizontally and never ever ball your socks. Socks hate when you do that!
Empty your Handbag Every Day
Finally, get into the habit of emptying out your handbag and putting everything back in its place every day. That way, there’s no opportunity for clutter to build up in your handbag (ie 5,000 receipts and old chocolate wrappers).
Decluttering can change your life and the Konmari method is definitely the way to go if you want to tidy your space in a way that will last. If you’re ready to tackle your clutter, check out my free 5 Day Declutter Challenge right here!
Looking for more Konmari inspiration? I’ve got just the Youtube playlist for you!
