The KonMari Method of Decluttering and Tidying Your Life

Several months back I heard about a book called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Since I love anything to do with organizing, I had to take a look at it. This book is different than any book you will have read on the subject, bringing new thoughts to the table on how to finally say goodbye to things you’ve had for a very long time and are reluctant to give away or discard.

The author, Marie Kondo, says that the KonMari Method isn’t just a set of rules for organizing your home but a “guide to acquiring the right mind-set for creating order and becoming a tidy person.”

Some of the basic thoughts in the book are these:

#1 Sort by category, not by location.

Marie Kondo says you must gather all similar items together in one place before you begin making the decision to discard or keep. For example, when you are sorting through  clothing (which she says is the first thing you should start with), you collect your clothes no matter where they are located. They could be in the hall closet, a second closet or maybe even in the mending pile. Once you have gathered everything in one place then you ask yourself #2.

When we disperse storage of a particular item throughout the house and tidy one place at a time, we can never grasp the overall volume and therefore can never finish. To escape this negative spiral, tidy by category, not by place. –pg. 25 the life-changing magic of tidying up

#2 Does it spark joy?

Wow! This question is a game changer for me. It kind of just simplifies everything, doesn’t it? Hold each item in your hand as you go through the process of decluttering and ask yourself the question, “Does this spark joy?” For example, if, when sorting through your clothes, you see clothes you never wear, ask yourself why. Maybe it’s because you decided it didn’t suit you once you brought it home. But a new way to look at it is that it fulfilled it’s duty and taught you what doesn’t look good and what you don’t want to purchase next time. Now let it go. If an item doesn’t bring us joy, how many times will we wear it anyways? Probably very few. Only keep what brings you joy.

To get rid of what you no longer need is neither wasteful or shameful. Can you truthfully say that you treasure something buried so deeply in a closet or drawer that you have forgotten its existence? –pg. 61 the life-changing magic of tidying up

Marie doesn’t say you have to own only so many items. She doesn’t say you have to get rid of things that are old or have lost their usefulness if it brings you joy. It it brings you joy, keep it. But you must handle every item and ask yourself the question, “Does it spark joy.”

Although Marie Kondo has some ideas that I can’t support (such as treating inanimate objects as if they have feelings) over all, I think this book is an excellent approach to organizing and decluttering.

She also suggests a specific order when you start to declutter.

• clothing
• books
• papers
• miscellaneous items
• sentimental items

I recommend you get the book from your library or purchase it. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.

Most of us typically have too much stuff – things we forget about even owning and/or things that we plan to go through when we are older.  How much better it would be to enjoy what you have now instead of thinking “Someday, when I’m retired and have nothing to do, I’ll look at all these cards.” (a famous line heard around here!) And so we store these items for years and never find the time to get to them.

If you’re interested in joining a decluttering challenge using the KonMari Method, She Holds Dearly is having a 10-week decluttering challenge and has started a closed Facebook group where she posts the area that we are to work on as well as videos that outline the method. You can also share or ask questions. Click on this link and leave a comment for Sarah and she’ll add you to the group.

How do you feel about decluttering? Is it something you really need to do in your home?