Getting organized can feel daunting because many homeowners forget the pivotal step of decluttering along the way. The KonMari Method, developed by minimalist and tidying expert Marie Kondo, takes this important step into account and is an excellent way to get your home in order and looking beautiful.
One: Remove Everything By Category
In your book The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up, Kondo discusses one of her key principles of her method, which is to tidy by category not necessarily by location. When organizing your closet, don’t simply tidy the space by location, but instead evaluate the items inside. Tidy all clothes, books, papers together and get a complete view of everything you own in that category. This means looking through your clothes in other locations of your home to get a bird’s eye view of what you own so you have a full understanding of what you want to keep.
Two: Declutter With One Question
Another key principle of the KonMari method is to ask yourself one important question when evaluating the items in your space. condo suggests you ask “Does it spark joy?” Pick up each item and notice how it makes you feel. Keep only what sparks joy or is truly essential. No more keeping items that could be useful someday, or that you don’t really love. In this method Kondo helps you keep your belongings minimal, selecting only the items that you truly adore or really need. Those are the only things that belong in your home.
Three: Put Away Thoughtfully
Your home should be a place that offers relaxation and joy. In the KonMari method, decluttering isn’t the only goal, an aesthetic, minimal and tidy space are all important. Group your clothing items by category and use the KonMari folding method to store items for easy access. Kondo believes you should even fold socks. For clothes that are difficult to fold, Kondo advises, “Hang any clothes that look like they would be happier hung up, such as those made of soft materials or highly tailored cuts.”
Four: Move to Another Category in Your Home
A tidy house is a process. According to Kondo it is ideal to start with clothes (relatively easy) and end with sentimental items (challenging). Now that you have a happy and tidy closet of clothes, it’s time to move on to other areas of your home where you can apply the method of keeping only the items that spark joy!
