Are you wondering how to clean and organize any space and what is the KonMari method? How can it help you?
Well, in today’s post, I will gladly share it with you, I’m actually very excited!
I know, many people want to live a simple life with less stuff today. However, thinking about owning less makes us feel a little bit overwhelmed and anxious, doesn’t it?
I must tell you, that learning how to organize your home leads to tidiness and peace in your life. The best part is that it’s not painful at all.
There are so many benefits that I’m pretty sure after reading this article you will want to go and organize your entire home. And this is my goal, actually haha
What benefits am I talking about?
You will have less to clean. Cleaning can already be pretty stressful especially when you have a big house. But it becomes even more stressful when you have so many unnecessary items in the house that you don’t even have an emotional attachment to.
You get better at organizing. When you have fewer useless things organizing becomes 10X faster because you can easily find what you need. Things don’t “disappear” anymore.
You spend less and save more. With this mentality, you will start spending less on unnecessary things that will add to the clutter, which means less debt, and more savings. Read about the 10 best ways to save money fast.
You will enjoy your home. I think this one alone is worth organizing. When you see all the clutter you have it gives you so much stress, because it never goes away no matter how many times a week you tidy up. Having fewer things allows you to look around, enjoy the space, see a home you love, and moreover, be financially stable!
Now let’s talk about this amazing method.
I also want you to grab this free Organizing Checklist that will help you with every step along the way!
What is The KonMari Method?
The KonMari Method is a different approach to organizing and decluttering.
If usually tidying and organizing methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, the KonMari method encourages tidying by category – not by location.
This method was created by Marie Kondo, a tidying expert, bestselling author, and star of Netflix’s hit show, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo”.
Have you seen it? I loved it.
There are six basic rules you should embrace:
1. Commit yourself to tidying up, tidy all at once.
Once you start tidying up and organizing commit to it. Dedicate the entire day or several days to tidying. Because when you clean a bit at a time things get messy again very quickly and all you feel is irritation.
2. Imagine your ideal lifestyle.
When you’re tidying up visualize your ideal lifestyle and how you want your life to be. How you want your perfect home to look like and what vibes and atmosphere you want to have at home.
This will help you stay motivated and give a great sense of direction.
3. Finish discarding first.
Before you put things back in their place, make sure that everything you want to discard is removed.
4. Tidy by category, not by location.
Like a lot of people, I always tackle clutter by room – take on the living room first, the bedroom next, then the kitchen, and so on.
I never thought about doing it by category, and not by location. I just never had it in my head.
So yes, when using the KonMari method, you deal with each category at once.
For example, you want to organize your books. You don’t just take the book that you found in your bedroom and put it back to where it belongs, then continue tidying your bedroom. You organize all the books around the house instead.
5. Follow the order.
Marie says that it’s important to organize in the following order: Clothes, Books, Papers, Komono (aka miscellaneous), and then Sentimental items.
6. Ask yourself if it sparks joy.
When you hold an item ask if you really need it and if it sparks joy. This rule is about keeping only those items that bring you happiness.
That’s what she says:
“What things will bring you joy if you keep them as part of your life? Pick them as if you were identifying items you loved from a showcase in your favorite store. Once you’ve grasped the basics, put all your clothes in one heap, take them in your hand one by one, and ask yourself quietly, “Does this spark joy?”
38 Things To Do With Your Blank Notebook To Feel Amazing
Now that you know these 6 rules, you can finally start organizing your home!
How To Organize Your Home Using The KonMari Method?
As I mentioned above there are 5 categories you will tackle:
- Clothes
- Books
- Papers
- Komono (Miscellaneous items)
- Sentimental items
So let’s take our first category which is our clothes. But these are the tasks you will do with each category.
Note that you need to finish one category before you move on to the next one.
Also, do it all in one go! I know it may sound crazy especially if you have a lot of stuff.. But that’s what she says about it:
“Ultimate secret of success is this: If you tidy up in one shot, rather than little by little, you can dramatically change your mindset.”
Task #1
Put all your clothing in piles on the floor. I mean ALL your clothing … Whether it’s going to be a huge pile of clothes or not that’s the first category you need to organize and I know you’re capable of doing that!
Task #2
Now that you have that big pile grab your top or jeans and ask yourself if it “sparks joy”. Marie says that at first it can feel a little bit weird and awkward but you’ll get better at recognizing what sparks joy as you go.
Here she wants you to focus on what brings joy and happiness into your life. That’s why it’s essential to touch every single item before you get rid of it.
Ask if it makes you happy and if it sparks joy. If not then thank it for its service and set it aside.
You can even resell some items and make some cash!
Once you’re done with this task you should have a much smaller amount of remaining items to return to your closets, drawers, shelves, etc.
Marie also recommends that you visualize the life you want let’s say with less clutter and stress.
Task #3
After you’ve finished discarding now organize your space by returning items to their place.
Decide whether you want to keep it in the same place or move into another one.
Kondo mentions: “I have only two rules: store all items of the same type in the same place and don’t scatter storage space.”
Folding with the KonMari method
Her vertical folding technique is something that I really love! When you fold clothing this way it looks like little fabric origami ready to line your drawers in neat rows.
It’s also easier to spot and take out. The best thing about folding with the KonMari method is that you won’t mess up the whole pile every time you take something out or put something back.
She also recommends using boxes as drawer dividers to make it look clean and neat.
Here’s her folding method
Organizing sentimental items with the KonMari method
Tip #1
Save organizing sentimental items such as photographs, souvenirs, personal letters, and diaries for last.
If you ask me why, well, because delving into personal items too early on—especially when addressing the belongings of a loved one—can stall the tidying process.
Organizing is not easy but when it comes to mementos that have a special meaning behind them, it can be especially difficult!
Tip #2
When you handle photos, make a pile and go through each one individually, asking yourself if this photo sparks joy for you.
If you’re like I used to be, you probably have 4 or more almost the same photos of the same thing. So pick the best one and keep it.
When organizing your photos Kondo advises categorizing them by year, events, or both.
Tip #3
Once you’ve gathered all your sentimental items into a big pile, go one by one, and just like with other items ask yourself what feelings it elicits.
If it’s something that you, for sure, want to keep, think of a place in the house where you can store it. Or maybe it’s something you can even hang on the wall.
Don’t forget that you can always integrate your precious and meaningful memories into your life, be creative!
These are the resources that you will love if you want to know more about the KonMari method. There’s even a cute journal!
How to get rid of the clutter?
If you got a lot of clothes and other items that you don’t need anymore but they are in good condition here are some options for what you can do with them.
Donate
Instead of just throwing them away think about donating them to local charities. It will make you feel amazing knowing that something you no longer need is going to a good home.
You can also try to post what you’re getting rid of on freecycle.org and people will come to get it.
Recycle
Throw plastics, recyclable glass, and paper into your recycling bin if you have curbside pickup. Or transport the waste to the nearest recycling drop-off location.
If you have old electronics that you want to get rid of you might also want to get some cash by having them recycled in ecoATM kiosks!
Check how much money you can get for your old devices and find the nearest ecoATM location.
Sell
Another great option for items in good condition is of course selling them! Make a little money off your clutter by having a garage sale or selling on eBay and other online platforms.
Why not, right?
Rent a dumpster
Did you know that you can rent a dumpster? Well, it’s a stress-free option if you have large household items you’re throwing away or just have a lot of stuff to get rid of.
Get it out of your way fast and stress-free.
So many people around the world have fallen in love with this KonMari method not only due to its effectiveness but also because it helps you be mindful, introspective, and forward-looking.
Don’t forget your Organizing Checklist!
Phew! Thanks for bearing with me until the end! I truly hope you enjoyed it!
If you did, hit the share button or Pin it for me! So I can grow this blog faster with your help.
Have you ever tried The KonMari Method? Or are you planning to? Please share your experience in the comments!
You’ll also love:
How To Manage Your Time Like A Pro With 9 Easy Questions
Top 21 Amazon Must-Haves That Will Save You Money
How To Organize Your Life And Save 7 Hours Every Week
How To Be More Efficient: 11 Things To Do At The Beginning Of Each Month
14 Unnecessary Expenses That Hurt Your Wallet
It’s amazing how much space was being wasted in my closet! I thought I needed a bigger closet until I realized how much space I was wasting. The folding technique is a lifesaver!
Exactly! I got so much free space in my closet as well, so happy that I found this method 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
I had to pin this!!! This will help me tremendously especially since I tend to hoard clothes I can no longer wear or doesn’t suit my style anymore.
This method helped me a lot, there’s so much space now in my closet. And the folding method works like magic!
I have used her method to organize my closet and get rid of clothes. I do need to try the folding method. It saves a ton of space and makes it easier to see your clothes. Thanks for the tips!