The KonMari Method
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

The KonMari Method

I have to tell everyone about this method!

86
The KonMari Method
Beckasaurus

About a month and a half ago I graduated college with my bachelor’s degree and after a much needed break, in which I went to Florida to de-stress, I was ready to take on the world back in New York. I wanted to find a job, reconnect with old friends, get a whole new “I’m now an adult” wardrobe and get organized. So I started with the easiest one for me. I got organized.

While in the midst of looking at cleaning videos on YouTube I came across the KonMari Method by Marie Kondo. The KonMari Method is “7 Tips To Organize Your Home”. The book, from where these steps are adapted, is called “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying: A Simple, Effective Way To Banish Clutter Forever.” According to Washington Post, at the beginning of 2016, “The Life-Changing Magic” had sold more than 1.6 million copies in North America.

Here are the 7 Powerful Decluttering Tips Using the KonMari Method:

  • Tidy all at once. Tidying a bit at a time never works. Things will get messy again quickly. (All at once means allotting about 6 months to the project.)
  • Visualize your destination. Before you throw things away, visualize your ideal lifestyle. Goals such as, “I want to live clutter free” or “I want to be able to put things away,” are too broad. You must think in concrete terms, such as: “I want to live like a Goddess, surrounded by peace and beauty.”
  • Identify why you want to live the way you envision. For every answer ask yourself “why?” again. For example, if you want to live clutter free so you get a better night’s sleep, ask yourself, “Why do I want to sleep better?” Do this 3-5 times. When you find the answer to why you want to be tidy, you are ready to move on.
  • Determine if each item “sparks joy.” Rather than focusing solely on throwing things away, which Ms. Kondo acknowledges only brings unhappiness, be sure to cherish what you love. Do this by taking each item in your hand and asking yourself “does this spark joy?” If yes, then it stays. If it does not spark joy, then throw it out.
  • Tidy by category, not location. In most households, items that fall into the same category are stored in multiple places. If you are tackling your clothes, then you must get all the clothes out of every closet and drawer in every room first. Start with tops first, then bottoms, and work from there. She also instructs you in the fine art of folding, which frees up an enormous amount of closet space.
  • Tidy in the right order. Ms. Kondo says that the following order is the way to tidy: Clothes, Books, Papers, and then Komono (miscellaneous.) She goes into great detail on how to separate each category into sub-categories.
  • Discard before you place things back. You must discard first. Don’t put anything away until everything you are going to discard is removed.

Note: You must touch every item so that your body can react. This is NOT an intellectual process. It’s a “felt” physical sense that you can develop over time, or the kind of intuition I discuss in depth in Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom. You let your BODY and emotions tell you.

I love watching “cleaning my room” and “plan with me” videos on YouTube. There’s something so satisfying about watching people get their life together on camera. There’s hundreds of videos on the KonMari Method. Cleaning a room, depending on how messy it is, can take hours but in video, they fast-forward EVERYTHING so it takes about 10-15 minutes to “clean” their room. It’s motivation enough for me to get my butt off my bed and organize my room.

So that Saturday, after arriving from my trip, I turned my entire room upside down cleaning. I threw away two bags of trash—papers, miscellaneous and ripped up clothes and donated one bag of gently used clothes to goodwill. I didn’t use the Konmari Method because I found it after I had already cleaned my room but I’ve told everyone about it and now I am telling you!

Go declutter your life following her seven steps. Make it a weekend project (it will take several weekends to declutter your entire house) it’ll astonish you to see how much you get rid of. Donate, throwaway and/or organize a swap party to organize yourself for 2017.

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

56960
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

36730
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

958504
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

189782
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments