I discovered the KonMari method last summer, and it truly changed my life. I have been cleaning and decluttering for as a long as I can remember, but after reading this book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, I gained new perspective on my relationship with my possessions.
First off, I highly recommend you read the book. Marie Kondo is adorable and her writing is too. It's an enjoyable read filled with practical tips.
The basic process is simple:
1. Collect everything in all areas of a certain category (clothes, books, etc.) - some items can be broken into subcategories
2. Put EVERYTHING in that category on the floor in front of you.
3. Hold EACH item in your hands and ask, "does this spark joy?" - this is the theme of the book, and it truly works. If you take the time to ask this, it becomes crystal clear what you should keep.
4. Discard (toss, donate, give) any item that does not spark joy.
5. Take each item that does spark joy and give it a permanent home.
6. Go through this process for the 5 major categories: clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous (she lists multiple categories here), and mementos (moving from easiest to let go of to the hardest).
I never thought I could let go of so much until I discovered this method. I let go of dozens of books, items of clothes, and mementos that no longer sparked joy.
Some of my favorite quotes from the book include:
“The process of assessing how you feel about the things you own, identifying those that have fulfilled their purpose, expressing your gratitude, and bidding them farewell, is really about examining your inner self, a rite of passage to a new life.”
“When you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order, too. As a result, you can see quite clearly what you need in life and what you don’t, and what you should and shouldn’t do.”
“If you can’t feel relaxed in a clean and tidy room, try confronting your feeling of anxiety. It may shed light on what is really bothering you. When your room is clean and uncluttered, you have no choice but to examine your inner state.” - This quote definitely made me think, and resonated with me to the core. Since I read it, I have looked at tidying as a type of meditation and am able to more easily figure what I need or what is gnawing at me to get done or fixed.
“To put your things in order means to put your past in order, too.”
“To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose” - This is the quote that really allowed me to let go of things. All the guilt about money and sentimentality was gone. I knew that some objects' purpose was the thrill of receiving it or buying it, and these items that didn't spark joy were blocking me from the ones that do, and those are the ones that matter. Why keep all these barriers in your way, distracting from the life you truly enjoy? It was almost like I was forcing myself to jump through all these hoops just to get to what I truly loved.
Now, I am surrounded by all things I love right in front of me, organized and ready for use, and that's how I love living my life. Just the other day, I felt lethargic and stuck. I decided to do a quick KonMari tidy in the order of categories above. I got rid of things that I hadn't even noticed were there: a DVD I didn't like, uncomfortable flipflops, and old coupons. I tossed papers that no longer served me, and reorganized my makeup and skincare. Afterwards, I felt refreshed and ready to continue with my day.
The KonMari method is so simple but it works wonders. Here's the best video I have found of the process:
I encourage you to try it; you'll be glad you did.
