Have you ever had the feeling of total distress when you walked into your personal space? Ever feel like your closet is just a giant collection of things you'll never wear/haven't worn in years? Do you have a drawer of things that have been piling up for years? Do you ever get the strong feeling of being judged by others for your space being messy/disorganized? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions then you are in serious need of the KonMari method.
If you haven't already heard of the Konmari method or even know who Marie Kondo is, then let me catch you up to speed. Marie Kondo is a Japanese organizing consultant and is the author to four books on organizing which collectively have sold millions of copies all over the world. Recently Netflix released a series called, “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo," obviously featuring Kondo as the host of the show entering the homes of those who need better guidance over their cluttered problems in the home. As you progress through the episodes, Kondo walks you through the steps of the KonMari method which are as follows.
- Commit yourself to tidy up.
- Imagine your ideal lifestyle.
- Finish discarding first. Before getting rid of items, sincerely thank each item for serving its purpose.
- Tidy by category, not location.
- Follow the right order.
- Ask yourself if it "sparks joy."
Once you have the steps these steps in order and understood, it's time for you to start decluttering your items in this specific order.
- Clothes
- Books
- Papers
- Komono (a.k.a. Miscellaneous Items)
- Sentimental Items
According to Mrs. Kondo, this order is the best transition from "easiest" items, your clothing to your most difficult pile, being your sentimental life items. What you are supposed to do when encountering each section, is to take every item and gently put it all in a pile in the room. While making these mountains, it is supposed to be a visual representation of all of the clutter and baggage both literally and figuratively you have been collecting over the years.
Now, when you are going through each and every item, as mentioned before in the steps to work through the KonMari method you are supposed to really evaluate the item and figure out if it "sparks joy" in your life. If it does, you gently put it in your keeping pile, and if the item does not, you thank the item for its service in your life and then place it in your, well "not" keeping pile. So, now that you get the gist of how MK method works, can we talk about how this actually can help declutter not only our spaces but also our lives in general.
Once our spaces are all cleared of the clutter it is really easy for us to see who we want to be going forward in our daily lives. So, shouldn't that also affect how we also run our own personal lives and relationships? Now I am not saying to literally categorize your friends and families from easiest to hardest but I more so using the question of if "it sparks joy". As someone who recently has gone through not only a clutter purge (and currently still working on the clothes portion of my list, wish me luck) but also a social purge. I started thinking of how Marie's ideology of taking one specific thing in your hands and really asking yourself if it brings you joy could be used in relationships in your life. The answer is yes, by the way.
In my own life, I have gone back and actually started practicing this method as a kinder way of saying goodbye. I envision the people that have been in my life over the years and I sort through it all and ask the question. When I came across those who did not spark joy, I sent out a thankful message into the universe and then gently cast them out of my mind. Not going to lie, it was extremely difficult rehashing old memories of people who affected me in such a negative way, but it also brought me an overall feeling of peace knowing I had cast them all away with goodwill in mind.
At the end of the day, however, you decide to use the KonMari method remember that this process is supposed to lift not only a physical weight off of your life but also a metaphorical weight off of your life. Keeping your place and mind clutter free will absolutely guide you on to a happier path in life, or at least an easier road to self-discovery.
