Most of us know who Marie Kondo is and dream of having a home that is organized and uncluttered. Despair not if you have no idea where to start, whether it’s a family home or a bachelor pad here are a few tips that just may help you organize your home and consequently your life using her KonMari method.
This method is meant to make you tidy your home in a mindful manner keeping only items that bring happiness to your life.
The KonMari method advocates minimalism and tackling things according to category rather than room by room. Her basic rules include the following;
Committing to being tidy
Imagining your perfect lifestyle
Discarding unnecessary items and doing this mindfully thanking each item for helping you and serving its purpose.
Always clean up according to category and not by location.
When keeping or putting away something ask yourself if the item gives you joy.
Declutter
Discard items that have no value. Determine this by removing everything from your closets and drawers. Remove all the books from your shelves. Remove all the paperwork from your desk.
Once you have a a big pile, go through each item one by one and consider what gives you joy and decide accordingly.
Once you’ve sorted out the items in each category based on the above you should have a much smaller pile left.
Clothes and laundry
How you store clothes can make a world of difference. Leaving clothes in a stacked pile makes it hard to figure out what’s what and even harder to see. Propping them upright will actually help you gain clarity as to what outfit is where and remind you of what you are looking for.
Create a sound storage system
For many, storage and space is a problem. Where do you keep items you don’t need everyday. This is especially a problem for people who live in small spaces like studio apartments for example.
Use containers with labels so you remember where you put things.
Have a drop zone for messy items for family members and visitors. It isn’t always possible to put away things immediately so if you designate one part of the house for dropping things like sports gear or grocery items (if someone is rushing in and out) it may be easier to contain the mess. This is because you are now allocating that mess to only one area.
Create a routine
Allocate a time of day for “re-setting” the house and putting away items that don’t belong in their places. For families and children, you can use baskets to put their items in and return the basket to their room as part of the routine.
Pick up anything dirty from laundry to plates and put them in the sink or dishwasher. Clear the floor area. Move anything on the floors to the surfaces they should be on or store them away in the designated storage areas.