Taking the time to organize your stuff can seem daunting. But what if one small step was actually a giant leap into getting your act together? Marie Kondo, an organizing consultant extraordinaire has taken the world of organizing by storm with her series on Netflix and her simple, easy to read book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. She has even developed her own method of decluttering called The KonMari Method™ and with it, her followers are tidying up America and gutting closets everywhere.
The idea is simple. Focus on a group of items, say clothing, photographs or home decor. Gather everything you have together in that category so that you can see the mass of what you have accumulated. Then, one-by-one, take each item in your hands and decide if it brings you joy. For example, if you are starting with your closet, grab that favorite shirt. It’s your favorite because you feel good wearing it right? And it probably looks pretty good on you too. Then grab the next shirt. Does it bring you joy? If no, thank the item for its service, then into the donate bin it goes. Sounds easy right? Are you ready for a clutter-free life?
Here are my “top 6” of Marie tips:
1. Tidy by category, not location. It’s not “clean the bedroom” or “clean the garage” it’s go through clothing or go through tools.
2. Tackle decluttering in the right order – basically start with clothes, then books, papers then tchotchkes (she goes into greater depth on this in her book).
3. Fold instead of hang. I always thought clothes needed to be hung. But, folded properly, Marie says they’ll be happier and you will too!
4. Hold each item and ask yourself if it sparks joy. If no, away it goes.
5.Don’t keep sentimental items out of guilt. This is an especially good tips for moms with 6 boxes of school projects. Why not take a photo instead? A digital memory takes up no space but can still be shared.
6. Don’t be tempted to keep an item as loungewear. That old pair of ripped jeans will not be taken out every time you do yard work. They just won’t! Time to let them go!
All of us suffer from clutter pile-up from time to time. Marie’s tips provide a framework for paring down and getting down to the things you really love which makes cleaning easier and makes choosing new items to add easier as well. There are also professional organizers in the area that can help you if you feel overwhelmed. Check My Seller’s page for a few that I recommend to my clients. Happy tidying!.
