Over Christmas and new year I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo after hearing good reviews around the internet. This book is a little gem of inspiration if you are considering a big declutter in 2015. For me, it was a chance to glean some new tips on decluttering. I like Kondo's organised and positive approach to the subject and her philosophy of treating possessions with respect. However, I'm not convinced that this book alone would help me to declutter my entire house from scratch as some practical information regarding timescales and how to actually discard items was missing. Also, whilst decluttering in one go sounds wonderful, I think there is wisdom in not rushing the process if you are not mentally prepared. Her folding methods are also beyond my clumsy hands but there are some KonMari folding tutorials on youtube should you wish to learn. To summarise, I would recommend this book as any new angles on decluttering and understanding why we hoard are useful. I have made a note of 20 tips that, in my opinion, sum up Kondo's 'KonMari' method. I know I will be trying out a few. How about you?
1. Putting your house in order should be done once only and in a single period of time.
3. Tidy by category, not by place.
4. Begin by focusing on your motivation for tidying by visualising your ideal lifestyle and why you want to live like that.
5. Handle each item and consider if it 'sparks joy'. Keep only those items that you truly love.
6. Discard in a certain order starting with the easier categories first: clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items and sentimental items. Within each category subdivide your discarding for extra efficiency. For example discard clothing in this order: tops, bottoms, clothes that need hanging, socks, underwear, handbag, accessories, sportswear and shoes.
7. Don't discard for other family members and don't force your discarded items on them. Begin by discarding your personal belongings and your example will set off a chain reaction of tidying in others.
8. Choose a quiet environment for tidying to encourage an internal dialog between you and your belongings. The best time to start is early morning.
9. If you find something difficult to throw away, ask, “Has it already fulfilled its purpose?” Let these things go with gratitude.
10. Gather every item together from across your home and place on the floor.
11. Don't downgrade discarded clothes items for loungewear.
12. Keep storage simple. Folding clothes is the KonMari ideal storage method for clothes. The physical act of touching clothes as you fold them has a positive effect on clothes. She is anti stacking items preferring vertical storage. Shoe boxes are also recommended for storage.
13. Hang clothes by category and arrange them so that they rise to the right with heavy items on the left side.
14. Keep all your clothes ready to be used year round, regardless of season.
15. Set limits. For example Kondo suggests 30 books as her ideal number. Kondo talks about finding your 'Just right click-point'.
16. Be ruthless. Kondo applies this to paperwork and other miscellaneous items like spare buttons and unidentified electrical wires.
17. Don't stockpile.
18. Empty your handbag everyday.
19. Celebrate letting go of your possessions.
20. Tidying is just the start. By questioning what 'sparks joy' and eliminating items that don't make you happy you can get closer to discovering your passion in life.
This post was almost finished last week but was not published due to being at dad's side. It has been quickly finished this morning and it feels good to post something useful and interesting for you. Many thanks to your messages about dad. Support from you and others is so generous, restorative and moving. Quite overwhelming, really. Much love, Claire xo.
