Tidying Up for a Happy Home

Usually, viral trends have a habit of making us want to consume more, like buying the newest smart home gadget or ripping out your flooring to stay up-to-date with the latest styles, but not this time.

This year, the home improvement trend that is sweeping the nation is all about making do with what you have and being grateful and intentional with the pieces you choose to keep in your home. We have Japanese organizing consultant, author, and now Netflix sensation Marie Kondo to thank for this joyful movement.

Marie Kondo’s organizational system, known as the KonMari method, has a unique approach to decluttering your home and results in a tidy space that is easy to maintain.

The KonMari method differs from traditional decluttering methods for the following reasons:

1. Marie recommends organizing by category (ie: clothes, books, kitchen supplies, etc) instead of going room by room. She believes that you must see all of your items in a given category at once in order to fully assess the sheer volume of items you have and to accurately evaluate which ones you truly love.
2. Her method encourages you to physically pick up each item in order to see if it evokes a feeling of joy. When you hold an item in your hands you will be able to determine if this item truly makes you happy, or if you are holding on to it out of guilt, habit, or convenience.
3. Although the KonMari method typically results in participants discarding a large percentage of their belongings, Marie’s focus is not on eliminating. She believes that as long as you keep what truly “sparks joy” within you, you will be able to find a way to store it or display it in a way that honors your belongings.
4. Marie believes that the home you keep is a direct reflection of your life. It is important to visualize your ideal life during the process and to only keep items that will help you achieve the lifestyle that you desire.

Another important tip to keep in mind when following the KonMari method is to sort through your belongings first, and only once you have decided what you are keeping in each category can you move on to putting those items away. Marie has an arsenal of tidying-up tools that will help you to organize your home in a cohesive and functional way.

She recommends using boxes and baskets to save space and keep like items together, as well as a special folding technique that allows you to maximize your space in your drawers.

As a rule of thumb, when you put items away, you should be able to easily see everything in the drawer. If you can’t see it, you will likely forget you own it. This rule applies to not only your clothes but also your kitchen tools, bathroom supplies, accessories, and everything in between.

It’s also important to utilize your space in a way where your most commonly used items are easy to access, but Marie recommends not to let too many items be stored on your countertop.  As long as you keep your surface areas clear, there will be fewer items to dust, making it easier to wipe down your countertops and keep them looking clean and tidy. Adding additional risers to shelving to utilize vertical space is a great way to ensure you are making the most out of your storage areas.

Finally, one of the most important factors of the KonMari method is expressing gratitude for both the items that you are keeping, as well as the items that you are letting go. Acknowledging that a certain item has served its purpose in your life can help alleviate some of the guilt that people may feel when donating or disregarding their belongings.

Many times we associate memories with our material possessions (especially if they were gifted to us by loved ones) and it can be hard to disassociate the memory from the item. By being grateful for your memories and honoring your belongings, you can confidently let go of the items that are no longer serving your vision of your ideal lifestyle.