Keeping your home clean and clear of clutter can be an excellent way to improve your space and create a peaceful environment to live in. Not only does a clean home promote benefits to your overall well-being, but it is also an effective way to be happier and more productive throughout the day.
However, cleaning often comes across as an unpleasant chore for some people, especially if they don’t know where to begin.
These days, the KonMari method is believed to be a good cleaning strategy. Through this decluttering method, you can take on a minimalistic approach to tackling the necessary tasks that will help you get organized. But what exactly is KonMari, and how can it help you achieve a better living space that you can enjoy?
What is the KonMari Method?
The KonMari method is popularly known as a minimalistic organizing strategy that helps you tackle things by category rather than by cleaning each room one at a time. Marie Kondo, a professional organizer, coined the term. She is famous for her best-selling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,” published in 2014.
According to Kondo, the KonMari method promotes several benefits, including better time management skills and improved physical and mental health. Apart from that, it can also affect various other aspects of your life, such as your productivity and finances.
How Does It Work?
In essence, the goal of the KonMari method is to create a space for yourself that sparks joy by getting rid of items in your home that are not of value to you anymore. To get started, Kondo states that it is best to empty all storage areas such as closets, drawers, pantries, etc.
Once you have created a pile of your items, you can then segregate them into different categories and determine what value they still hold. While this may seem like an overwhelming task to get done, there are a few basic guidelines that you can use to ease the process.
The Six Rules of The KonMari Method
In her book, Marie Kondo establishes a few key rules that you need to keep in mind while going through the decluttering process.
1. Commit yourself to a time to tidy up
The KonMari method requires you to have a serious intention of cleaning up your home before you begin. This means making an effort to set up a time when you can create a clear vision of what you want to achieve and complete it in one go.
With this in mind, it can be easier to motivate yourself and find the right attitude to get through all the work swiftly.
2. Visualize your ideal lifestyle as you work
Kondo suggests visualizing the kind of lifestyle you want to live. This step helps you clarify why you are tidying up your home in the first place and identify what things do not match with your vision of an ideal life. To help you gain a better image of what you want, you can create vision boards or look up photos for inspiration.
3. Finish clearing up items first
The third rule of the KonMari method is to focus on discarding items first. During this step, focus on what you want to keep and still holds value to you. This step will teach you how each item affects your life and impacts your decisions on how to acquire new things in the future.
4. Tidy by category, not by location
More often, similar items are stored in multiple locations around the house. To maximize efficiency and avoid repeating the same steps for each room, clear up things by category—separate them by categories like clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items, and sentimental ones.
5. Stick to the proper order
Kondo states that the order of how you tidy your things is essential to getting things done quicker and more efficiently. By starting with the easiest category (clothes) and ending with the most difficult (sentimental items), you hone your decision-making skills in the process.
At the same time, you gain tangible proof of your efforts as you quickly move through each step, which can motivate you even further.
6. Ask yourself if this item sparks joy
You are the only one who can determine what type of environment makes you the happiest. For this final rule, Kondo encourages you to pick up each item individually and ask yourself if it sparks joy in you. Pay close attention to how your body responds to this. By doing so, you select the items that you need the most and make you happy.
Clean Environment, Clear Mind
Your home should be a safe place where you and your loved ones can feel relaxed and happy. As such, cleaning is a big part of maintaining this environment, but it can be tiring to maintain. Luckily, through the KonMari method, you have a better approach to organizing your place by filling it with only the items that spark joy and getting rid of things that don’t.
Author Bio:
Mari Fuentelara is from Mayfair & Co, Manila’s first full-fledged Home Organizing Atelier & Label Studio. With years of experience as a digital marketer, she oversees Mayfair’s marketing and advertising campaigns. In her spare time, you can find her reading books, cooking, or taking photos.
