KonMari Method: Clean up and Organize
The KonMari Method of Tidying up and Organization really can be life-changing. Don’t be like me and do it in waves as you pack for a move.
As a result, you will save yourself the headache.
Start the process and do not stop until it is complete. You can thank me later. Says the lady on a first-name basis with the sales associates at every thrift store in the area.
Ahem.
The most significant idea of the KonMari method is the practice of discarding fully and completely. Don’t do it halfway, or it will remain on your “to-do” list forever.
Set time aside for your discarding and realize that it can’t get done in a day for most people.
For some, it takes up to 6 months. But don’t leave anything out. The idea is to hold everything in your hands as you decide what to keep. Consequently, you will know what to rid of from your home.
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Products to Help
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
If you’ve never read the book, I highly recommend reading it to understand better the concepts included.
I use similar storage baskets in my bathrooms and kitchen. Plastic is a good choice for these rooms because of the amount of water that splashes around.
Fabric bins give a softer look than bins made from hard materials. for this reason, I prefer the fabric version in my bedrooms and living spaces. They come in several sizes, as well as different colors.
Large Capacity Clothes Storage Bag Organizer
This type of organizer bag is perfect for storing large clothing items, not in season or bulky bedding you want to keep dust-free.
Closet Organizer Drawer Divider
When you are low on dresser space, a closet organizer is an easy solution.
Keep only what sparks joy.
This idea may seem silly to you. But I believe it will help you decide on what items to keep.
There is no point in a closet full of clothes that we do not like or will not wear. They take up valuable real estate in our homes.
Today I finally let go of a sweater that I have never felt comfortable wearing. It took several years to come to this point. But during that time, I have only worn it once.
Maybe twice.
WHAT was I waiting for?!
Make cleaning up a special event instead of a daily chore.
Tidying a little at a time means cleaning forever. Do I ever know the truth in that statement! To clarify, I spent years rearranging the clutter while trying to organize it in a neat and tidy fashion.
What I discovered? You can’t organize clutter.
I began my tidying up journey before ever hearing of the KonMari Method of Tidying Up and Organization.
So, I decided to declutter my life while in the middle of selling our house.
We cleared out our home for the staging.
For months two storage units kept secrets of how much junk we had. Due to this fact, we were shocked at what all was in storage once we moved.
After the move, we spent months cleaning out while holding everything we owned in our hands. It was almost too easy at this point because I refused to keep anything I didn’t want to move again.
The thrift store clerks became very familiar with me for a while. However, I refused to give up, though, and went as often as I needed to complete the task.
It would have been easier to discard and declutter everything before ever listing my house for sale in hindsight. Most importantly, I am thankful the job got done no matter how drawn out the task became.
KonMari Method: De-Clutter by category, not location.
Last week I read the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Mari Kondo. My thought was that I knew enough just from watching her hit show on Netflix. I was wrong.
Sorting by category instead of location is a brilliant idea.
The KonMari Method teaches to discard in a specific order when it comes to the categories. Clothes are first on the list and make sense as such.
The method requires that all of the clothes in the home come out at once. You bring the clothes to a central location to sort through.
If you have seen the show The KonMari Method to Tidying Up and Organization, you know that this method can create a mountain of clothing.
A daunting task, I am sure.
But think about how great it would feel to accomplish it all in one fell swoop.
Order the book for yourself if you have not done so!
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up .
It will go much more in-depth on how and why to the categories. And trust me when I say there is magic to tidying up.
The order of categories for discarding unwanted items is as follows.
- Clothes
- Books
- Papers
- Miscellaneous
I have a few papers that I need to go through yet again. I guess that is on my list for this weekend.
KonMari Method: Storage
Organize a place for everything.
Storage is so important!!! Every item must have a specific place so that everyone knows exactly where to put it back.
Things that don’t have a particular place contribute to the clutter in our homes for the simple fact that they are always out.
Keep storage simple.
You do not need to spend a ton of money buying fancy organization items. I use what I have on hand.
After almost 20 years of trying to organize, I have accumulated a few organizational things.
Boxes, small plastic containers, totes, baskets, and anything else you can find will work just fine.
You may want to get coordinating baskets or plastic containers at some point.
However, the task is about finding a home for everything.
So, in the beginning, use what is on hand.
Don’t scatter storage spaces.
This method will keep you from buying multiples of anything because it will all be in one place. My only problem category is my family’s first aid items.
I store them in the pantry, hall linen closet, and the linen closet in my bathroom.
So no wonder we are always hunting things down when we need them! This weekend all of my first aid items will be moved to one spot. In short, no more treasure hunts every time someone bleeds.
And there you have it.
To sum it up, the essential points of the KonMari Method of tidying up are here. While I disagree with her view on thanking the items or her perspective on meditation, I will say that her tidying up method is sound. It is also driven by much trial and error on her part. I just assumed that she was a naturally tidy person, which is not the case at all.
Lastly, it is possible to learn to be tidy. I come by it naturally while others in my family do not. But it CAN be taught.
One small step at a time.
Your savvy tip for today is to be sure and read my post Spring Cleaning: 7 Tips for the Ultimate Success. It comes with a link to get your FREE spring cleaning checklist! The perfect combination of decluttering and organizing with the KonMari Method.
But if you want to go straight to the signup page for my FREE spring cleaning checklist click below NOW!
This is great! I’ve already got my clothes done- now I have to get my teenager to do hers!
If only I could get my teenage daughter to do the same!