Declutter, Organize and Categorize with Marie Kondo!
August 31, 2021
Millions of Americans are getting declutter tips from the 30-something Japanese organizing expert Marie Kondo. Her first show, “Tidying up with Marie Kondo” was an instant hit – which says something about how much we want to organize our lives! Her new show which starts today, Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo moves on from the home to businesses, relationships and communities!
But that’s for another blog! We’ll stick with the home because her approach – called the “KonMari Method” doesn’t organize room-by-room, but rather begins by sorting belongings by categories and keeping “only those things that speak to the heart”.
Sparking Joy and Tidying Up
Does this really work? If you watch the show, or even the trailer, you can see her method is HELPING lots of different types of people who have trouble letting go of unessential stuff.
People welcome this petite, soft-spoken woman with single-minded energy into their living spaces to help sort, categorize and de-clutter. Marie Kondo offers tips anyone can apply to the purging process and the first is to figure out what speaks to your heart and sparks joy.
“You feel it when you hold a puppy or when you wear your favorite outfit,” she says. “It’s a warm and positive feeling.”
Kondo believes as you focus on that feeling and develop a sensitivity to joy, you will progress through the decluttering process with ease – or at least with less difficulty.
Determine DeCluttering Categories
The first category is clothing, then books, paper, kitchen, bathroom, garage and all things miscellaneous, and finally sentimental items. With clothing, the KonMari Method separates everything into two piles – based on whether or not an article of clothing sparks joy or doesn’t. The pile you keep should be arranged so you can see everything – Kondo rolls or folds and stores everything purposefully, according to color, and favors the use of boxes.
After clothing, Kondo tackles books and papers. Before organizing she asks the people to imagine their ideal life. The point she helps them identify is which of these things maintain your household and support your life and aspirations? Instead of memorializing your past and getting bogged down with stuff, figure out what gives you joy and serves you best.
Personal papers start with a single stack which gets divided into three categories for storage. Always remove documents from their envelopes and sort into:
• Pending – Need Action, like letters and bills;
• Important – Need to keep forever, like contracts and insurance forms;
• Miscellaneous – Things you want to read again, like recipes.
Identify, Connect, Tidy Up
Kondo encourages people who get stuck to start with something they KNOW they LOVE, in order to experience that connection and identify it when they tidy up.
And when people feel guilty about letting go of a belonging, Kondo advises them to thank the items for their service while discarding them. This applies to clothes with the tags still on them, and unused items that will never be used!
Kondo focuses on eliminating and tidying so you can maintain a household that supports your life and aspirations, rather than memorializing your past or getting bogged down by clutter. For more tips visit Marie Kondo’s website, or pick up her book – a New York Times bestseller — available on Amazon digitally and as an audiobook.
So Many Options, At Southshore!
With plenty of storage space in the brand new homes at the master-planned community of Southshore it’s easier than ever to stay organized. Pantries and closets in the brand new homes from Taylor Morrison, Century Communities, Richmond American Homes and Toll Brothers are delightfully SPACIOUS. So discover all that’s available with Life at the Lake in ranch and two-story designs, priced between the $400s and the $700s.
