The KonMari Method® - Abbreviated
The KonMari Method® (by Marie Kondo) is a very cool process. It works. I’ve been trained in the method and have achieved the Master Organizer distinction. It’s 1500 hours of work, lots of clients, and multiple reporting sessions. To me, it was worth the time. I love the KonMari Method®, which I consider to be a system. I’ve used it repeatedly to help people get control of their lives. The people who run the organization are very true to their core values, and as a KonMari consultant in the Dallas/Fort Worth/Metroplex area of Texas, I agree with their philosophy.
Having studied yoga for many years, I feel the effects of energy, and in a nutshell, I think that’s what organizing is all about. Yes, it’s about containers and boxes and getting things in order, but what it’s really about is the combination of decluttering, organizing and Feng Shui. It’s about letting your energy flow. And it can’t flow if it’s stuck.
A very edited version of the KonMari Method®:
Discard by category.
Categories, in chronological order are: Clothes, books, paper, komono (everything else), and sentimental items. For many, the hardest categories to declutter are paper and sentimental items.
Break the categories into subcategories to refine your discarding into smaller pieces.
For example, clothing comprises tops, bottoms, clothes that should be hung, socks, underwear, bags, and accessories, clothes you wear specifically to events, and shoes. It’s much easier to tackle a subcategory than it is an entire category at once. Breaking things into categories also gives you the opportunity to compare what you own. Do you really need ten purple tank tops or will one or two be enough? Be selective. It helps when you have to put things away.
Keep only the things you love - In Marie Kondo’s terms, that “spark joy.”
That means to keep only the things you truly love and discard (declutter) the rest. What this does is allow you to live among the things that make you happy, reduce stress, and keep you “joyful.” I think this is genius. No one wants to be dragged down by things in their environment that don’t make them happy. I want to look around my room and feel a smile on my face. It contributes to the happiness of others in what Shawn Achor calls the “ripple effect.” If you’re happy, it’s contagious, and others are happier because you’re happier. You can have a life that has greater meaning and joy if you surround yourself with things that have meaning to you. For more ideas about happiness, we suggest our Random Acts of Kindness Deck.
After you’ve finished discarding, organize your space.
This is the most common mistake people make when “tidying” on their own. They start organizing before they discard anything or enough. Instead of getting rid of everything that no longer serves them, they are challenged to organize things that they won’t or really don’t need to keep. They purchase storage items like boxes and baskets because they have too much to organize. Then, because they haven’t decluttered first, there are repeated trips back and forth to The Container Store® or UPS® or Whole Foods Market for Amazon returns. It’s a waste of time. If you declutter completely before organizing your space, you will see the fruits of your labor immediately when things are stored neatly away in boxes or hung in the closet. Marie Kondo’s philosophy states, “store all items of the same type in the same place and don’t scatter storage space.”
And here’s the hard part, and why a Marie Kondo consultant can help you: the objective is to do it all in one go.
That’s hard for people. In between soccer practice and work, dinner, and the kids, who has time to find large blocks of time? Not many. With extra hands and direction from The Uncluttered Life®, our Certified Masters in the KonMari Method® can get you sorted and organized in much less time than it would take you to do it alone. The ultimate secret to this success is: “If you tidy up in one shot, rather than little by little, you can dramatically change your mindset.” This is the ultimate goal of the KonMari Method®, which allows you to live a happier, more joyful life.