A Primer to Home Organisation using the Konmari Method

If you are following my Instagram stories you already know that I have been on a declutteringDisposing unused and unloved things from my home in order to free up space spree since September. I have got more stuff than I need and what I need are very poorly organised. So I understood the real value of things I own by getting into the declutter-mode. It is whilst I was going through this organisation process that I learned about the Konmari method.

I first read about Konmari method in this book by Marie Kondo called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I am yet to complete reading her second book on the same topic called Spark Joy.

In essence, here are the key techniques prescribed by Marie Kondo in her book:

1. Declutter Once and Properly:  In her book, she says, “Tidy a little a day and you will tidying forever”. I agree. If you are decluttering and reorganising your home, tidying a little is not going to help. You will need to do an initial revamp (which can even be over  a few months) before you can get into a daily/weekly routine of housekeeping.
2. Organise by Category, not Location: In most of our houses, things that fall into the same category are stored in different places. Marie Kondo says in her book to tackle your items from various rooms in one go. For example, she suggests that you declutter clothes first. And to do this, you tackle all the clothes from all the closets in all the rooms.
3. Discard First, Store Later: Get rid of what you don’t need before you consider storing the rest.
4. Tidy in the Right Order: Marie Kondo prescribes the following order: Clothes, Books, Papers, Komono (miscellaneous) and Sentimental Items. In her book, she goes into great detail on how to separate each category into sub-categories.
5. Determine if each item “sparks joy”: She advises on focussing on each item and understand if it brings you joy before discarding or storing it. Do this by taking each item in your hand and asking yourself “does this spark joy?” If yes, then it stays. If it does not spark joy, then throw it out.

Here is a video of Marie Kondo explaining the Konmari method on The Ellen Show:

If you are interested in seeing me go through my home organisation the Konmari way, let me know in the comments below or on social media. If you are using the Konmari way or a better home declutter or organising technique, share them here too.