The name Marie Kondo and her KonMari Method are now well-known to many.
The tidying expert is the name behind two shows on Netflix – “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” and “Sparking Joy With Marie Kondo”.
Somehow, I hadn’t heard of Marie until very recently but I have since watched the aforementioned shows and also bought her book, “Spark Joy”.
The book is illustrated, showing you great tips for how to store things more effectively. I followed the guidelines in it to organise my own belongings.
Her method isn’t so much about minimalism and getting rid of things for the sake of it.
The concept of “sparking joy” comes from, as much as possible, surrounding yourself only with things that make you happy.
Marie suggests that we organise everything in a specific order.
- Clothes
- Books
- Papers
- Komono (miscellaneous items)
- Sentimental Items
The reasoning behind this order is that if we start with clothing, something we’re not traditionally sentimental towards, by the time we have worked through all the steps, it will be easier to sort through any treasured possessions and decide whether or not to hold onto them.
When it comes to each step, Marie suggests gathering together everything you own in that category.
This gives you a reality check as to how much you actually have. It’s quite often more than we’d expect.
I had the tidying bug
Photograph by Lisa Crow.
You’ll have heard of the expression “A place for everything and everything in its place”.
Well, I had everything in various places, which made it easier for me to misplace things.
I have now addressed that issue. I had the tidying bug, and I’m still feeling very motivated to work through all the different steps.
One thing I especially liked about the book is the illustrations of how best to fold various items of clothing.
Marie folds clothes into small squares so that they can “stand up” and be stored in drawers on their sides, rather than stacked on top of one another.
It’s far more aesthetically pleasing, and it means you can see at a glance everything that is in the drawer.
During the Papers stage, I found many cards I have been given over the years, from birthday greetings to engagement and wedding ones.
As Marie says, it’s nice to have been sent these cards, but many of them don’t have a specific message inside them other than being signed by the person sending the card.
She suggests that if a card doesn’t have a particularly sentimental message, perhaps we don’t need them – unless you feel drawn to the design or something.
I had a huge pile of paper recycling by the time I was finished.
Any cards or keepsakes that I wanted to keep are now in a specially-purchased binder.
What’s the point, after all, in having things that you never look at? Now, I will, with them sitting organised attractively in an album.
I was holding onto things that I really didn’t need
I still have quite a bit of “tidying” to do before I have completed the whole process, but already I’m feeling lighter and happier with my belongings a lot more organised.
In my paperwork, I found documents relating to the house I sold in 2019.
Plus I also found my Cycling Proficiency certificate and a letter I received from St James’s Palace on behalf of Princes William and Harry after I sent a condolence letter when Princess Diana died.
I had forgotten I had even done that!
I was holding onto so many things that I really didn’t need.
I’m using my space more effectively now
Photograph by Lisa Crow.
It’s only when you take the time to properly look at something that you see it for what it’s worth.
I surprised myself by getting rid of two dresses in particular that I used to wear to the office all the time.
Taking a closer look, I could see they were past their best. Off to textile recycling they went.
I now have a sink tidy in my kitchen, and my worktop space is generally a lot clearer now that I have got rid of an ugly spice rack holding spices we never even used.
Nine out of the 12 jars were out of date! My cutlery drawer is still not as tidy as I’d like, but thanks to a cutlery drawer that fits the space better, it’s now better than it was.
Although I have recycled a lot of paperwork, I have noticed that I’m using my space more effectively now, too.
So much so that one unit in my home office is so bare that I think that will be another thing to be donated to charity.
They say a tidy home equals a tidy mind. Well, I’m definitely feeling the benefits. Long may they continue.
