Does it spark joy? We look at the Marie Kondo approach to de-cluttering YOUR life!

Thought you knew everything about decluttering and keeping your home neat and tidy…think again! Marie Kondo, a renowned Japanese organising consultant and tidiness expert explains how to keep your home free of mess and clutter – forever! Read on to learn some of Marie Kondo’s top tips!

 1. Tidy by category first

How do you usually tackle your clutter? Many people think that tackling one room at a time is the best wayto tackle  the decluttering process. However, Kondo disagrees and suggests that we sort and tidy by category first. For instance, you should start by sorting through your clothing first. Find every piece of clothing that may accumulated in other areas of your home and anything you don’t want to keep should go into the bin.

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 2. Sort it out once and once for all

If you’ve sorted out your clutter in stages in the past by getting rid of things over a few days rather than doing it all at once, now is definitely the time to start and make a change. According to Kondo, it is best to set aside some time and tackle all your clutter together – once it’s done, it’s done!

 3. Start with the easy things and leave the hard stuff

Focus on getting rid of the easy things such as clothing first. Kondo recommends that you tackle your wardrobe first, then move on to books, papers and other miscellaneous items such as kitchen essentials. Leave the hard stuff such as love letters and old photo albums for last! These are things which will make you sentimental and take you on a trip of nostalgia. It will most likely cause you to procrastinate and not complete your decluttering mission.

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 4. If you don’t love it, throw it away

In order to accomplish your goal of tidiness and organisation, you need to be particularly mindful about what you are discarding. Think carefully about what you are throwing away. Kondo suggests that you pick up each item, hold it in your hand and consider what it means to you. She says ask yourself, “Does it bring me joy?” If it does, you will be able to feel this right away AND if it doesn’t, it’s definitely time to say good-bye to it! Another valuable point that Kondo makes is that you quietly thank the person who gave you the gift to release yourself of any guilt you may be feeling and then discard it into the throw-away pile.

 5. Be ruthless about paperwork

Do you save telephone and electricity bills, all your credit card and grocery slips? Are you one of those people who has a dedicated drawer for all your appliance manuals – the washing machine, tumble drier, kettle, iron and blender? Ask yourself why you are holding onto them? Do you ever use any of them? Seriously people! We live in an age that is so influenced by technology and using paper is a thing of the past.

Make your life easier and clutter-free by having your bills sent to you online rather than by mail. Get rid of old grocery slips unless they are very important and you can scan and save them to your computer. Keep important paperwork and documents such as insurance policies, employment contracts, birth certificates etc in a file that is easy to access. Everything else needs to go, so don’t be afraid to be ruthless and throw your paper away!

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 6. Don’t invest in “expensive“ or “better” storage systems

We often think that buying fancy or expensive storage systems will help make your storage and decluttering experience so much easier. Kondo disagrees and says that fancier, expensive storage items are not necessarily better. She firmly believes that a simple shoe box is all you need to store items like socks neatly and then put them in a drawer. A shoe box is versatile and can be used to store a variety of things throughout the home. Best of all, we all have empty shoe boxes at home and you’ll be saving a fortune on expensive storage systems – noit to mention that you will be contributing towards a healthier planet by recycling shoe boxes instead of throwing them away!

 7. Fold clothes, don’t hang them

Learn how to fold clothes instead of hanging them to create more space and storage. Think about how much space you are wasting by hanging jeans and trousers. Doing it this way also makes for easier access and your drawers and cupboards will also look so much neater! Kondo says that only certain clothing items such as suits, coats and delicate dresses need to be hung. View Kondo’s basic folding method video where she teaches you how to fold clothing on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpc5_1896ro

 8. Treat your possessions with love

The idea of treating your possessions with love may sound materialistic but this is not what Kondo implies. She claims that if we have a continuous dialogue with our possessions we will be able to let go of them more easily. We all know how attached we can become to a particular pair of shoes, handbag, phone or car and if we treat them really well – when the time is right, we can release our hold of them and let them go. So, from now onwards, tell your favourite pair of heels how much you love them! When they are past their prime, thank them for their faithful service and let them go!

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9. And lastly, ask yourself this question

 By using mindful de-cluttering techniques, you will be able to simplify your home and your life and make way for a life containing things and people that bring you joy. You deserve it, don’t you?