▲Each category can also be divided into subcategories, like sorting through shirts one day and pants the next.

▲Taking the time to greet and thank your house might sound weird to you, but Kondo pays her respects to every house she is decluttering, thanking it for what it has given the owner.

▲The KonMari method might be universally applicable for a more harmonious home, but it’s always individually fueled by personal motivation. Before throwing anything away, visualize and fully understand where you want to be at the end of the process, and why.

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It might seem logical to go room to room in your decluttering journey, but Kondo’s first rule is to tidy by category. She advises starting with clothing, then moving on to books, documents, miscellany, and, lastly, old photographs and mementos.

▲The essential step in the KonMari method is putting your hands on everything you own and asking yourself if it "sparks joy." It's quite a physical process, and has nothing to do with whether the item is practical or whether you "should" keep it.

▲Kondo also encourages people to thank each item for its service, particularly the ones you are letting go of, which will make the process much easier. You'll also appreciate what you have and learn to treat each item you own with respect.

▲It's essential to stay in the moment and think about what makes you happy in the present as opposed to what once made you happy. Kondo says you should go through mementos last, so that by the time you get to them you'll have refined your sense of what really brings you joy.

▲Have you ever considered your clothings' feelings? Kondo encourages people to think about whether their clothes are happy being squashed, crowded, or balled up.

▲Dumping everything in one spot is essential for really comprehending how much you own, and it’s a very fast way to realize that you can't possibly need all of it, which makes it easier to give things away.

▲Only after you’ve sorted through everything should you decide where the remaining items should be kept. Kondo believes a lot of our clothing would be better off (or, as she'd say, happier) folded in a dresser.

▲Instead of deciding what to get rid of, Kondo says the focus should be on what you want to keep.

▲Following the KonMari method, things have to get messier before they get clean. So if you’re worried about how messy your place is, you’re actually closer to getting organized!

▲Kondo’s vertical folding technique makes everything easy to spot and retrieve without messing up anything else. Everything from T-shirts to stockings can be first made into a long rectangle, then folded up from the bottom into a neat little package. Kondo also suggests using shoe-box type drawer dividers.

▲Give your old belongings to a charity thrift store, because the things that didn’t give you joy might work for someone else. Plus, you'll reduce your fashion footprint!

▲This focus on joy gives you permission to let go of anything that you've outgrown, that has faded, that clings uncomfortably, and that you don't actually enjoy anymore.

▲No wrestling with racks, and no crumpled up shirts, which means getting dressed in the morning will actually be a pleasure.

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Everything from documents to clothes and even your fridge contents can and should be arranged vertically, so that everything is visible, accessible, and easy to grab. Shelves are your friends!

▲Kondo doesn’t understand why people keep change in jars or drawers around their homes, rendering the money useless (when was the last time you turned your change into bills?), so she suggests putting loose coins into your wallet when you find them lying around so that you can actually spend them.

▲When you live with other people it can be hard to deal with their clutter, but Kondo doesn't recommend interfering with their stuff. Instead, you should set an example by concentrating on your own things and being a role model for everyone else.

▲Everyone has a drawer or an accordion file filled with old bills and documents that are all probably digitized now anyway. They are the epitome of useless clutter.

▲In the name of not doing anything contrary to that which will bring you joy, Kondo says you shouldn't put items around the sink because they can get wet and they make it harder to clean. At the very least, keep places that need more frequent cleaning free of clutter.

▲Whether it’s inhibiting yourself from intimacy in the bedroom, hindering your self-expression in the living room, or blunting your subconscious intuition by clogging your basement, there’s a negative effect of clutter for every room.

▲Your bed is the main focus of your room, so your room won't feel organized if your bed isn't made.

▲When you keep accumulating clothes and simultaneously running through the same rotation of outfits, you can easily lose sight of your style. The KonMari method is a way to find it again.

▲Label baskets in hallways so that everyone knows where things should go, and so that high-traffic routes in your home are kept clear.

▲The process won't work if you do it bit by bit. But don't worry: Kondo gives you six months to do it all!

▲Unlike some minimalists, Kondo doesn’t suggest that each person should only have one drawer for their clothes or just seven T-shirts. The KonMari method can be adapted for a wide range of possessions.

▲Make sure there is a specific place for every item in your home, so that you know where to put it back and are able to always find it.

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Kondo believes that wellness and mindfulness are about understanding what sparks joy in your life and makes you feel the most happy. And once you achieve this understanding, you can apply it to food, relationships, your career, and so much more.

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Marie Kondo took the world by storm—a very clean and careful storm that paradoxically left everything in its wake completely organized —when she released her international bestseller 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing' in 2014. She came to even greater fame with her 2019 Netflix show 'Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,' which was followed up with 'Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo' in 2021.

But the KonMari method is so much more than labeling bins and throwing things away. Check out this gallery for everything you need to know about one woman's key to happiness.

The Japanese art of decluttering and organizing

Learn the Marie Kondo Method

30/09/24 por StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Marie kondo

But the KonMari method is so much more than labeling bins and throwing things away. Check out this gallery for everything you need to know about one woman's key to happiness.