Earlier this year, Marie Kondo’s book, The Magic of Tidying Up, as well as her show on Netflix, became trending topics. The main theory behind Kondo’s method is to determine if an item “awakens joy.” If it doesn’t, it’s clutter and you don’t need it. To apply Kondo’s organizational methods to your own home, here’s what you need to do:
1- Determine if it brings you pleasure.
Kondo suggests going through each object in your home, picking it up and asking yourself if it brings you joy. If you don’t feel comfortable with an object, it’s time to get rid of it. This applies not only to furniture and knick-knacks, but also to clothes.
2- by category, not by room
Instead of going through your house room by room, Kondo suggests dividing everything into categories and going through your stuff that way. That way you’ll be able to clearly see everything you have in that group.
3- vertical folding
The vertical folding method is perhaps one of Kondo’s most revolutionary theories. When you fold and store your clothes vertically, you can see all your clothes clearly, as they are not hidden under piles that are scattered.
4-Clean containers
Kondo explains that when you buy food, it often comes in brightly colored boxes with garish labels. She recommends storing food in “clean” containers to make the pantry a quiet, relaxing place instead of a noisy one.
5-clothing
When it comes to storing clothes, Kondo says it’s very important to sort everything you wear by season. She also recommends grouping clothes of the same type and color to avoid buying pieces you already have.
6-bags
For bags, Kondo advises getting into the habit of emptying them every day. Put the contents in a separate compartment that contains the things you need in your bag every day. To save space and prevent bags from losing their shape, she also recommends placing them inside each other.
7- Photos
It’s hard to part with photos, but Kondo says you should only keep the ones that are especially memorable to you.
8- books
Kondo explains that you should divide your books into two categories: those you have already read and those you intended to read but have not. The former have already served their purpose and can be given as gifts. If you haven’t read the books in the second group yet, you probably won’t read them either and can also give them away. Keep only the books you really like.
9- workspace
Your workspace should be functional. So eliminate everything that doesn’t contribute to your work. Kondo suggests keeping important documents in vertical file cabinets, etc.
