10 tips for decluttering your life

Japanese tidying maestro Marie Kondo got Leigh-Anne Hunter organised and into the spirit of Zen

Marie Kondo is a Japanese organising consultant who runs a business in Tokyo where she helps clients “transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity”. Kondo was inspired by her own culture — the year-end tradition of cleaning house in preparation for the New Year has become part of the Japanese DNA, she says.

Kondo’s book, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up, was a runaway bestseller. Being a mom of a toddler whose house is always in disarray, I had to test out her now-famous “KonMari Method” for myself.

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Here are 10 decluttering lessons I learnt, which might also help you in your quest for a Zen space.

1) Own the reasons behind your decluttering habit

There are two reasons people hoard, Kondo says —  an attachment to the past or fear of the future. Her clients have held onto everything, from their old school uniform (attachment to the past), to a stockpile of cotton buds (fear of not having enough in the future).

Kondo believes that by “putting our house in order”, and releasing these attachments and fears, we can liberate ourselves from the weight of our possessions, and quite literally, put our life in order too. “When your room is uncluttered, you have no choice but to examine your inner state,” she says. “Tidying never lies.”

2) Picture your perfect lifestyle

To inspire you on your anti-mess quest, Kondo suggests picturing the kind of house you want to live in and your ideal lifestyle. Draw it, describe it in words in a journal, or cut out pictures from a magazine. “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life,” Kondo says.

3) Avoid “clutter rebound” by tidying up all in one go

The secret to the success of the KonMari Method —  and why Kondo believes it trumps other decluttering systems — is that it shows you how to avoid “clutter rebound”. It’s simple: just tidy up all in one shot (call it a Decluttering Marathon if you will).

Kondo is adamant that a gradual approach to tidying is “doomed to failure” because it doesn’t give you the immense satisfaction that tidying in one fell swoop does, since the results are far more dramatic. That thrill, she says, of seeing an entirely spotless home, will keep you from accumulating clutter ever again.

4) Discard first, store second

One common characteristic of people who never finish tidying up is that they try to store everything without actually discarding anything, says Kondo. “If the storage units are filled with unnecessary items, it will be impossible to keep them organised, and this will inevitably lead to relapse.” So discard first and store second.

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5) Tidy according to category, not location

Kondo says people often take the room-by-room approach to tidying. Big mistake. “People think they have tidied up when in fact they have only shuffled their things around from one location to another or scattered items in the same category around the house, making it impossible to get an accurate grasp of the volume of things they actually own.”

On the other hand, tidying by category (for example, clothes) allows you to objectively see exactly how much you own, says Kondo, whose clients are shocked to see the piles and piles of stuff that they have accumulated.

It’s very important to “get an accurate grasp of the sheer volume for each category”, she says. The shock of actually seeing how much junk you have hoarded will inspire you to discard what you no longer need.

6) Follow the right steps

Not only is it vital to tidy by category, but you should also to follow the right order, says Kondo. That is: clothes, then books, papers, “komono” (miscellaneous objects), and lastly, sentimental items. Why? Most of us will know that discarding sentimental items is hardest of all, and taking a trip down memory lane can delay the tidying process dramatically.

Don’t beat yourself up, though. “This is a common blunder,” says Kondo. It can be avoided by leaving sentimental items until last. By the time we have sorted through all the other categories, we will have perfected the art of decluttering and discarding some sentimental items will no longer be so difficult.

7) Ask yourself: does this item spark joy?

Keep it or chuck it? The main criterion for deciding is whether the item sparks joy, Kondo says. This highlights a key point: decluttering is not just an act of discarding, but the art of choosing what to keep. “By letting go of the things that have been in your life with a feeling of gratitude, you foster appreciation for, and a desire to take better care of, the things in your life.” And who doesn’t want to feel more joyful?

8) Handle each item individually

One useful way to ascertain if an item indeed sparks joy in your heart is to handle  every item for a few minutes. You will quickly sense whether those shoes make you feel hot — or not.

9) Make discarding a ritualistic exercise

Kondo, who believes that all items, and one’s very home, contain energy, believes that discarding items we no longer love or use means giving them a chance to shine and live their true purpose in someone else’s home.

It sounds a little fluffy, but maybe Kondo has a point. Rather give that crumpled dress to a good home than have it sitting in the bottom of a pile in your cupboard. Make discarding a ritual and bid items goodbye out loud, she says, but first give thanks for the role they played in your life.

10) Treat your possessions with respect

Once you are left with only the items you truly love, make sure you treat them with the due respect. Here are some tips from Kondo:

• Learn the magic art of folding.  Folding is the key to a neat wardrobe. Socks are often the most abused clothing item. Be kinder to your socks — don’t ball them up; rather lay one sock against the other and fold them. If you’re not sure how, Kondo’s book, Spark Joy: An Illustrated Guide to the Japanese Art of Tidying, has step-by-step illustrations.

• Store accessories in an attractive way.  If you don’t have a dressing table, use a chest of drawers or the shallow top drawer in your desk, says Kondo, who suggests using pretty paper as lining. Your possessions, she says, should delight your senses, even if you are the only one looking at them.

• Create your own personal “power spot”: Find a nook in your house that is just for you and fill it with the things you love. Think about the areas in your home that you love the most. One of Kondo’s clients, a stay-at-home mom who spends a lot of time in the kitchen, erected a corkboard displaying photos of her kids and their art. Now she enjoys cooking so much more. “The effects of creating your own personal space are immeasurable,” says Kondo.