The mental anguish associated with clutter and mess is often more than we can fully comprehend.
In a year that has brought us all much more stress and disruption than we could’ve anticipated, a thorough spring clean is what we all need to gain some sense of control and relieve some tension.
And when it comes to decluttering, there is no one better to advise than Marie Kondo.
‘Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this, you can reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle,’ she says.
‘The best way to choose what to keep, and what to throw away, is to take each item in one’s hand and ask: ‘Does this spark joy?’ If it does, keep it.’
So here’s how to spring clean the KonMari way!
Set some time aside and commit
Spring cleaning the KonMari way cannot be done on a whim. You need to clear your calendar and set aside a day (probably more) to tackle the job.
Consider how the decluttering will enhance your life, the sense of joy you will achieve when you know you’re in control.
By keeping this vision in your mind, you’re more likely to stay motivated and commit to the task at hand.
Sort by category, not room
Spring cleaning would traditionally mean taking the task room-by-room.
However, Marie Kondo believes that tackling the job by category, rather than room, keeps you focused, and makes sorting through the items that much easier.
Some of the categories you can consider include:
· Clothing
· Books
· Paper
· Toiletries and medicine
· Kitchen items
· Toys
· Linen
· Electronics
· Miscellaneous (‘komono’ in KonMari)
Identify items for discarding
Often the most difficult task for the hoarders among us, deciding what items to discard can take most of your spring cleaning time.
You need to formulate a set of rules ahead of the discarding process, so that you are not left anguishing over granny’s old socks.
An example could be the one-year rule – if it hasn’t been used in the past year, it must be discarded.
The KonMari philosophy is that you keep only what sparks joy – if it doesn’t bring you happiness, it shouldn’t be in your life.
You can either donate it or throw it away, but you’re going to have to be ruthless during this stage.
Organise what remains
You’ll already feel much lighter by this stage, having discarded items that don’t bring you joy but rather just clutter up your life.
Now you can organise the remaining items in a way that makes your life easier.
The KonMari way is to keep all similar items together, so pots and pans in one cupboard, rather than all over the kitchen.
Once items have been used, it’s best to get into the habit of returning them to their proper place.
Storage and cleaning
If you’ve got to step four and realise that you haven’t got a place for everything, you might want to consider organising a better storage system.
This could be re-using items you already have – boxes, shoe racks and bookshelves – or going out and buying items.
Once everything is in its proper place, you can get out the cloths and detergents and start giving your house a deep clean to complete the process.
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