So Fresh and So Clean

So Fresh and So Clean

As humans, we all have a tendency to collect things. In time, we accumulate clutter in the home—new toys for the kids, paperwork from the office, and those pants that looked so good on you in the fitting room, but you just never wear. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. By applying a smarter, edited approach to our lives, we can keep clutter in check. It’s called the Kondo Method, and recently, we were honored to have hosted a KonMari Method workshop for anyone interested in changing their life through a tried-and-true approach to decluttering our homes and tidying up our lives.

Recently, we invited Master Certified KonMari Consultant, Caitlin Roberts to share her expertise knowledge on this method through a series of hands-on workshops that were held at Ward Village. If you’re looking to add those extra sunrays of joy back into your life and are still unsure about how to best tidy your home to let the light in, let’s deep dive into the KonMari Method.

Not long ago, Marie Kondo debuted her best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and the entire world took note. The how-to book brought an Eastern perspective to Western living by introducing the Zen-like art of organizing and pairing down. The method allows us to take an edited approach to our lives and create joy-filled homes in the process. The KonMari Method, as the Japanese art of organizing is now known, became an international hit. Kondo followed up her initial success with a second book, Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up, and a Netflix original show, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.

Beyond folding clothes with origami-like efficiency, Kondo believes that by following some basic rules of tidying, life-transforming joy can be uncovered in the home. The first step is the hardest—commit yourself to tidying up. Get ready to take stock of your possessions and make some tough decisions. Then, outline your end goals and make those goals tangible, literally. Draw out or write a description of your perfect home, identifying your ideal lifestyle. Next is Kondo’s key to success for tidying, discarding things. But before you get started chucking this and that into the rubbish bin, consider tidying in this order: clothes, books, paper, komono (miscellaneous), and finally, sentimental items. This will keep you on track with the tidying, instead of reminiscing over old family photos for two hours.

The next step is the moment of truth. Focus on sorting and getting rid of unnecessary items. Remember, the KonMari Method is about sparking joy in your life. Hold an item and determine whether it brings you joy. If it doesn’t, toss it. Once that tough job is complete, tidy by category, not location, which allows you to see the total amount of the things you have in that category and then organize them accordingly. Good luck and we hope you find some extra joy in your home.