By now you may have heard of Marie Kondo and her philosophy of decluttering and organising your house. If you haven’t yet, then you should. Everyone is buzzing about her and worshiping her revolutionary KonMari methods.
According to Kondo, ‘Life truly begins after you have put your house in order’. Interestingly, the process of organising your house helps cleanse both the mind and body. Breaking free from the clutter will help relieve you of your burden and anxiety.
Kondo came up with the KonMari method to help organise your space by surrounding yourself with things that spark joy and make you happy. Here are 11 of the life-changing decluttering lessons you may learn from our organising consultant.
1) Does it make you happy?
Asking yourself this question helps you to assess and decide if it is time to let go of an item. Instead of choosing the items to discard, apply reverse psychology on yourself. Concentrate on the items you would like to keep.
Hold each item in your hand and ask yourself, ‘Does it make me happy?’ Your answer will determine its fate; To dispose of or keep it.
2) Let go with love
Learn the art of letting go. Put on blinders and don’t let nostalgia take control of you.
Acknowledge the contribution of an item, but learn to accept that it has outlived its purpose. During a decluttering session, reassess each item to determine whether you need it or it has outlived its purpose. This way, you will learn to let go with gratitude.
3) Categorise the tasks at hand
Typically, you will find yourself organising your house room by room. Kondo teaches against this; you should instead organise by category, starting with the easiest tasks and finishing with the hardest.
4) Empathise with your stuff
Sounds weird, right? It works incredibly, next time be considerate of how you’ve left your room, and you might just find yourself tiding it up.
5) Folding vertically vs. stacking
When you fold vertically, it is easier to see your clothes. The KonMari method, arranges clothes like a catalog, storing your clothes standing up in the drawer. An additional upside is that it takes up less space.
Of course, there is the exception of jackets, dresses, coats, skirts, and suits which are better off on the hanger.
6) You can keep it. Don’t force yourself to let go of an item
Instead of getting rid of all the sentimental stuff, you can instead store it thoughtfully. Perhaps a storage box that you can easily access will do.
7) Have a bird’s view of all your items
Kondo says that it is helpful to have all your items in front of you. Create a mess before you can truly clean up. From here, you can now sort out and determine what sparks joy, and what to dispose of.
8) Discard first
Start by discarding the clutter before thinking about the storage of your valuables. You’ll be surprised by the amount of space you have in your house. This way, it will be easier to find storage for the items you’ve decided to keep.
9) Any storage is good
Stop worrying yourself about the type of storage box to use; any box can be used as storage. Avoid the excitement of purchasing new fancy boxes as this could add to your problems and clutter up your house.
10) Designate places to store items
Don’t scatter storage space. Find specific spots to place your items.
11) Unlearn to learn
Forget about the previous decluttering ‘rules’ and philosophies you’ve hear before. Kondo teaches you to make it a special event, set aside time to clean up as quickly and completely as you can. Get started now.
After you’ve experienced this process, she assures that you will never revert to clutter.
The best part about the KonMari method is that you don’t have to follow it to the letter. At Paul’s Rubbish Removal, we use it as a guideline to declutter your home. We pick the rules that apply to you, customising to your needs, and helping you cultivate your relationship with your belongings.
Once you have finished decluttering your home, the excess rubbish and junk will need a new home. This is where we can help you dispose of your unwanted items. We’ll arrive in a timely manner to your property to pick up all the rubbish.
Make a booking with us today on 0407 125 125 and we’ll help you take control of your space.
