Tidy Tuesday: Konmari Method: Overview of the First 3 Sections of the Book

So, I was lent a book last month about "tidying". 

While I thought, "gee... I am a relatively organized person and I have made LEAPS and BOUNDS since I was in High school...that doesn't mean that this book won't benefit me" when I was originally offered the book, I was incredibly open to the idea. I wanted to share what I had learned and experienced over a series I will fondly call "Tidy Tuesdays".

The book is called The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing  by Marie Kondo. She has come up with a method, which she calls "The KonMari Method" (a combination of her two names).

Here is what I took for the first 3 sections of the book:

Section 1 : Why Can’t I Keep My Home in Order?

She talks about why you might want to pick up this book and then give a brief over view of her method. Primarily the method is that you start by discarding and then organize your space thoroughly and completely in one go. She assess that a dramatic reorganization of the home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspective. It is life transforming and thus when you put your house in order, you put your affairs and past in order as well. Many of her clients made other dramatic changes to their lives, such as going for the dream job and finally losing the weight they had been trying to drop. She says that you should surround yourself with things you love or that bring joy. I mean, it makes sense. You put yourself in a home of things that only spark joy, you are going to be happier! You aren't going to feel weighed down by the extra. She goes on to explain that in order for people to change their habits, they must first change their way of thinking. Again, this is science and fact. It doesn't take a genius to understand the clutter is a habit and not an organizational problem. Putting things away creates the illusion that the clutter problem has been solved. It by no means remedied. She claims that tidying is a special event. Don’t do it every day. Just get in the habit of being organized and then you will live tidy.

Section 2 : Finish Discarding First

Marie Kondo is logical. She points out the obvious: Effective tidying involves only two essential actions: discarding and deciding where to store things. Of the two, discarding must come first. Don’t think about putting your things up until you have finished the process of discarding.
After she explains things that we already know, but probably wouldn't have thought of without her pointing it out first, she encourages you to use your imagination. She asks us to think of concrete terms so you can vividly picture what it would be like to live in a clutter free home. She then askes you to assess WHY we wish to live like so. Husband and I did just that.


· My Version: I want to feel like I live in refined a bed and breakfast or a manor home. Full of warmth, refinement, and memories. I want to live an "adult lifestyle".
· I want the focus of my home on the inherent character from personalized touches scattered through out. These "touches" are endowed with meaning and memories in such a way that our guest are intrigued who come to my home, but not so many that I feel suffocated.
· I will come home, there will be a place for everything, and everything will be utilized. I will be able to find things quickly and easily.
· In the morning, I will wake up and put on my favorite workout clothes and feel uninhibited as I work out as there is nothing looming over my head. I want to do Yoga regularly. I want to be able to focus all my time on losing weight with no excuses then be able to focus on my children without feeling like there is tons of stuff to organize or clean. I will come home from work and there will be nothing to "pick up". Instead, I can read or play a game while having a beverage of choice. Or cook dinner and make a menu plan for the week. In the evening, I will follow an evening routine, brush my teeth, and not feel the desire to live like I am in college.

this sort of feel...

· Husband's Version: I want our home to be an un-cluttered home. I want to live with everything in its place. When I'm finished using something, I want to return it to where it belongs. If we succeed in doing this every time there will never be a moment when we have to "tidy up" the house. I want to organize things by their types so I always know where to go find something. And there should always be enough space that if we acquire something new it has a place among similar objects. If there isn't enough space, that means we need to evaluate what we can get rid of. I also want things easily accessible.

Why do I want to live like the above?
I want to live a more relaxed and happy lifestyle.
I want to live in such a way that it won't look like the house exploded after we have kids.
I want to have the time to lose weight so I can be a fit momma.
I want to free up time looking for things and "organizing/clean" things up so I can cook for my husband and someday maybe children.
I feel confident and not embarrassed with my home.


The author then goes on to explain HOW to discard things. Remember you are choosing what you want to KEEP, not get rid of. She instructs you to hold each item in your hand and ask"Does it spark joy?". If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it. It is a very simple idea.  She goes on to have you ask these sort of questions of yourself:
Am I happy wearing clothes that don’t give me pleasure?
Do I feel joy being surrounded by book that are unread and don’t touch me heart?
Do I use my accessories because I feel obligated or because they inspire happiness?

She says to keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. Ms Kondo goes on to suggest that you think in terms of category, not place. ie Go through ALL your clothes at once with the Pickup Joy Theory, not just the clothes in your closet you use regularly, but in your dresser, off season box, top shelf of your closet, and front hall closet, Gather everything from the category in one place. Go through the MASSIVE pile of clothes in in one fell swoop. Don’t linger.

Section 3 : Tidying By Category Works like a Charm

Our author has a VERY specific order in which one should clean. There are 2 rules she mentions several times through out the book.
Number 1 Rule: Do not start with mementos! They are the hardest to get rid of and thus will doom you to failure. This is your order: Clothes, Books, Papers, Komono (In English, she mean small articles), and Mementos. Even with in those categories there are many subcategories.
Another Rule:  Don’t let your family see what is being disposed. It is extremely stressful for parents to see what their children discard. They are scared that you won’t be able to “survive” on what is left. Also, they feel guilty for “needing” so much. This is a private spiritual matter.

She suggests you start in the morning and to not have background noise like music or the TV playing. She says nature sounds at most, I personally find rain or thunderstorms or babble brooks to keep me focused and in the zone. Ms Kondo states that you need to communicate with your belongings and discover what sparks joy and what doesn’t. Silence your phone and take this private time. Listen to your intuition and not your rational brain in this endeavor. Everything “could be used” or “might be needed”, but does it spark joy?
She assists with learning the midset of a minimalist by having you ask questions like:
Why do I have it in the first place? When? What meaning? If I have clothes that I have purchased, but then never wear, look at them one at a time. Where did you buy it and why? Why don’t I wear it?

Take note of any trends in what you are deciding not to keep. Remember that you that color/cut/style doesn't look good on you and not buy it again. For the things that are leaving your home: Thank it for it’s task and then let it go. If you come across something you can’t bear to get rid of, define it’s purpose. Why can't you let it go?

To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose.