Photo Source: KonMari.com
By now I’m sure that most of you would have heard about the new Netflix series “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.” If you haven’t, and you’re really struggling with clutter, this show can give you some life-changing principles to live by…
I read “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” a few months ago, and I have to admit, the show definitely doesn’t cover as much as the book does. Kondo’s book goes into a lot more detail in explaining how the KonMari Lifestyle works and how one should tackle their things. It was, however, fascinating for me to be able to watch her pass absolutely no judgement on the size of her clients’ clutter, handle any kind of personality, and then jump straight into her basic principles to get all kinds of people to think differently about their “stuff.” It was actually a really egalitarian approach, and the beauty of it was that over a month or two you could visibly see positive physical and emotional changes in every single client and their relationships – so beautiful!
What I think stands out the most for me though is her attitude towards “stuff” – the things you use, that you’re done with, and the things that you want to hold on for longer. She makes you think about the value of every single item and why it’s in your home. Kondo wants you to be thankful that you have these things in your life, but if it isn’t working with your future lifestyle and has served its purpose, then thank it and move on.
Anyways, as you can see, I was very impressed by her, so I thought I’d summarize some of my favorite learnings for you guys, just in case you haven’t seen her stuff or don’t quite appreciate it just yet!
Visualize Your Ideal Lifestyle
Kondo’s whole thing is based off whether an item “sparks joy” or not. It sounds strange, but it’s a cool concept in that she wants you to visualize your ideal lifestyle and then decide what needs to be a part of that. What items actually bring you happiness? And don’t keep anything that isn’t going to grow with you!
Organize By Category and Not By Room
I mean I’m definitely organized, but this was the most important and mind-blowing advice that I got. I have been doing it room-by-room for foreverrrrr. It always felt very repetitive and all of my “categories” ended up in different places so that I had to visit several different spots to clean up the mess. So annoying! The KonMari method advocates going through a specific order when decluttering: clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items (office, kitchen, kids room, garage, etc.) and then lastly, sentimental items. It’s harder to go through sentimental items, so she wants you to practice her methods on the easy stuff before moving on.
Stack things upright
It is so much easier to see things and access them when they’re upright like this. I have yet to do this, but I think it’s such a good way of managing crazy drawers. And if you’re storing smaller items in large boxes or drawers, group similar items into smaller boxes to compartmentalize, and then store them in the larger container. You can see brilliant examples of this by a KonMari Consultant below…
Tackle Your Own Mess
Your entire family needs to tackle their own stuff. It’s impossible to organize for other people anyway. And since they probably need to learn to value their things, make them throw it away themselves and organize their own space! Easier said than done – I know – but it’s worth a try…
Cleaning Up Takes Time
Decluttering doesn’t take a day or two. In my experience, it takes at least a month! Kondo had some clients decluttering way past the one month mark. I mean, it’s an emotional process and incredibly exhausting so why not give yourself the time to go through it properly…
Declutter First and then You Can Buy Storage Items
I think that this is implied, and not something that she says outright (I can’t really remember actually), but it is a really important tip that I took from her methods. She doesn’t encourage you to buy storage items (she’s OK with a shoe box), but if you need more containers, I think it’s better if you don’t buy them immediately. Honestly, if you do then you’ll want to fill them with crap later especially if you don’t have stuff to put in them… They also take up valuable space! So why not declutter first, and then you’ll know what needs to be stored, what shape they should be, and how many containers you might need.
Some Useful Containers for Your Organizing Needs
So Kondo loves advocating using shoe boxes, but this is where we part ways. I don’t want to use my shoe boxes for these things, so I thought I’d share some cuter options with you…
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1. Bin, IKEA, SR 22 | Available in different sizes and colors, SR 19-29 | Useful for food storage to store bottles, jars or packets of food
2. Clear Canister, Home Center, SR 29 | Available in different sizes and shapes, SR 25-39
3. Round Glass Canister, Nice, SR 8.99 | Available in different sizes, SR 6.99-12.99
4. OXO Container set of 5, SACO, SR 89 | A high quality and more expensive version of the clear canister
5. Stackable Storage Canister 128oz., SACO, SR 10
6. Storage Basket, Home Center, SR 10 | Great for small shelves and can act as a drawer with its handle
7. Storage Basket, Home Center, SR 12
8. Box, IKEA, SR 9 | Available in different sizes and colors | Try using these in drawers or in larger boxes to help compartmentalize and sub-categorize items. Even the lid can be used!
9. Fridge Bin, SACO, SR 43.75 | This can be used in the fridge or in a pantry
10. Jar with lid, IKEA, SR 17 for 3
11. Spice Jars, IKEA, SR 9 for 4 | I LOVE these as spice jars. I keep coming back to them. You can also use these to store little tacks, nails, etc.
12. Storage Box, IKEA, SR 15 | You can use this and its lid to sub-categorize in drawers
13. Clear Bin, IKEA, SR 13 | Available in different sizes | These boxes are everything. I use them to store anything and everything in my house. It’s great to have clear containers so that you can see what’s in the box rather than having to dig through it!
14. Cloth Boxes (set of 6), IKEA, SR 35 | These are great for compartmentalizing things in your drawers
15. Felt box, IKEA, SR 50 | This one is pricey but it’s so pretty that I couldn’t resist…
16. Metal box, H&M Home, SR 59 | I love a good excuse to buy this basket. I use it to store stuff in the kitchen, and for little paper items like extra cards that I have.
17. Cotton Storage Box, H&M Home, SR 59
18. Felt boxes, IKEA, SR 23 for 3 | This one is pretty, soft, and is inexpensive.
19. Cloth Box, IKEA, SR 39 for 2 | I’ve been using these for years now – to roll up belts, for undies, and random items! The size is great, and they fit perfectly in my non-IKEA dresser.
20. Metal box, H&M Home, SR 85 | If you prefer the metal look, these could be used to roll up smaller items like belts, undies, etc.
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Get creative with these storage items and remember that most of them are quite versatile and can be used to store items in any room! Also make sure you measure your drawers and shelves before you get these items, so that they all fit.
Best of luck with your decluttering!
Just a few people to follow for organizing ideas if you’re more of a visual person…
@thehomeedit (Khloe Kardashian’s pantry was organized by these guys! If you haven’t seen it yet, go to their IG NOW), @okonomi_by_lina (A KonMari Consultant! Her blog is in French so her IG is probably better to follow if you don’t know French), @sortedksa (A Saudi-based KonMari Consultant Trainee – a great resource for locally based ideas), @iheartorganizing (I’ve been following Jen Jones for forever, and not only is she a great organizer but has great home style too!)
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[…] more storage posts, check out my “Marie Kondo and How You Can Store Your Stuff” […]