The KonMari System or Method of tidying is a timeless "hack" for cleaning and orderliness. It was first first described by Marie Kondo (who is attributed as the founder); and in her book: "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" — a #1 New York Times Bestselling book — she laid opened the technique which promotes a simple principle:
"discard every possession that does not bring you joy; and for the remaining items, ensure that they are well organized".
Since the days of old, man has mostly been a hoarder; choosing to hold on various objects (some irrelevant). Even as children, I'm quite sure a lot of us had a stack of toys, playthings, objects found on the ground outside which we meticulous picked up and stored somewhere in a pile for future use. This simple pattern of hoarding things leads to cluttering and disorderliness, sometimes causing us to be confused a bit, saying things like "where did I keep it?", "I thought I left it here"... and thus begins the endless pit of cluttering if you do not take active stance in getting rid of irrelevant things.
This cluttering phenomenon is also mostly observed in the academic world where students (and professors alike) hoard books, journals, pamphlets, materials for future reference without opening up or preparing a standard (or at least, a decent) library. Books lying scattered on tables or sheets upon sheets of paper of good information but without proper documentation for easy accessibility, that sooner or later one would start asking his or herself the same circle of questions:
"where did I keep it?" ...
"I thought I left it here"...
"Who has seen my *insert whatever relevant thing*?"...
and then finally, the mind-opening revelation comes: "I need to tidy up my room, office, house etc", and it is at this point that a lot of people go about the tidying up process the wrong way by tidying up in a room-by-room format and find themselves cluttering and storing irrelevant things once more.
Applying The KonMari System of tidying or decluttering is all about choosing Joy. It doesn't base its foundation only on orderliness, but on your mental wellbeing. Allowing you to let go of objects in your house, office, room that brings you a stint of sadness even by mere seeing it; and thus giving you a more clearer mind.
Sequence To Follow When Tidying
The KonMari Method of tidying advocates tidying by category and not by location (room-by-room). The sequence to follow are:
1.) Envision Your Ideal Lifestyle & Make Up Your Mind
Before the whole decluttering process begins, first thing that comes is your realization for a more clearer and organized space. You will have to visualise how you want your belongings to look — aiming for minimalism and joy. You will also have to make up your mind before beginning by trying to cancel out all forms of distractions eg turning off your TV, dropping your phone, turning on/off music depending on which stimulates you to work well, good lighting which without much talk is very important.
2.) Discard Without Looking Back
There are some items which you'll see and tell yourself "I don't really need this, but let me just keep it though". Sooner or later you'll see two, three, four or five other items and you'll still tell yourself the same thing and lead yourself into what you set out to correct — cluttering.
The discarding process is not really the most relevant point of the KonMari System of tidying, but it is a key step. As a key note, ask yourself "do I still truly need this? ... Does it spark joy?", if the answer is "Yes", put it aside for real tidying up process that comes after discarding. If the answer is "No", do the needful and discard it honourably (ie. thank it for it's service first Lol).
The discarding process is vital because it allows you to really notice what needs your attention when tidying up/sorting.
3.) Tidy By Category/Group, Not By Location & Follow The Right Order
The disadvantage of tidying by location (room-by-room) is that it easily becomes a circle of endless sorting out and can wear you out quickly as your repeating the same process over and over again by a room-by-room basis. The KonMari Method of tidying teaches you to tidy up by categorising your items first and following a specific order: Clothes, Books, Papers, then Miscellaneous & Sentimental items such as personal items, heirloom, trophies, souvenirs.
After tidying up, look around and ask yourself if what you see sparks joy in you. If it does, congratulations! You have successfully tidied up the right way!
