Thoughts on... decluttering

Book that divided people into two. (source)

I have a confession.

I totally buy into the Konmari method (yeah I hear people jeering already). Not the philosophical aspect of it – I don’t think my clothes appreciate me more and shine brighter if I fold and store them the Konmari way – but the practical aspect.

For the uninitiated, the Konmari method is a tidying (or decluttering, whichever you prefer to call it) system. It is named after its founder, Marie Kondo, a petite Japanese lady who has been obsessed with tidying since she was a young girl. Throughout her years of research and real-life practice – tidying her own house, her bedroom, her sibling’s bedroom, her classroom, etc. – she finally hit upon a system that ensures that once you do it once, you will never need to do it again. Sounds preposterously amazing don’t it? While I cannot vouch for that claim, simply because I never followed her method to the tee, she claims that she never had a repeat client so far. Yes, you can hire her to help you tidy up your house. Don’t misunderstand, you still do all the work. She is simply the consultant and the voice of reason, especially when you are holding tightly onto a sentimental souvenir from a childhood sweetheart even though you are now married and have five kids.

I am interested in the minimalist lifestyle (although I really can’t quite grasp how I never quite achieved that with my room and belongings), and when I saw her book and the phenomenon that it induced, I unhesitatingly bought it. Her book is titled The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up. Yes, Kondo declares in her book that tidying and having a neat and clean house changes your lifestyle, and hence your life. It also changes you psychologically as tidying up frees up your space and distractions. Hence you will be more focused on the important stuff in life.

The book reads less like an instruction book and more of a nurturing guide. She writes that tidying should be a once-off event. Meaning you should take one day off your busy schedule to do ALL the tidying up. Then you never need do it again. While I agree that making a huge drastic change in your living environment does change you psychologically (perhaps you will feel lighter and happier), I doubt her claim that you will never need to do it again. I am pretty sure that things will start accumulating automatically. Then you will have to begin the decluttering process again.  

Her book is quite detailed, listing down all the steps for different category of items. Her only criterion* for deciding whether to throw or keep is to feel if that item “sparks” joy. That means you have to personally touch and handle each and every thing. If a particular item makes you feel joy, keep it. If it does not, into the bin it goes. She also provides advice on how to deal with items with sentimental value: letters, gifts, travel souvenirs.

While I generally enjoyed her book, some parts do get repetitive. Also I don’t buy into the philosophical mumbo-jumbo about how your clothes and belongings will thank you and work better for you if you treat them well and store them where they belong. But generally her advice on tidying are sound and useful. I have tried a few of them myself and found that it does help. I cannot say specifically which advice because it varies with different items, but I find it easier now to decide what to throw out and what to keep (yes, I applied the “spark” joy criterion). I also find that her tip on storing things vertically very helpful (have not tried it with clothes though… because how do I fold a tank top to make it ‘stand’?). Storing things vertically do save more space and I can pack more into a shelf.

So if you are interested in decluttering and changing your life, go pick up the book, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up. I got mine from Book Depository, my go-to online store for buying books because free worldwide delivery! What could be more awesome for online shopping than free delivery! Magical words those are.  

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post by Book Depository or Marie Kondo or free delivery shops. I don’t have dealings with Book Depository (except to feed my book-buying habit) and Marie Kondo does not know of my existence on earth. The book is bought with my own money and I thought I share the magic of it with you.

*Interesting fact: do you know that “criterion” is the singular form of “criteria”? “Criteria” is actually plural!