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Four years back, a Japanese organizing consultant published a book named, “The life-changing magic of tidying up”. Now she has a Netflix show to her name. We are talking about Marie Kondo, whose Netflix show has taken the internet by storm.
Ever since her show hit Netflix, decluttering has become a sensation. In the eight-episode series, Marie Kondo steps inside the homes of families dealing with unique messes and helps them declutter by her KonMari method. People who tried her method are taking up to social media to share their own experiences. The show has garnered a lot of attention- It has inspired a lot of people, attracted critical analysis and criticism as well as it became a subject for various memes. No matter what, people are finding it hard to ignore.
Even Marie Kondo’s book has a cult following. When Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, hit the shelves in America in 2014, it topped the New York Times bestseller list for 69 weeks and has been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 8 million copies worldwide.
What does this book promise to achieve for you? Its promise is that if you organize your house correctly once, you’ll never have to do it again. That’s what this book is all about.
Taking to PEOPLE, Marie gave life-changing advice to people who want to declutter their homes. She says, “Take your time”, and suggests people not to get carried away by quick gimmicks and tricks on TV or the internet.
She says, “We can’t just focus on tidying all the time. We lead busy lives, we raise children, we have work.”
She further tells that a typical full-house cleanup, she says, should take “roughly a month.” Her longest took two years!
She also has another piece of advice for people. According to her, you should never force yourself to declutter.
She says, “Tidying is an opportunity to reconsider how you like to live. You’re evaluating your things. You’re evaluating your life, so if it’s not your time, if you’re not there emotionally, then that’s not something that can be forced upon you.”
Here are some of the tips from Marie to declutter your home-
Clean by category
Start with clothes, then books, paper, kimono (kitchen, bath, garage, and miscellany) and finally sentimental items.
Show gratitude towards your house
Marie says that it is your house that protects you and helps you live a healthy and productive life. Hence, showing gratitude is a natural thing.
Keep only those items which spark joy
She suggests to pick up each item and ask it sparks joy. No matter how often you use it, if it doesn’t spark joy, you should better get rid of it.
Say goodbye to your stuff
Marie recommends that you should thank items for their service as a way to say goodbye, before tossing them in a garbage bin.
Reduce the amount of stuff
When you reduce the amount of stuff in your space, it does not attract less dust, but you also tend to clean more often.
To know more, you can buy her book from Amazon or head to Netflix to watch the show. We do suggest you read the book since it has everything in detail, nor limited by the time constraint, unlike the TV show.
