Sparking Joy – Unpacking the KonMari Method

In this episode of The Simple Joy Show I dive into the world of Marie Kondo and her revolutionary KonMari Method.

Discover how the KonMari Method goes beyond mere decluttering, encouraging a deeper connection with your belongings and focusing on what truly ‘sparks joy.’

Learn about its effectiveness, the emotional readiness it requires, and who can benefit most from this method. 

Stay tuned for more episodes of my podcast, The Simple Joy Show, where we share tips on living a simpler life every Friday.

USEFUL LINKS:

Decluttering When Overwhelmed Episode: https://simplejoy.co.uk/2023/09/15/overcoming-the-overwhelm-when-decluttering/

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Transcript

Hayley Forster [00:00:00]:

The thought of living with less clutter is appealing to many, and the benefits are very well known. But most of us aren’t aware of the many decluttering methods out there. So today, I’m going to dive into the method that has revolutionised the world of organisation and decluttering – the KonMari method, which is arguably one of the most well known decluttering methods out there.

Hayley Forster [00:00:22]:

Let’s talk about Marie Kondo, the woman behind the KonMari method.

Hayley Forster [00:02:41]:

Marie Kondo actually began as a trading consultant many years ago in Japan. And since then, she has gained global recognition for her decluttering method. Her book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidina, which I have read. It’s amazing. And I would recommend you read it as well, but that has been published in multiple language us has had millions and millions of copies sold, so it’s no surprise that her method has gotten so much attention. She also has a Netflix show as well called Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. So if you’ve got Netflix, I would recommend you check that out. But I would say Marie Kondo, was probably the lady that brought decluttering an organisation in your home to the forefront of popular culture.

Hayley Forster [00:03:27]:

Prior to that, it was a bit more niche. However, now it’s much more in the public eye. You see a lot of articles online about it, a lot of TV shows, a lot of books. It’s just become so much more popular as a lifestyle and as a positive way to make change. So what is the KonMari method? At its core, basically, it’s a decluttering and organising method that’s based on the Japanese values of simplicity, cleanliness, and the appreciation of all objects. And the thing that makes the KonMari method unique is that it places a lot of emphasis on the items that spark joy to you. It’s not just about decluttering items, but it’s about the cherishing the things that truly matter to you. So instead of deciding what you’re getting rid of, you’re actually choosing what you want to keep and everything else is decluttered.

Hayley Forster [00:04:25]:

What a lot of people don’t know is that the KonMari method actually involves 5 categories. And those 5 categories are clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items and sentimental, emotional items. And these 5 categories are designed to be tackled in that specific sequence and following that order is crucial for achieving a successful outcome in the way Marie Condo intends. So the 1st category is the clothing category, and that’s because usually it’s the easiest to handle and is the most familiar to us. So what you do is you gather all of the clothing items into a large pile, and then you can visually assess the amount of clothes that you’ve got. And then you can go through each item and then determine which ones truly spark joy in you. So the principle is really easy. You basically collect every single item that you own in this particular category and question whether you should keep that particular item.

Hayley Forster [00:05:27]:

So for example, you get every t shirt that you own and you put them on the bed. You hold, you feel, or you can even wear each one, and then you get a really good sense as to how it makes you feel, whether it makes feel good whether it fits properly. And while you’re doing that, just ask yourself, does this shirt spark joy in my heart? And if it does, you keep it. If it doesn’t, then it goes. The next category is the books category, and that includes all books, magazines, any other reading materials that you might own. And like with the clothes, the goal basically is to gather them all in one location just so you can visualise and see how many books you actually have. And I bet you any money, 9 times out of 10, when you do these exercises, when you collect everything in one location, you don’t realise how much you do have.

Hayley Forster [00:06:22]:

So once you’ve got all the books in one location, you then need to consider whether each book, again, sparks joy in your heart and whether it’s truly necessary for you keep that in your book collection. Marie Kondo herself suggests asking yourself questions such as, will it be beneficial to keep this book in your life going forward, if the answer’s no, it’s time to let it go. And once you’ve decided which books you’re going to keep, it’s really important for you to then organise them in a way that makes sense for you. And that might have become really apparent once you collected all the books around your house, where, in fact, you want to store them moving forward.

Hayley Forster [00:07:42]:

And the 3rd category is papers. So to tackle this category, again, you need to gather all the papers in your home together, and then what you do is you divide them into 3 different purposes. So action items, temporary items, or permanent items. So the action items are going to include papers that require immediate attention from you, so that’ll be things such as bills or invitations, things that you need to respond to perhaps like school, permission slips, things like that. Temporary items are papers that you’re going to need for a temporary period, but you’re not going to keep on a permanent basis. So these might be things such as tax documents, medical records, things like that. Permanent papers are documents that you’re going to keep indefinitely. So things like birth certificates, passports, any legal documents.

Hayley Forster [00:08:36]:

And what you want to make sure is that those papers are kept in a really secure and easily accessible location, such as those little locked file cabinets that you can get or a fireproof safe even. And the belief is that by dividing your papers into these 3 categories, you can better manage the flow of information in and out of your life and get that stress and overwhelm that is usually connected to paper clutter under control. Now the 4th category in the KonMari method is known as kimono, which is the Japanese word for miscellaneous items. And this category encompasses all items other than clothing, books, papers and sentimental items. So that makes it, as you can imagine, an absolutely massive category for you to address. Kimono items are variable and depends on the individual that is doing the decluttering and their lifestyle. So it could include everything from kitchen utensils to office supplies, to toys, to sporting equipment. So in order to tackle this category in particular, it’s important to then break those down into smaller subcategories such as kitchenware, electronics, or hobby supplies, and that’s really going to help you focus on one area at a time and prevent the overwhelm that’s so common with decluttering. I have got an episode on that, which I’ll link in the show notes, which is specific to how to declutter when you’re overwhelmed and how to get started.

Hayley Forster [00:10:15]:

So with this category, just keep in mind that the subcategories are going to vary from person to person from household to household, and it’s just dependent on your unique needs and your interests. Don’t be afraid to get creative and tailor those categories to fit your lifestyle and what makes sense for you. The final category of the KonMari method is the sentimental method, and it’s the most challenging one to tackle. This category includes items from each of the previous 4 categories that we’ve just went through, that often carries deep emotional significance for you. As you progress through the other categories, you might find a sentimental item that’s particularly difficult for you to process and to address. That is an item that you should leave to last and you should group in with this sentimental category. It’s important to remember that the goal of the KonMari method is for you to surround yourself with items that spark joy even if they’re sentimental. So to tackle this category, it’s really helpful for you to have all of those sentimental items in one place.

Hayley Forster [00:11:22]:

So as you’re going through the other categories, collect them all in one location. And then when you’re ready, when you’ve tackled all of the other categories, you want to take some time to reflect on each item. So consider the memories or the emotions that are attached to each item and ask yourself if it truly brings you joy to keep it. If the answer’s yes, then you need to find a special place to display it or store it where it can actually be appreciated. If the answer’s no, again, it’s time to let it go. The sentimental category is the last one for a reason. By going through all of the other categories first, you have practiced your decluttering muscle, you’ve honed your decision making skills, and you’ve built up momentum to take on this difficult final task. The whole intention of the KonMari method is to follow this order and by addressing each a category, you are going through an intentional progression, starting with the easiest category and moving along to the most challenging.

Hayley Forster [00:12:26]:

That really allows you to develop and build up your ability to determine whether an item sparks joy or not. So you’re going to build up that momentum, build up that confidence in your ability to make decisions. And that is what is essential to achieving success in the KonMari method. Many find the KonMari method transformative, not just for decluttering, tidying and organising your home, but in fact, with changing your relationship with the possessions that you have and your approach to consumption. It’s a very effective method for you to make a lot of progress decluttering specific categories across multiple areas at once because it allows you to compare all items of a similar type. And by doing this, you’re able to get rid of any duplicates – what you can do is compare less liked items to better ones that you might have. So it is a very effective method. However, this method might not be for everyone, it does require a certain level of introspection and, I suppose, emotional readiness for you to let go. So if you’re someone who finds it challenging to attach emotions to objects or perhaps you feel overwhelmed by the idea of handling every single item in your hand and asking yourself whether it sparks joy,

Hayley Forster [00:14:01]:

this method might actually feel a little bit daunting to you. It’s also quite a time consuming method and does require you sorting through your entire house. So instead of focusing on a room or two, you’re pulling things from your entire house for each category. So it’s got potential to completely uproot your home and cause perhaps a little bit of temporary chaos as you go through each category. Ultimately, it’s for you to decide if this style is something that you think would work for you and your family and your lifestyle, and it’s fine if it’s not. There is plenty of other decluttering methods out there. I’m going to do a little review of them over the next few weeks, and we can discuss pros and cons of each. What I always say to my clients is to try a method.

Hayley Forster [00:14:53]:

Give it a go. If you don’t like it, move on to another one, and you will find something that works for you. What I really like personally about the KonMari method is taking each category seperately. I might not necessarily do those categories in that order or do them in such a big group, such as clothing as one big job to do. I would probably break it down into underwear, t shirts, trousers, and break it down like that. But that’s because I like much smaller, simpler tasks for me to tackle at my own pace rather than doing bigger projects that might overwhelm me, because I know that I’m overwhelmed easily by a lot of clutter, and that’s what triggers me. So diving into the one whole category seems quite intimidating to me. So I use elements of the KonMari method, but I don’t do it fully. I also don’t do the holding everything in my hand and asking myself if it sparks joy because I don’t necessarily have those connections with each of my items.

Hayley Forster [00:15:58]:

So you can pick and choose certain elements from different methods, and you might even end up creating your own. That is fine. It’s whatever works for you and whatever works for your lifestyle and your family. So as I wrap up, I’d love to hear from those of you who’ve tried the KonMari method, has it worked for you? What did you like? What did you not like about it? Has it changed your perspective on decluttering at all? I would love to hear about it. So come and join my Facebook group, The Simple Living Society, and join in the discussion there. So thanks for tuning in. Remember, whether it’s the KonMari method or another approach, ultimately, the journey to simplicity is uniquely yours.

Hayley Forster [00:16:44]:

So just embrace it with an open heart, find what works for you, and move forward with that. So until next time, keep finding joy in the simple things.