The KonMari method of Tidying: How to tidy your life

With the KonMari method of tidying, I achieved something I never thought possible. A permanently tidier apartment and regularly some kind of weird joy when neatly folding my laundry.

For your background: I didn’t even use to iron my clothes before… But let me explain a little bit first, what the KonMari method is. And why the heck everyone who tried it seems to be crazy about it.

Related: Hate ironing? Here’s how to avoid ironing!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are so-called provision links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I can earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

What is the KonMari method of tidying?

The KonMari method is named after its inventor Marie Kondo. Marie used to love tidying since she was a little kid. (Freaky, I know!) Over the years she tried and perfected different techniques for tidying. Until at some point she realized, that it would make so much more sense to just keep a place tidy continuously. Without needing to go through huge efforts every time.

So she invented the KonMari method of tidying and tested it with many of her clients. It became so popular, that she actually wrote a book about her method of cleaning.

The KonMari method book

Probably the most-sold book on the topic of tidying and decluttering, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing“* has been published in more than 30 countries.

Now you might wonder how a book on such an unsexy topic like cleaning can get such a huge fan base. Well, it’s simple: Her method works! Marie Kondo even goes as far as saying that none of her clients ever relapsed back into their “messy state” after having gone through her program.

In her book, Marie explains, how instead of looking for things to throw out, we should be looking for things to keep. This will make sure, we only have things around us that we actually like. And it enables us to find a place for everything, making regular tidying unnecessary.

Related: 9 books that changed my life

The two steps of the KonMari method of tidying

To get to that blissful state where our home is effortlessly tidy and you never need to clean, there are only two steps. But those steps mean really going down to the heart of your messiness!

Step 1: Decluttering

This is not your usual “throwing out some old postcards” type of decluttering. Instead, you will do this decluttering all at once. (Meaning up to 6 months.) No “I only want to declutter my closet”. Everything. You will systematically go through everything you own and only keep things “that spark joy”. That is Marie Kondos criterion for items to keep. No reasoning about how you might still need that box of cables at some point. Just taking every item into your hand and feeling your physical reaction to it.

I admit that this sounds weird at first. But after going through the first 10 to 20 objects, you will notice a clear difference between “Meh, might need it” and “I like this”. As the goal is to create the perfect environment for you, take this seriously. It does work and it is a lot of fun!

Related: The best cleaning motivation quotes to get you moving!

The decluttering order of KonMari

At the heart of the method is the konmari method order of tidying.

As Marie knows that it is easier to declutter some areas than others, she developed a thought-through order in which to discard of things. Starting from clothes, which are easily replaced. Going on to books, paper stuff and “Komono” or miscellanea all the way till keepsakes.

I know, that’s a lot!

She breaks down those big categories into way smaller, better digestible ones. (For a full checklist of the konmari tidying order, scroll to the bottom of this article!)

For every category, you will take EVERYTHING in that category that you own and put it on the floor. In the same room. (Forgetting something means automatically to get rid of it.) And then you go through the items one by one. Touching them and asking yourself, if they spark joy.

Step 2: Organizing

Now that you already have everything ordered by category, things need their permanent place. One suggestion by Marie Kondo is to “keep like with like”. All clothes together, all paper clips together, all books together. This way, you will always know where to find it. And where to put it. Which brings me to her second very important tip. Make it easy to put things away. Not to get them.

Oftentimes we rather think where we need things and put them there directly. But when you want to get something, you are motivated to do so. Putting it away… not so much. So make it easy for yourself, to put things back in place. If you use something all the time, make “it’s place” somewhere easily accessible.

Related: How to make sure your home smells amazing after cleaning

Another specialty of the KonMari method is her way of arranging things by “heavy” to “light”. This can mean starting with dark colors and working your way up to the lighter ones. Also, it could mean going from thick winter coats up to flimsy sundresses. Being honest, I haven’t completely followed through on this advice. Just my clothes do get ordered by color. It gives an awesome effect in the drawers!

The KonMari method folding

Ah, the KonMari method folding. As I wrote earlier in this post: I am actually weirdly enjoying folding my laundry now! Marie Kondo has a special way of folding clothing so that you can put them in the drawer standing up. Who better to explain this than the master herself?

Some people complain that it would take them forever to do their clothes like that. Obviously, I can only speak for myself, when debunking that. Anyways, it doesn’t take me longer than my old way of folding clothes. And afterwards my clothes basket looks like this:

I don’t know why, but it makes me feel really good about myself! And it makes it so much easier to see all the things you have! Going to my drawer I now feel like I got my life under control. Very recommended feeling!

The KonMari method checklist

As promised above, I prepared a KonMari method Checklist for you. It lists all the categories and subcategories. And if you print it, you can have the satisfying feeling of checking off the little boxes one by one! Enjoy, share and let me know how KonMari worked for you!

Related: How to find cleaning motivation: 11 tips

*These links are so-called provision links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I can earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.