When my kitchen is clean and tidy, I feel much calmer! #kitchengaols
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you would have seen that the world has gone a “little” (major understatement) mad for Marie Kondo. My social media feed has been flooded with pics of perfectly folded clothes, captioned with Kondo “lingo”. People all over the world are getting their #kondo on, posting prolifically on social media. I have to admit I’ve got a little #kondofatigue.
While her methods appeal to some (read: millions) I can’t say I am a complete fan. One episode of her Netflix show and I was bored to tears. But I am clearly in the minority as she has created a cult following. I don’t subscribe fully to her philosophy – I mean I don’t talk to my clothes, and I haven’t even attempted the “Kondo Fold”, but I do rather like the question of asking if an item “sparks joy?” And I do enjoy a declutter, especially at this time of year.
When we moved into our new home last year I made an internal promise to keep it clutter-free (within reason, I mean I do have four kids!!). Keeping a tidy home with a minimal amount of clutter can be hard when juggling the day-to-day tasks of family life. I mean, kids accumulate SO.MUCH.STUFF. So periodically I like to delcutter. I always feel a little lighter after a purge. And I find this is the perfect time of year to do it.
Here are my top five tips on how to declutter your home if you aren’t quite part of the Kondo-cult:
- Lists, Lists, Lists
Are you a list lover? I am a serial list maker. I love lists. The sheer satisfaction of crossing something off “sparks joy” – for me, anyway! So my first tip is to create a list of all the rooms or areas in your house you need to tidy and why you need to tidy them up. This allows you to see clearly what needs to be done and what areas is a priority. From there you can plan when to do each space. Side note, some rooms may be a two (or ten) person job so this planning can help to organise a time to do it together.
The hardest room in the house to keep tidy is the Playroom!
- Select and commit
Pace yourself; commit to one room, space or pile and do it right. It is likely that most people don’t have the luxury to completely declutter your home in one red hot go like Kondo. Nor do we have a film crew following us and making us accountable. I find it helpful to choose one room per week and make it my allocated declutter period. This means every week I feel that little sense of accomplishment for reaching my declutter goal without completely wiping myself out. Because essentially, we are doing this to feel good not to make more stress, so why not make that good feeling a weekly one? I also like the maxim “A place for everything and everything in its place.”
- Delegate piles
Sometimes it is too hard to decide a definite yes or no on the spot. Therefore I have a 3-pile rule.
1) Yes (items you need, wear, use, love, and those little joy sparkers)
2) No (When it comes to the wardrobe, be ruthless! If you haven’t worn it in a year, to the “NO’ pile it goes)
3) Maybe
Put away your Yes pile, get rid of your No pile and box up your Maybe pile for a designated period of time – say three weeks. If in that time you miss items in the box then keep them, all the rest you now know are not needed and you can give them away or donate them. I still have boxes in my garage that have accompanied us every move , only to land in the garage, unopened and clearly not needed. Decluttering can be particularly challenging with children. As the viral Kondo rule asks ‘does it spark joy?’ So many children would answer yes to everything. They are innate borders! This means you can bargain with them to box up the non-essentials and if they have forgotten about them in three months then it’s time to rehome. Hire a Box lets you rent boxes out for up to three months, which is a great way to limit your maybe box time and allows for less waste when you are finished.
A place for everything and everything in its place. I love baskets for storing kids’ toys.
- Give, but give thoughtfully
Sometimes it is hard to part with things. We all probably have a little hoarder inside us that says ‘but what if?’ I always find it so much easier to give things away when I know they will go to a deserving home. Look at the item you are questioning and imagine the happiness it could bring to someone else. But make sure you consciously and thoughtfully give to charity. Ensure the products are actually needed and in good condition. It may take a bit more effort but do your research and make sure you are purposefully and ethically donating to the right places.
- Buy less stuff
Finally, the most effective way to live with less clutter is to buy less stuff. Don’t “buy” into the consumerist trap. Life is not better with more. Instead, live more with less.
Do you have any decluttering tips to share? And tell me, are you part of the Kondo cult?
This post was written in collaboration with box hire and packaging supply company – Hire A Box & Influencer Management Service – #AsSeenOn.
I am definitely in the Condo cult. Mich, you saw Phoebe’s room a few weeks ago! Well, we Marie Kondo-ed it three weeks ago and it’s since been spotless. And best of all, she has kept it tidy whereas usually that lasts about two days. The boys too, and finally the playroom! Best of all, I don’t fold their washing anymore. I divvy it up into three piles, one for each child, and they fold ‘Marie-style’ and put it away themselves in perfect order. I used to always make them put their washing away, but it always ended up a mess. Not now!
Oh Lizzie, this makes me laugh. You’re right, I did see Phoebe’s room and it was full of colour and clutter (read: MESS!!!). So I am actually very glad to hear you’ve Kondo-ed it to some form of order. What I really want to know is do those kondo folds work? Are the kids able to fold them in that way and neatly put away??
Hi Mich, yes they can really fold them and put them away. My six yr old needs a bit of help with the hoods, but other than that it works!
I am 100% all for #konmarimethod it has transformed my home and how I organise it. My kids love it too and love that they can see their clothes and find things in their rooms with ease and independently. They find the folding methods actually easier than what we were doing.
I think i need to try this folding method. The sceptic in me just couldn’t see it being so revoltionary (don’t you need lots of drawers rather tha cupboards for it to work?). I think maybe I should try it, but I can’t see my husband EVER folding clothes in this way. Absolutely never, lol!!
I am an absolute Kondo fan. I read her book five years ago now and have never looked back. Thanking my discarded items while wierd was actually a really good way to relieve myself of the guilt of getting rid of things that I felt an obligation to keep, and most of my clutter was obligation clutter.
I also love how she suggests that each person have their own space. My husband and I shared a cupboard/area for drawers and his mess and my lack of ability to have complete control over that space left me stressed and caused friction in our marriage. We now have organised separate areas in the room and the associated problems have also disappeared.
Also, I too no longer fold and put away everyone’s washing, I just sort it into separate baskets and my children sort, fold and put away their own, which isn’t bad for a six and eight year old – and yes, he folding methods really do work.
I can’t get on board with your idea of doing one room at a time, and much prefer Marie Kondo’s categories. Tidying in room or pile segments tends to just end in a reorganisation of mess, rather than a complete clean up and sort out.
Anyway, I’ve been a huge fan of the Kondo way for years. We live in a small two bedroom apartment with four people, including a six year old and an eight year old, and we have empty shelves and plenty of room. Everything I own fits in a cupboard – a space that is all mine – and I will never look back.
Sorry, Michaela, but apart from not buying stuff, I’m afraid I can’t get on board with any of your suggestions – they seem full of effort with little outcome; certainly not when the Kondo method provides an holistic albeit somewhat quirky approach that is such a good long term solution to clutter.
To each their own. I am glad her methods work for you. I don’t understand the hype, however. Most of it seems like common sense to me. Does she give any guidance as to how to discard these items thoughtfully and ethically? I haven’t read her book but I did listen to a fascinating podcast that suggested she really spoke to the mostly prividlged, middle class. Not everyone can afford to discard items that don’t spark joy, of course. I do like her idea of having space of one’s own. Sounds like that has been a game changer in your home.
Thanks for sharing such a helpful post Michaela. I’m too a serial lister, it really help me out. I really like the idea of donating stuff to the needy ones.
So glad you enjoyed the piece and you appreciate the joy of making lists :-). Yes, it’s one thing to declutter but another thing altogether to give away these items thoughtfully. It takes a bit more time but is far more beneficial. Thanks for reading.