There’s #ThrowbackThursday, #TransformationTuesday, and an Instagrammable subject for almost every day of the week. So we wanted to make sure beloved Monday was included in the fun. Okay, we suppose there is #ManCrushMonday, but the only way to tie that back to the subject of homes is by babbling about The Property Brothers on HGTV, and that’s already been done.
So instead, we chose to create a #MinimalistMonday series and highlight the minimalist style in a unique way. We couldn’t think of a better way to approach this subject than referencing some key ideas from Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” It covers the KonMari Method, a Japanese art of decluttering and organizing. The artist behind the art is Kondo, a professional cleaning consultant with a three-month waiting list.
Kondo’s approach to decluttering is incredibly unique and frankly, unheard of. We have all read snippets of advice encouraging organizers to tackle a home room-by-room or even drawer-by-drawer. We’ve also pinned countless tutorials on organizational tools or methods on our Pinterest boards. Kondo throws all of the above out the window within the pages of this short but life-changing book. (And we’re not just saying that because “life-changing” is in the title!)
Instead of this gradual process that can often take months to achieve results, Kondo recommends a one-time, drastic overhaul of all of your belongings. She stresses the importance of feeling a sense of accomplishment and recognizing a noticeable difference in your home’s inventory. If you slowly get rid of things, you will not quite get this important sense of relief that will encourage you to keep your home in a state of simplicity.
“The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” also refutes the concept of organizational methods. Kondo even states that “storage experts can be hoarders.” Her theory is simple — if something you own doesn’t bring you joy, get rid of it. You therefore have no need for it.
Kondo is also careful to help readers approach this overwhelming project in a tangible way by outlining the exact order in which you should declutter your home. She says it’s much more effective to go through your things by category rather than location. She will then hold your hand through this process, mentioning each specific category in the order you should work through them. She delves into categories you don’t even remember exist, like certain types of important paperwork. Kondo also helps you overcome emotional attachment to old relics or memorabilia. Her words are truly therapeutic and speak to clutter on the psychological level.
There’s much more to learn from this book than our quick overview. That’s why we decided to unpack her main ideas over the month of December within our #MinimalistMonday series. But don’t wait until next Monday to get the details! You can order “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” right now and get information and inspiration straight from the source. We recommend getting a head start on your decluttering by ordering the Kindle version of the book so as to not contribute to the ever-growing physical book collection you’ve created over the years.
Dig deeper with Kondo’s companion book called “Spark Joy”, an in-depth, illustrated manual that delves further into the KonMari Method. She gets into the specifics with this second book, spelling out the decluttering process in clear and concise language, accompanied by helpful line drawings. Learn from this minimalism master in order to create a home environment that truly sparks joy.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF: Slate, Erin Depew, The Mommy Blog and My Creative Photography
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