Offloading unwanted stuff can feel like a breath of fresh air. And having less stuff can help you save money; you don’t have to maintain, replace, repair or simply worry about all your things.
If you’ve ever tried to slim down and organize your junk, you probably started by getting rid of things. One Japanese organizational consultant would have you reverse that process.
The Basics of the KonMari Method
The Japanese consultant we’re referencing is Marie Kondo, author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing,” which was published in the U.S. in October and has since remained a New York Times best-seller.
Kondo has spent her life helping others tidy up and declutter. But her methods are different from those of most other organizational specialists. Many organizers begin by telling you to get rid of a set number or percentage of stuff you don’t want or need any more. They might start with the least used, least emotional stuff in your house.
Kondo starts on the other end of things. Rather than telling her clients get rid of what they don’t want, she has them decide — item by item — what stuff they want to keep. The key, though, is that you’re only supposed to keep items that “spark joy” in your life.
Want to know if something “sparks joy” in your life? Start by picking it up physically. If you feel a physical, joyful reaction to that item, put it in the “keep” pile. If not, toss it!
What do you do once you’ve whittled your collection of clothes, books, mementos, tchotchkes, cookware, shoes and other items down to only those things that bring you joy? Make sure everything has a place, and put everything back in its place — every single time.
What’s great about the method?
According to Kondo, the KonMari method of cleaning up and organizing your stuff has a big impact. She says going through this process mindfully can result in lifelong habit changes. So if you’re struggling with overspending on junk you don’t really need, resetting how you look at what you already have may be the key.
If what you really need is to re-examine what you have and why you buy new things, this method may be your spring cleaning option of choice. You don’t even have to buy into the book’s spiritualization of the decluttering process. The mindfulness involved in the process can help you make logical choices and really cut back on the amount of stuff you have.
The Drawbacks
The KonMari method works for lots of things — books, mementos, clothes, accessories, etc. But it doesn’t work for everything. For instance, you may not feel joyful when you hold your Phillip’s head screwdriver, but chances are that if you do any DIY projects at home, you’ll eventually need it. Likewise, you may not adore your potato peeler or Chef’s knife, but you probably need those items, too.
The method is also difficult to apply to mementos — scrapbooks, photos, old letters. Kondo asserts that letting go of these items helps clients let go of their past and move on to new growth. But sometimes the heart just doesn’t buy that argument.
What the KonMari method works best for is the in-between items — those things that aren’t necessarily sentimental or necessities. It’s great for cleaning out the closet, clearing off the bookshelf or ridding your home of non-sentimental knickknacks.
Bottom Line Benefits
Working through a method like this can help you get a better feel for what you have, what you may need, and what you’d like to acquire in the future. This is a great mindset to get into when it comes to making new purchases.
Rather than running out and purchasing a new wardrobe of the latest apparel — and racking up a big credit card bill to do it — you’re aware of what’s in your closet, and you can mindfully complement clothes you already have.
And you may just find this streamlined way of looking at life and possessions is mentally and emotionally freeing for you. And if that’s the case, you may find that you want to maintain a simpler lifestyle, so you spend less money all around.
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Ready to Downsize? Start With What You Keep originally appeared on usnews.com
