The illuminating KonMari method that demonstrates how reorganizing your home can improve the quality of your life
You have probably already heard that mental disorder is reflected in the material disorder around you and according to Marie Kondo there is no doubt that this is true.
This Japanese writer of books about home economics - including her best-seller "The magic of order" - has created the KonMari method to reorganize living spaces in order to improve the quality of one's life.
This is a system that has been so successful as to place Marie Kondo among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015 according to the Times Magazine. Let's find out what the KonMari method consists of.
When you want to tidy up at home, you often start by identifying items that are no longer used. Then these objects are meticulously placed in a cardboard box, or some other container used for this purpose - until it is filled to the maximum. At this point, when all the storage spaces are all occupied, you start again by dividing things once more into different parts.
The KonMari method was designed to counteract the "rebound effect" described above, through one simple action --- just throw away - or donate - things that are no longer used. In this way, they will no longer be able to occupy other useful spaces, nor will they pop up again in the future.
Often it is not easy to choose to throw away some objects, rather for their sentimental value, or a memory that they recall; in this case, according to Marie Kondo, we need to keep only what makes us happy; and, if you think too much about throwing away an object or not, then it means that it should be thrown away without delay, because there is no hesitation when faced with what really transmits happiness to us.
A piece of advice? Symbolically say goodbye to the object selected for the rubbish/donation container, thanking the object for the time spent together - a rather weird antidote but of secure effect against certain feelings of guilt.
The 9 steps of the KonMari method
The KonMari method consists of nine steps, to be followed in order, without skipping any, namely:
- Discard anything that does not make you happy or have a deep meaning;
- Keep only what brings joy to your life;
- Sort by category, not by location. This means putting all the clothes in order first, without stopping to start cleaning the room;
- Always start with clothes: It is easier to know if you use them regularly or not;
- Organize the remaining clothes vertically. Create small rectangle shapes with clothes and arrange them vertically, like in a bookcase;
- Do not interrupt the reordering of a category to move on to another;
- Give value to the objects you keep;
- Do the reorganizing by yourself: Other people might convince you not to throw away some items;
- Do not buy new furniture for objects, unless you do not have any other furniture available.
Those who have tried the KonMari method say it is extremely useful. Do you want to try it, too?
