15 Marie Kondo Organising Tips for the Perfect Home

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Creating a home that feels like a sanctuary can sometimes feel like chasing a dream. Chaos is thrown our way by life, clutter creeps in and you find yourself living in a storage unit for old magazines and mismatched socks. The world’s leading organizing expert and author of “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”, Marie Kondo has helped millions to create joyful spaces by transforming their homes into the haven they are longing for. It’s not just about tidying up; her methods encourage you to think differently about how you interact with your belongings.

In this post, we’ll share 15 of Marie Kondo’s most transformative organizing secrets, from simple tweaks to heartfelt advice. These tips will help you turn your home into a cozy haven instead of an indoor obstacle course.

Respect Your Belongings

Marie’s philosophy is less about organizing, and more about gratitude. Take care of your belongings, even the way you fold your clothes, or store your dishes. Rethink it as a small kind of love you give back to the things that work for you every day.

Limit Sentimental Items Until the End

Souvenirs and Sentimental Items — Photo Credit: Pexels

It’s emotionally draining dealing with sentimental items so save them for last. Once you get good with categorizing those without much emotional value, you’ll be more comfortable throwing away that box of old high school notes or dog eared birthday cards.

Create a Home for Everything

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Things tend to get cluttered because they don’t have a home. You assign a spot for everything, and then tidying up becomes a no brainer. Also, if everything is in its place, it’s more likely for you to keep the peace and order you have worked so hard to make.

Ask Yourself: Does It Spark Joy?

The golden rule of the KonMari method is this. Ask yourself whether it truly makes you joyful as you grasp each item. If it won’t, thank it for what it has done and let it go. This may sound a little funny, but, it does indeed encourage mindfulness and a stronger emotional connection to what you keep.

Declutter Your Paperwork

Paper can stack up faster than you think. Marie recommends sorting paperwork into three categories: It was important, pending and trash. Keep only what’s truly necessary — like your tax documents or warranties — and toss the rest. I mean, that old pizza flyer too.

Use Boxes to Divide Drawers

This tip is going to change your life if you’ve ever tried fishing for a lone sock or your favorite pen in a chaotic drawer. Repurpose small boxes in to compartments so you have easy access to things you use and keep things tidy.

Lean Into the Joy

The idea of joy is at the heart of Marie’s method, but it’s not about the things you keep, it’s about how your home makes you feel. A tidy, joyful space will uplift your mood, decrease your stress and even boost your productivity. In fact, a WebMD study of clutter shows that disorganized areas correlate with elevated cortisol levels, the stress hormone.

Thank Items You Discard

10 Essential Home Items You Should Never Toss When Decluttering — Photo Credit: Pexels

It sounds a little strange to thank discarded items, but it is surprising therapeutic. It takes you from guilt about letting go to gratitude for how those things once helped you. This is not just decluttering, this is an emotional detox.

Maximize Vertical Space

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Walls and cabinets shouldn’t go to waste. Make use of your vertical space with the use of hooks, shelves and stackable bins. Not only is it great for freeing up the room on countertops and floors, but it also gives the space a cleaner, airier feel.

Personalize Your Storage

Marie doesn’t suggest overdoing storage solutions, but she does advise making use of what you have on hand creatively. Take old shoeboxes and make them organizers, or repurpose jars for items like buttons and paperclips. It’s practical and easy on the planet.

Revisit Your System

In other words, organizing isn’t a ‘one and done’ thing. Marie also encourages a periodic review of your space to ensure you’re still getting the most out of your system. Your needs change and so does life. Regular check ins make sure your home is always in sync with your life.

Start With a Vision

Before you even get to lifting a finger to declutter, take a moment to picture what your dream home looks like. With your eyes closed, see the atmosphere you want to establish; warm, minimalist, or maybe bursting with personality. According to Marie Kondo, having a clear vision will be your guidance for all your decisions in tidying process. It’s essentially making a blueprint of your dream home.

For Easy Access, Fold Vertically

Say hello to no overstuffed drawers. Marie’s vertical folding technique isn’t just neat, it’s practical. Folding your clothes into compact rectangles and standing them upright lets you see everything at a glance. It’s like a mini boutique in your drawer.

Store Similar Items Together

Your belongings are like long lost siblings, they belong together. Whether it’s office supplies, kitchen utensils or hair ties, gathering similar items prevents the frustration of going through drawers or being out to buy something you already have.

Tidy by Category, Not by Room

Marie suggests tidying by category instead, but it’s tempting to work on one room at a time. First deal with clothes, then with books and papers, and so on. Why? Items from the same category are scattered all over the place, in different rooms. It’s nice to gather all the things you have in one spot to get a real sense of what you actually own and stop chasing your clutter around.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.