Mess, Mayhem, and Mindset - How Marie Kondo Can Help You Elevate Your Life
Are you also frustrated with the never-ending cycle of tidying up? You know the scenario: You take a big sigh, light up a vibey candle (the little cherry on top of your cleaning process), and feel extra proud of how well you organised the entire house.
Yet as soon as the next day arrives, the house is back to chaos…Then, you either go through the whole thing AGAIN (accepting ‘it’s what it is’) or decide to escape to a cafe instead.
Sounds familiar? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. So many of us (me included!) struggle with the same.
But according to Marie Kondo and many of her followers, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can create a sustainably tidy home. In this article, I share all about the way our space affects our mental health, Marie’s wholesome approach to organization + her top tips!… You ready? Let’s dive in.
Mess and mindset: what science says
You’ve probably noticed you feel more relaxed and clearheaded when your space is that ahhh ~ nice & organized. And, science supports this. According to a study on young adults, research found that clutter was linked to procrastination, feeling overwhelmed, and lower quality of life. So, naturally, tidy spaces inspire us to relax, focus, and feel more at ease.
As researchers explain to Verywell Mind, this is because “To the brain, clutter represents unfinished business and this lack of completeness can be highly stressful for some people.”
Luckily, keeping our spaces tidy can easily prevent/fix this.
Ready to declutter? Try Marie Kondo’s holistic approach to tidying up
While there are many decluttering methods out there, the KonMari method seems to have the most buzz. And for a good reason. Marie’s method isn’t just about tidying up. It’s about cultivating a joyful vibrant life (personalized to your vision of it), filled with the things you love and letting go of what no longer serves you.
Plus, thanks to her unique techniques and mindset preparation, you’ll no longer relapse back into clutter.
Here’s how she defines it on her website: “It uses a unique selection criterion – choosing what sparks joy! You are not choosing what to discard but rather choosing to keep only the items that speak to your heart. Through tidying, you can reset your life and spend the rest of your life surrounded by the people and things that you love the most.”
“Tidying up is a tool. Not the destination.”
My favourite thing about Marie’s method is her unique philosophy. Clean tidy space isn’t the destination. Instead, it’s a tool to get the lifestyle you want and create an environment that supports it. She suggests before you start your tidying process, visualize what you’d like to feel in your house. What does your ideal lifestyle look like? What does your ideal home look like? What do you do there?
This visualisation allows you to clarify your why, discover what space would support best your lifestyle, and keep your motivation going even in the harder times. The KonMari method is all about helping you stay organized in the long run. Feel free to journal about it, explore what is your vision and main motivation, and then…Craft a long-term thoughtful game plan specific to YOUR needs.
3 tips to transform your home into a soul-nourishing space
Here are Marie’s top 3 tips that I found the most helpful:
Tidy by the category, not the room
If you’re like me, you probably always tidy one room at a time. However, Marie says this isn’t effective. If you have the same type of items in more rooms, you end up creating multiple spots for the same type of items. Ultimately, this wastes your time looking for this item in multiple spots and results in ~chaos.
Instead, she recommends choosing a category (e.g. clothes) and sorting out that one first in all the rooms. She encourages “Beginning with clothes, then moving on to books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and, finally, sentimental items.”
Ask yourself: “Does this spark joy?”
Marie also believes that what you want to own is the question of how you want to live your life. So, if you desire a joyful life filled with love, you should keep only the things that spark this feeling in your heart and let go of the rest.
“Your feelings are the standard for decision making – specifically, knowing what sparks joy.“ says Marie on her website.
Know tidying up is a marathon, not a sprint.
To build your dreamy, cozy, and comfy lifestyle, you need to commit. Marie’s method isn’t about tidying up once in a while only for the guests. It’s about decluttering in a way that will spark joy & abundance in your life and change it forever.
Finally, if you also align with Marie’s philosophy and approach, be sure to check out her book, and her Netflix show to learn more. Happy tidying up! ;)
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