![]() ![]() ![]() My papers are sorted, but I’ve got a linen cupboard full of sheets I’m keeping just in case (in case of what – a toga party?). Well, I threw out a lot of stuff – but it turns out it wasn’t enough. I even sort one drawer in a chest of drawers, folding my clothes the KonMari way, so everything is vertical and you can see exactly what's in the drawer. As each thing goes back into its new place, I feel smug. And 22 black sacks less rubbish and recycling in my space is liberating. I’m a convert: less is really more, more space, more clarity. When I give away a Rob Ryan vase I like but don’t love to a friend who does it, I feel the buzz. ‘The whole point in discarding and keeping things is to be happy… it is important to experience this realisation for yourself and let it sink into your heart.’įour mops (two don’t work), eight dustpan-and-brush sets, 8,000 plastic bags I decide I want my house to not feel like a giant to-do list. You need to identify exactly why you want to live clutter-free, visualise your ideal lifestyle. I also lost my impetus, explains Kondo, because I didn’t ‘define my goal’ first. I do feel lighter, that chapter feels over. It indicates whether we are caught in the grip of a strong attachment to the past or anxiety about the future – or both.’ I put the scans in my allocated ‘emotional’ box, to sort when I’m more experienced, then shred the accompanying medical reports. She says the stuff we hold is ‘a direct reflection of the state of our heart and mind. ‘Things that bring back memories… are not the place for beginners to start.’ I consult the book: I’ve tried to run before I can walk, says Kondo. I find 12-week scans of a baby who didn’t make it, and cry. I start reading letters from my boyfriend at 17 I can’t throw them, they’re a snapshot of that moment. Including things that are useful but you can get online (eg appliance manuals, credit card statements). Kondo’s rules on paperwork are ruthless only keep what’s ‘currently in use, needed for a limited period of time or must be kept indefinitely’. We have three marriage certificates I’ve sent off for a new one each time I’ve needed one. Although nobody in the house can ever find sellotape or scissors, I find six rolls and five pairs. She has a point for every birthday card I’ve bought in a year, I discover two more while sorting. I carry it from the kitchen bureau, the top of my desk, the filing cabinet, a drawer upstairs, the two boxes in the loft, the utility cupboard, my bookshelf, by my bed… From now on, she says, everything must be kept in one place. I decide to tackle the ‘papers’ category. She sorts by category, not location, beginning by gathering everything of one type from all around the house into one place. ‘Do not even think of putting your things away until you have finished the process of discarding,' says Kondo. ‘Not only will you never be messy again, you’ll have a new start in life.’ First step? Discard She also promises that by following her KonMari method, I will be a neatnik, forever. In her personal work so far, she estimates she’s made clients throw away over a million items. But so does her passion: in the book, she describe how she started reorganising her family flat when she was five. The fact that Kondo is Japanese so hails from the birthplace of the minimalist aesthetic, has got to recommend her. Not The Hoarder Next Door, but shameful enough so I sweep it into boxes before anyone comes. My kitchen table is home to post, weekend mags, Lego creations and a basket of randomness (dog-shaped pencil sharpener, bits of lost toys, pack of cards, computer cable, charger, hand cream) with nowhere else to live. Stuff is flowing out of drawers, silting every surface. I feel as if I spend my life sorting things from one place to another. THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING £9.99 BUY NOW If not, throw it out.’ She must be on to something: one of her four books has been translated into English, The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying, and it's sold two million copies and she's the star of hit Netflix series: 'Tidying Up With Marie Kondo' Japanese declutter guru Marie Kondo, only allows her clients to keep things if they ‘spark joy’. ![]()
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