Have you ever found yourself really struggling to give away a sweater even though you haven’t worn it in years simply because it holds sentimental value? Or have you struggled to hire a professional organizer because it makes you break in a sweat the thought of someone possibly throwing or sorting out the wrong thing? These are completely normal and valid feelings!

People often underestimate the emotional involvement in tidying up and organizing a space. All the different organization methods like if you haven’t worn it in x amount of time, then get rid of it don’t take these emotions into consideration. Therefore, they won’t necessarily help you honor those memories you hold dear that are tied to an object while organizing your home.

There is, however, one organizing method that DOES take the sentiment into consideration - the KonMari method.

Maybe you’ve watched the show (it’s on Netflix), or you’ve read the iconic book The Magic of Tidying Up, or perhaps you’ve never heard of this method before. Regardless of your knowledge of this method, we will go over the top tips of this method that you can utilize when organizing and cleaning your home while leaving space for those special pieces that you simply can’t put away.

Tip #1 - Set your expectations right

When going through this process, it’s going to take a bit longer than you may be used to. We’ll get into why that exactly is later in this article, but just trust us when we say, you’re going to have to carve out time. Due to this, it’s extremely important that you set the expectation that this isn’t the kind of organizing you’re going to do on a monthly or quarterly basis. This is more like a purge.

Tip #2 - Keep the goal in mind

The goal here is to create space for yourself and to lift the burden off of your shoulders of keeping items in your space that you don’t need or that don’t add any value to your everyday life and space. This is important to keep in mind because as with every goal, you’ll want to have something to keep you going when it gets tough. Cleaning your space can be draining, but if you remind yourself that you’re doing it to feel lighter, then it’s easier to work through.

Tip #3 - Hold each item in your hands

The KonMari method is known for its punchline “If it doesn’t bring you joy, then let it go.” The only way to tell if something is bringing you joy is to hold each item you’re working through in your hands and close your eyes to become more aware of what’s happening in your heart. If this item makes you feel happy, hopeful, inspired, or any other kind of positive emotion, then keep it. If it doesn’t, you put it away.

Tip #4 - Exception to the rule: you need it

Okay, so your stapler may not elicit a feeling of joy when you hold it, but that doesn’t mean you should throw it into your trash. This is the exception to what’s mentioned in tip #3. It’s silly to throw out things that simply make your life easier but are devoid of any emotional response. You probably won’t get excited about a kitchen knife, but you do need it to fix dinner. So be aware of this when going through your items, and don’t use it as an excuse to keep things you don’t really need. If you still feel attached to something you don’t need and find yourself making excuses, then you can keep it. There’s no point in depriving yourself of things you feel attached to!

Related: Fifty Tidying Affirmations

Tip #5 - Thank your items

If you decide there’s an item that doesn’t bring you joy or isn’t necessary for you to live your best life, then when you hold it in your hands, thank it, before donating or throwing it away. Thanking an item is honoring it and its place in your life until that point. This helps make it feel less like rejection or like you have anything to feel guilty about, but more like saying goodbye to a friend you once thought was a great fit in values until you learned you have different goals. Bittersweet but provides peace of mind.

“If it doesn’t bring you joy, then let it go”

— Mari Kondo

Tip #6 - Break your items down into categories

It gets overwhelming when looking at your home and wanting to organize it. The easiest way to approach this is by working on one category at a time. And you may even want to break that down into subcategories. For example, maybe you decide you want to work on your papers and books. Then you decide you want to work on the books first. This gives you a concrete non-overwhelming starting point. It’s much easier to organize books than an entire house at once.

If you’re looking for the KonMari approved method of categorization, Marie Kondo the founder of the method suggests starting with clothing, then books, papers, anything outside of those categories, and last but not least any mementos. The last category is often the toughest one emotionally for people.

Tip #7 - Don’t break your time into smaller chunks

Yes, decluttering and organizing can be exhausting (especially emotionally), however, it’s very important to do it all in one go. When you do it all at once, you’re more likely to stick with a clean space and finish the entire process, than if you only do one category a day. Life happens and gets in the way when we don’t prioritize things.

And wouldn’t it feel better to go to bed, knowing you have a clean house or space? So many people who practice the KonMari method of tidying up experience a sense of peace and relief that truly is medicine for the soul. They feel like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders because they’re not surrounded by meaningless items anymore. That is what we wish for you and everyone in this sometimes cluttered world.

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Taking Care of Your Home is Like Medicine for the Soul