Hello! I’m Michell Domke and I’m a Certified KonMari Consultant. There’s a lot of buzz about the KonMari Method right now. Memes abound with people making jokes about getting rid of everything from their children, to not doing their assigned homework.
But the KonMari Method is not really about getting rid of everything you own. It’s about understanding our relationship with our stuff and understanding how our stuff affects our lives.
Stuff can either support our lives or clutter it up, wasting time, money, physical and mental space, and emotional energy. Our relationship with our stuff can also affect our habits, our relationships, and our life goals. When we take the time to examine our stuff, we are also examining our lives.
KonMari is about intentionally choosing what you want to keep in your life and letting go of those things that no longer serve you. For example, do you have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear? All of those clothes that you don’t wear or don’t feel good in are taking up physical space in your closet or drawers, it’s taking up mental space as you try to get dressed in the morning looking at clothes you know you aren’t going to put on, and it’s taking emotional space, looking at things you regret buying or no longer fit you.
Letting go of things that no longer serve us, allows us to make room for what we actually do want in our lives.
5 tips for How to KonMari your life:
-
Commit – it’s a big undertaking to go through everything you own and things will get messier before they get tidier. Make a commitment to yourself to complete the whole process.
-
Visualize your ideal lifestyle – this part is very important. It’s your roadmap for making decisions. Start by asking yourself, “What does my ideal day look like?” Without a vision for where you are going, it’s very hard to make decisions. Most of the stuff cluttering up our homes are perfectly good items. If you don’t have a strong sense of your priorities, it’s very easy to talk yourself into keeping that waffle maker you’ve had for 9 years and have never used.
-
Follow the categories in order – the categories are intentional, guiding you from easier items to most difficult. Clothing, books, papers, komono (miscellaneous), and sentimental.
-
Organize last – don’t go out and buy new things to organize your stuff until you’ve decided what you plan to keep otherwise you’ll keep things just because they fit into your organizational thing.
-
Ask yourself, “Does it spark joy?” – this question can seem silly or impractical but what’s really more important than having joy in our lives? This is also an opportunity to redefine our relationship with things that we need or are keeping out of obligation. Your vacuum cleaner may not bring you joy, but can you be grateful to have clean floors? And in that sense, can you keep your vacuum joyfully? Joy is not external to us. It’s an internal feeling so the more we can cultivate joy for ourselves, the more joy we will feel.
For more information, pick up the book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, watch the Emmy nominated Netflix series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo or give me a call to learn more about how you can apply the principles of the KonMari Method to your home, office space, and life.
Michell’s Bio
Michell Domke is a Certified KonMari Consultant and professional organizer based in Columbus Ohio. She works one-on-one with people in their homes and workspaces and gives workshops and speaking engagements. Her goal is to help people do more of what they love, less of what they don’t, and she does that through organization. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook as @michelldomkeorganizer and at michelldomke.com. Subscribe to her newsletter, Spark Joy News for tips, inspiration, events, and opportunities.