Marie Kondo your Life!

Spring is here and we’re all about refreshing and rejuvenating our living spaces. A balanced home equals a balanced mind, after all. Maybe you're planning on moving house soon and are looking for some organisational tips for viewing days, or perhaps you've moved into your new space with boxes of items and want to ensure you're off to a fresh new start! 

Whatever your sitch, we’ve teamed up with our friends at Clyde Property Perth to compile this list of cleaning and organising tips from our fave, Marie Kondo!

A balanced living space leads to a balanced mind.If you haven’t already heard of her (where have you been?!), Marie is the Japanese organising consultant and authour who has been taking the world by storm. With two bestselling books under her belt, and her own highly acclaimed Netflix series, Marie has been ‘sparking joy’ all over the world with her trademark KonMari method!

So without further ado, here are some of Kondo’s top tips for a clean, balanced home:

Commit yourself to tidying up

Embark on this journey with intention and purpose. Tidying and organising is a commitment - there will be some times that are more difficult than others. You need to focus and keep your eye on the goal to remind you why you started in the first place, when times get tough. Imagine what living in a clean, organised home would look and feel like. That could be you! This ties in neatly to the next point….

Visualise the life you want

As you tidy, Kondo encourages you to visualise the home, and more importantly, the life that you want to live. What’s clear from her TV series is that a cluttered home can have a bigger impact than you might imagine on your quality of life, stress levels and on your relationships with those whom you share your home. Those who she visits often report major improvements to their mood and how harmonious their lives and relationships are after taking time to declutter, as well as how determined and successful they are at keeping their home this way. A balanced living space really does help lead to a balanced mind. 

Tidy by category, not room to room

Previously you may have tackled the tidying up by moving room to room, cleaning one area and moving to the next. According to the KonMari method, it might be more helpful to organise your entire home into five distinct categories, namely:

• Clothes
• Books
• Papers
• Komono (or miscellaneous items)
• Sentimental items

Your ruthlessness will be honed by the time you reach the hardest category, sentimental items – things that you may have held onto for years and struggle the most to let go of. Another important step is to pull out everything you have in each category – all clothes from wardrobes, all papers from office spaces and drawers – and make a big pile, before sorting through, item by item.

This is to clearly demonstrate just how much you have, encouraging you to keep a much smaller amount - only the things you really need, enjoy, or which are the most meaningful to you. This leads neatly onto the next point….

Only keep items that ‘spark joy’

Although you will naturally tidy up whilst following the KonMari method, the main philosophy behind it is identifying the possessions you own that truly ‘spark joy’ for you, and then discarding the ones that don’t. This methodical approach encourages you be more mindful about how your possessions make you feel – which in turn helps create a home full of items you love. More joy throughout your home and, ultimately, your life is bound to follow! Don’t forget to thank any items you discard too – it’s an integral part of the process and can make letting go a bit easier.

Sort out storage

Marie has very specific methods of storing items, particularly when it comes to folding things like clothes and sheets. Storing away clothes in drawers and wardrobes is key to keeping on top of the organisation. She suggests keeping things visible and within easy reach by standing clothing items upright alongside each other in drawers instead of stacked on top of each other. In kitchen cupboards, garages and when storing smaller miscellaneous items, sort by similar size and use, and use small boxes within drawers and cupboards to keep items organised and separate.

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So those are the top tips to Marie Kondo-ing your life this Spring! A balanced home is always important, but even more so when you’re making a fresh start in a brand new property. On that note, if you are on the house hunt, do make sure to get in touch with Clyde Property Perth and have a browse through their property listings on our site here! We think there’s more than a few to “spark joy” if you’re on the lookout for your new dream home!

Clyde Property Perth are a leading independent, multiple award-winning estate and letting agent with more than 30 years’ experience in selling and letting property in Scotland. Just call your local Clyde Property Perth branch today for friendly, impartial advice on finding your perfect property.