Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

De-clutter and Organize Your Life – The Konmari Way

De-clutter and Organize Your Life – The Konmari Way

Sentinel Digital Desk

Neetu Sarawgi

Many areas of our life requires de-cluttering. It may be in various forms: whether it is de-cluttering from the material things in life or from relationships which don't give you joy and fulfillment. Whenever I spend time in a hotel, acclimating to a clean and spacious setting, the desire to bring the same feeling home always comes to my mind.

I had heard about Marie Kondo – a Japanese organizing consultant and about her book, 'Life changing magic of tidying up'. Kondo set off a de-cluttering craze across the globe. The Konmari method is a way of life and state of mind that encourages cherishing things that sparks joy in our lives. Firstly, put your hand on everything you own, ask yourself if it sparks joy, and if it doesn't, then thank it for its services and get rid of it. Secondly, once you have only the most joy-giving belongings remaining with you, then put each item in a place which is visible, accessible, and very easy to grab. Only then, Kondo says, you have reached the nirvana of housekeeping and never have to clean again. People are drawn to this philosophy not only because of its effectiveness but also because it places great importance on being mindful, introspective and optimistic.

All this sounds wonderful! But many of the working women can barely keep with the demands of daily life – the groceries, laundry, other household chores and deadlines. But once you follow Kondo's ways, tidying up really will seem to be bliss.

The working mom can make a start in weekends. The charm of the Konmari method lies in its power to change lives, going far beyond just a helpful guide to tiding your home. A central part is to tidy by category, not location, and to follow a prescribed order (clothes, books, papers, photographs, kitchen, shoes, miscellaneous and sentimental items). Another interesting part is the folding technique (for clothes) which creates oodles of extra space as well as keeping clothes in a straight wrinkle-free state.

Marie also tells about the many items in our closet and drawers which we sentimentally hold on for wrong reasons. If I keep all the papers at one place, in one room, then I will never have to search for the entire house again looking for that one bill or document. If only we practice the minimalistic approach, remove the unnecessary things, a home becomes a calming place, a simpler and fulfilling place – which takes less time to clean.

You have learnt briefly about the Kondo's art to a cleaner house but you can apply Konmari method to tidy up your toxic relationships too! Unlike objects and clothes, relationships are dynamic. A full broad assessment follows.

A toxic relationship makes you feel bad about yourself and your actions. If you feel stifled or scared to voice your opinion for fear of rejection, unable to discuss problems or rifts, there's a miscommunication happening for a long period of time, then you need to re-evaluate your relationship.

The negative energy, hostility and persistent bad feelings will only degrade and depress you. You need to tidy up so that these things don't spill over into your life and disrupt it. You need to remind yourself that you want positive and good energy from people who can let us shine. This process is difficult when we have attachment of past and fear of future. It is hard to let go of a relation we've spent years building, with many memories attached, even if the person isn't a good influence on us. But the exercise is good to finally face some of the insecurities head on. Removing toxic relationships from life is a breath of fresh air, you feel so much freer and lighter. In fact you can strengthen new bonds with positive people, worthy of solid friendship and relationships. People affect us every bit the same way as the environment we live in. So ask yourself, Am I important to the person as they are to me? Are they there when I need them? Do they inspire me? If not, time to cut from them silently.

There are many roads to minimalism and the first thing is to figure out which way is right for you. I personally have resonated with the Marie Kondo's approach with a few modifications. Bring things and relations which spark joy as we navigate on our human journeys. Are you ready to embrace a more minimalist lifestyle – The Konmari way?

Next Story
Jobs in Assam
Jobs in Rest of NE
Top Headlines
Assam News