KONMARI METHOD®
What is the KonMari Method?
The Japanese Professional Organizer Marie Kondo developed the KonMari Method®. It’s a word combination made from her name (Mari-e Kon-do) in reversed order (Kon Mari).
She got famous with her book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up," a #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER.
In the KonMari Method®, tidying doesn't happen by room but by category. The correct order is clothes, books, paper, komono (miscellaneous), and sentimental.
If you do all categories, it’s called a “Tidying Festival,” and after you’ve done your tidying festival you’ve done once and for all.
Tidying by category helps to see how much you own. It also enables you to make wiser decisions on what to keep. The order helps you train your decision-making-muscles. Because for most people it's easier to make decisions on clothes than on sentimental items.
There is so much more to say about the KonMari Method®!
Marie Kondo © Photo credit KonMari Media, Inc.
What’s the KonMari Method, and what is it not?
For the last few years, the KonMari Method ® had a lot of media attention through the two Netflix Shows with Marie Kondo. However, the assumption that everybody heard of what the KonMari Method ® is isn't true. People “heard of it,” but there are also many myths and misunderstandings out there.
So let’s clarify it! Watch the video, or read the blog post.
What is tidying?
In a nuthsell, tidying your belongings means that you first declutter them, and the you organize what’s left over.
DECLUTTERING + ORGANIZING = TIDYING
DECLUTTERING
This means touching everything you own and tuning into yourself to ask if this item will help you to realize your ideal lifestyle. Marie Kondo calls it a joy-check and uses the question, “Does it spark joy?”. It doesn’t have to mean that you find the thing beautiful. Also, the function of an item can bring you joy. An example from my own life is our vacuum cleaner. I don’t find it incredibly stylish, but it gives me immense relief/joy that I can vacuum dust away quickly instead of using a broom!
The big difference is that you don’t ask yourself, “Can I let it go?” but “Does it give value/joy to my life and must stay?” The goal is to create an environment that helps you live your ideal lifestyle. And that’s why the KonMari Method® starts with your vision. That’s your compass for every future decision.
ORGANIZING
After you’ve done a joy-check of all your clothes, the next step is to organize them in the best way for you. Marie Kondo has a unique folding technique where you fold pants, shirts, sweaters into small square packages. Then you can put them into your drawer like books in a shelf and see with one view all the things you have to wear!
In the picture, you see one of my drawers. At the left are my sweaters, cardigans, in the center the flimsier cardigans and shirts, and at the right, t-shirts. This system works for me for the past years. Depending on your needs, this can look different.
MY KONMARI STORY
In the spring of 2015, I first heard of Marie Kondo's book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up." Although I already had a tidy and organized home, the aspect of what sparks joy intrigued me. My whole life, I only asked myself, "Can I get rid of this?" but never, "Does it spark joy and must stay?"
I made my first test with my big earring collection. I had so many but wasn't wearing most of them. When I took every pair in my hands and asked myself if it sparked joy, I realized many pairs weren't sparking any joy! Today I own a few earrings, but each pair sparks joy, and I love to wear them. That’s only how it started for me.
2016, I did the whole KonMari Tidying Festival and went through all five KonMari categories: Clothes, books, paper, Komono (Miscellaneous), and Sentimental.
I joy-checked everything and discovered that two-thirds of what I owned didn’t spark any joy (anymore, or maybe never in the first place), but I mostly felt obligated to keep them. I didn’t want to keep living a life of obligation but of joy! So I changed my whole life!
In 2017, I even changed my profession as a church pastor and became a Professional Organizer using the KonMari Method® to help others turn their lives around too.
2019, I made it officially and became a “certified KonMari Consultant.”
There are six levels (Green, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Master). Each level has a certain amount of hours worked with a client and of the amount of Tiding Festivals done. I’m Platinum Level and getting closer to being a certified KonMari Master practitioner.
NETFLIX SHOWS
If you’d like to see Marie Kondo in action, I recommend the Netflix shows “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” and “Sparking Joy.” Marie visits couples and families and helps them declutter and organize their homes. I’m sure you will be touched by many of these stories and surprised by how much positive change tidying your home will have on your whole life and how light and happy you feel. I experienced it similarly during my Tidying Festival.
You can watch the trailers here and here. This way, you can get a taste and see if the KonMari Method® is the right approach for you.
Curious to dive deeper?
Here are two ways how to get started:
Download the free Tiny Tidy Guide and the Ultimate KonMari Tidying Checklist and start independently, aka do-it-yourself style.
Book a free discovery call to see how I can support you on your journey through 1:1 coaching.
"When I started working with Kati, I felt overwhelmed at times and somewhat stuck in life. Now that we went through all five KonMari categories, I couldn't be happier. I feel much lighter and freer and, in general, more in the flow.”
FELICIA C., SCRUM MASTER I HAMBURG, GERMANY
