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 became 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 go through all five categories, you accomplished a “Tidying Festival.” 🎉
Marie Kondo © Photo credit KonMari Media, Inc.
What’s the KonMari Method®, and what is it not?
The KonMari Method® has received much media attention over the last few years through the two Netflix shows with Marie Kondo. However, the assumption that everybody understands what the KonMari Method® is isn't true. People “heard of it,” but many myths and misunderstandings exist.
Let’s clarify it! Watch the video or read the blog post.
What is tidying?
In a nutshell, tidying your belongings means decluttering them, and only after you've done this do you organize what’s left over.
DECLUTTERING + ORGANIZING = TIDYING
DECLUTTERING
This means touching everything you own in a specific order and tuning in to ask if this item will help you realize your ideal lifestyle. Marie Kondo calls it “joy-checking” 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 to 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 this item give value and joy to my life and support the life I want to create for myself?” The goal is to create an environment that helps you live your ideal lifestyle. 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 the best for you. Marie Kondo has a unique folding technique where you fold pants, shirts, and sweaters into small square packages. Then, you can put them into your drawer like books on a shelf and see all the things you have to wear with one glance!
You can see an example drawer of one of my clients in the picture. At the left are sleeveless tops, then T-shirts and long-sleeve shirts, and at the very right are turtlenecks.
The KonMari Method has 6 basic rules of tidying:
Commit yourself to tidying
Imagine your ideal lifestyle
Finish discarding before you start organizing
Tidy by category and not by location
Follow the right order of the categories
Ask yourself if it sparks joy
MY KONMARI STORY
How it started…
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 unique approach of asking oneself whether items spark joy intrigued me. My whole life, I only asked myself, "Can I get rid of this?" but never, "Does it spark joy and supports the life I want to create?"
First steps…
I made my first test with my big earring collection (earrings are also part of the first category of clothes). I had collected so many pairs of earrings on my travels but wasn't wearing most of them. When I took each pair in my hands and asked myself if it sparked joy, I knew instantly which ones sparked joy and which ones had served their purpose and could leave my collection. I was so blown away by this simple method. 🤯
Getting serious about it…
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 from church pastor to Professional Organizer, using the KonMari Method® to help others create a home and life that sparks joy.
After working with many clients from 2017 to 2019, I knew I was ready to take things further. In November 2019, I officially started the process of becoming a certified KonMari Consultant and got certified in early 2020.
In June 2024, I reached the Master Level with 1,500+ hours of one-on-one KonMari tidying.
“Certified Masters are our most experienced Consultants. They have seen it all and honed their personal technique to perfection. ”
KonMari Certification Levels:
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Certified Master
1,500+ tidying hours
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Certified Platinum
900+ tidying hours
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Certified Gold
600+ tidying hours
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Certified Silver
300+ tidying hours
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Certified Bronze
150+ tidying hours
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Certified Green
30+ tidying hours
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 Kondo 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.
"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
