The magic of tidying up

I red this article on brightside.me about Marie Kondo's book - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing - and it was a huge help for me (especially step 1.), so I am going to share with you this great sorting method.

  

"Step 1. Discarding useless stuff

 

"Does this give me joy?"

"It’s usually easier to part with stuff that is not functional anymore (for example, if it is broken, old or outmoded). On the other hand, there are a lot of things that you don’t need but it’s hard to think of a reason why you should get rid of them.

The best way to decide what to keep and what to throw away is to hold every item in your hands and then ask yourself: ’’Does this give me joy?’’ If it does — keep it. If it doesn’t — let it go." 

The method works! I am a "collector"-type, I don't like throwing out things, because I think "someday maybe it will good for something", but that day never comes, and I am here with a bunch of stuff, that I neither like nor need. With this simple question I can finally decide if I really need an item.

"Category-by-category system"

"Instead of a room-by-room approach use a category-by-category system.

Start the cleaning process from the items that are easier to dispose of: clothes, books, documents, etc. and only at the end should you deal with ’’sentimental’’ items and memorable gifts."

I didn't try this tip yet, because nowadays I don't have the time to do it.

  "Don’t let your relatives interfere"

When I'm not sure about an item, I tend to ask one of my family members' opinion. If they say: "I like it, you shoud keep it!", I will probably keep things that I don't need. You should sort thing for yourself not for others!

"Don’t make useless clothes your leisure wear"

"Many people instead of throwing away items they never wear leave those things to wear ’’at home’’. Don’t do this! It’s not right to be stuck with clothes you don’t like. You will not ’’relax’’ wearing those at home."

I used to do this with clothes I didn't like, and I've hardly ever worn them. Now instead of that I choose comfy clothes, which I like to wear.

"Parting with useless souvenirs"

"Are you unable to throw away presents that were bought for you by those near and dear to your heart? We’ve all been there.

’’The main purpose of a present is to be received. Presents are not ’’things’’, they are means of communicating our feelings’’

 — says Marie. If you look at your task from this point of view, you won’t have to feel remorse for throwing away someone’s gift. Just thank that person for the happiness that present brought to you when you received it."

I didn't do it yet. And it seems a really hard task. If I won't have the heart to throw away these items, I will just put them into a big box in the lumber-room.

"Step 2. Finding a place to store things that you actually need"

 

"- How to store your stuff wisely?"

"All of the items from one category should be stored in one place, very close to each other.
 

If your goal is to always have free space, then you need to keep all of your belongings handy in such way that would allow you to see all of them at a glance."

And this way you could easily put away them to their right place after using them.

"The main secret is vertical storing"

"It is better to store things upright, than in piles."

"The best storing device is a shoe-box"

 

"Tidy house = tidy life"

"Marie Kondo says that putting a house in order helps you to put your affairs and your past in order as well. After you deal with your stuff, your goals and aspirations become clearer and you can finally discard the unessential in life."