Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is a widely known, popular Netflix Original series dedicated to tidying up your belongings to find peace in your life. With a few rules and some structure, the show illustrates a distinct method of tidying.

There are six basic rules that she uses: commit yourself to tidying up, imagine your ideal lifestyle, finish discarding first, tidy by category and not by location, follow the right order, and ask yourself if it sparks joy.

The KonMari Method involves organizing household items based on categories rather than on location. By using this method, it can be easier to recognize how many of each type of item you may have and prevent them from being scattered to many different locations.

Kondo has clients organize their belongings in a specific order through five different categories: clothing, books, paper, komono — kitchen, garage, bathroom, miscellaneous — and sentimental items.

The goal of the practice is to appreciate everything you have and tidy the spaces you keep your belongings in. Each item you own has to be picked up and identified as something that sparks joy for you to be considered an item that you want to bring into your future with you.

If you decide to let go of the item, you must thank the item as you let it go, and the KonMari website states that this has been shown to be effective.

During the tidying process, you may find that your space initially feels more cluttered as you begin organizing — and that’s okay. The initial feeling of extra clutter is normal as you see everything you own together in its category.

If you keep your clothing in three different closets and two different dressers — and half of it in the laundry room — it’s no surprise if you feel overwhelmed when everything comes together into one pile.

Take your clothes out of the closet and put it all in a big pile. This is the only way you can truly see how much clothing you have, and it’s the best way to hold each item to see if you want to bring it with you into the future.

While applying the KonMari Method to my own belongings, I felt so much joy in removing things from my home that I no longer found myself enjoying. Jeans with the store tags still on them that I’ve never worn that have been sitting in my closet for five years? Old wrecked shoes that I refused to get rid of “just in case” I found a way to fix them up? Bye, Felicia — get out of my closet.

Removing items that have no practical use and only take up physical space in my home is such a relief. Having items that are of no use out of your space also allows you to effectively organize the items that you do use without unnecessary clutter.

Studies have shown that people who live in an organized home without excessive clutter are more likely to have improved physical health. Having a peaceful, organized space to live in can help relieve stress and make a space more comfortable and welcoming.

Using this method in my home has helped me to find comfort in my space and appreciate the items I own. Removing things that aren’t necessary from my space has allowed me to organize my belongings in a manner that has made my day much more productive by helping me find everything I need for daily activities.

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Shawna Langer

Graphic: Shawna Langer