Marie Kondo Your Way into a Joyful, Clutter-Free Life: The YouTube Edition
By now, you’ve probably heard about the cleaning guru that is Marie Kondo. A rock star figure in Japan, she’s credited with a revolutionary regimen — dubbed KonMari, a twist on her name — that will not only get your cabinets and drawers in shape, but apparently change your life. (She encapsulated her ideas in a New York Times bestseller, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.) It’s gotten so that she’s spawned a network of sorts on YouTube, inspiring the creation of nearly 2000 videos, all in service of sharing the wisdom of KonMari with others.
While we’d recommend reading the book first, for the visually inclined among us, video tutorials work best. So you don’t have to, we’ve combed through YouTube to find some of the more helpful, or interesting (and occasionally both), ones for you. Be forewarned: Unless you’re made of stone, you’ll probably end up wanting to get your place in order (stat!) after watching a bunch of these.
• First, as with most decluttering plans, you’ll need to start with a purge. A cornerstone of Kondo’s teachings is to ask yourself if the items you own “spark joy.” (Yes, joy. Not interest, nostalgia — a big reason we still hang onto those concert tickets from that first date with that sweet oddball — or naps.) No joy, no keep.
Here, Susie Shoaf, who had Kondo over to assess her books, has way too many titles for her own good, but Kondo gets her to pare things down to the joyful essentials (Art Deco: 1920 – 1940 makes the cut):
Jennifer Ross, an organizing fanatic, suggests putting aside at least a day to purge through your belongings. That’s because you’ll pretty much dump everything from your closet and drawers onto one spot and touch each item to see if it brings you joy. Watch her take on her already seemingly pared down and methodical home. (She already sorts her clothing by purpose, season and activity—running gear, golf-and-tennis gear, etc. Note: Her closet is self-admittedly as big as a bowling alley, practically. This chick clearly doesn’t live in NYC.):
• Sorting your belongings into a “sparks joy” and “donate” pile isn’t enough. You have to fold the items a certain way, too. Here’s how to make tidy a long-sleeved shirt:
And short-sleeves:
And jewelry:
Your handbag (we so need this!):
And your makeup pile:
Kondo took on the home of NYT’s Penelope Green, and she wrote about it, reminding readers, among other things, that Kondo believes in “thanking the objects that are getting the heave-ho for their service.”
New York Magazine’s design editor Wendy Goodman also had a visit from Kondo:
Better yet, why not hear about KonMari in its entirety from Kondo herself?
Related:
Get your closets in order this spring
Secret weapons: What you should use to clean your apartment
Your ultimate room-by-room guide to the ultimate spring cleaning regimen
