1. Determine If It Sparks Joy
Kondo suggests going through each item in your home, holding it, and asking yourself whether or not it sparks joy. If you don’t feel positively about an item, it’s time to part with it, like your preowned engagement ring. You either sell it or donate it to someone who will cherish it more. This not only applies to furniture and knick knacks, but to your clothing as well.
2. Go By Category, Not By Room
Instead of going through your home room by room, Kondo suggests grouping everything into categories and going through the stuff in that manner. This way, you’ll be able to clearly see everything you have in that grouping.
3. Vertical Folding
Kondo’s method of vertical folding is perhaps one of her more revolutionary theories. If you fold and store your clothes vertically, you’ll clearly be able to see all of your clothing because items won’t be hiding under toppling piles.
4. Clean Containers
Kondo explains that when you buy food, it tends to come in brightly colored boxes with loud labels. She recommends transferring your food to “clean” containers, so that your pantry is a calm, relaxing place instead of a noisy one.
5. Clothing
When storing your clothing, Kondo explains that it’s very important to see everything you wear during a season. She also recommends grouping clothes of the same type and color together to prevent buying things you already have.
6. Purses
When it comes to handbags, Kondo says that you should get in the practice of emptying your handbag each day. Transfer the contents to a separate box that represents the daily necessities you’ll need in your purse. To save space and prevent bags from losing their shape, she also recommends storing them inside one another.
7. Photos
Photographs are hard to part with, but Kondo says you only really need to keep the ones that are extremely memorable. Click here to learn how Kondo organizes and stores her photos.
8. Books
Kondo explains that you should group your books into two categories: those you have already read, and those you have been planning to read and haven’t. The first group have served their purpose, and they can be donated. If you haven’t read the second group yet, chances are that you won’t and these, too, can be donated. She suggests only keeping books that are your absolute favorite titles.
9. Workspace
Your workspace needs to be functional. For this reason, eliminate anything from your workspace that doesn’t contribute to the work you’re doing. Kondo suggests vertical file storage for important documents, etc.
