Did you hear the rumor?   There was a rumor going around not long ago that Marie Kondo believes we should have no more than 30 books!  Totally NOT true!  The KonMari Method ™ is not minimalism and does not tell you how many of anything to own.  In fact, Marie and I are the last people to tell you what you can or cannot keep!

 

Here are the only 6 rules of the KonMari Method™, none of which include how many of anything you can keep.  Your books are safe!

 

1) Commit yourself to tidying up.

The tidying festival is a marathon not a sprint friends.  Going through every item in your home is a life-changing, worthwhile task, but it’s a big one too.  You may have some real highs when you find money in a coat pocket (happens all the time!).  You may also have some real lows when you have to face getting rid of something that has emotional strings attached.  A KonMari consultant will provide guidance, encouragement, and accountability to keep you moving forward.

 

2) Imagine your ideal lifestyle.

The KonMari Method™ is about living the life you want to live.  Through the method, you will surround yourself with what matters most while shedding the things (and ideas) that don’t.

 

3) Finish discarding first.

With Instagram and Pinterest FULL of gorgeous images of organized homes, it’s easy to want to run to The Container Store or Target to stock up on boxes and bins.  STOP!  Once you decide what to keep, you’ll have a much better idea of how things should be stored, and THEN you can get all the organizing supplies if that’s your thing.  I LOVE organizing a home to fit the family.  Organizing a home is almost like a puzzle and not one-size-fits-all!

 

4) Tidy by category, not by location.

In my opinion, this is the game-changer.  SO many times, we want to tackle a drawer, a cabinet, a room at a time.  But often we are organizing items in that space when there are more just like it in other places around the house, and we don’t even know it.  A consultant friend of mine found 7 small tubes of Neosporin all over a client’s home.  The client could have organized the first aid box 100 times, but if the first aid supplies weren’t collected at one time, she would never know!

 

5) Follow the right order.

Because we will go through each item one by one to determine if it sparks joy for you, the order of categories was designed to be from “easiest” to “hardest”.  The order is clothing, books, papers, Komono (miscellaneous items), and sentimental items.  By the time you get to the challenging sentimental items, you will be a pro at determining what sparks joy and fits in your life.

 

6) Ask yourself if it sparks joy.

The KonMari Method™ is all about selecting what to keep, not what to get rid of. You will hold an item to determine if it sparks joy and fits in the life you are creating.  If it does, it gets to stay.  If not, we thank it and let it go.  Only you can make these decisions, but a KonMari consultant will guide you with lots of questions to help you.

 

See!  None of the rules are about forcing you to get rid of things!  I hope you enjoyed getting to know the KonMari Method™ a little better.  Stay tuned for practical tips you can put to use right away!

In other news, the website is so close to being finished, and you will be the first to know when it is up and running.

AND, I am almost finished with step 5 of 9 in the process of becoming a certified KonMari Consultant!  Let me know if you are interested in how the certification process works!  I'm happy to share!

Thanks for reading!

Caroline