The Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Mari Kondo is a book that taught millions of people all over the world how to declutter their homes and lives. Translated into many languages, it helps you get rid of items you don’t need in order to surround yourself only with things that bring joy.

Bright Side decided to tell you about the main secrets of this book.

First things first, you need to dispose of unnecessary stuff once and for all.

To put your house in perfect order, you need to stop shifting things from place to place. First of all, decide which of their immense number are worthy of living in your home. As a result, you’ll be able to clear room for the things that are truly yours and begin to create your space.

1. Does this thing spark joy?

Take each object in your hands, and ask yourself one question: "Does it spark joy?" Keep only those that bring out vivid and positive emotions. Surround yourself with a world of objects that give you confidence and power. That applies to everything from skirts and sweaters to books and photographs.

2. One category at a time

The mistake of many is that they tidy up by rooms and keep coming across the same things without ever realizing their true number. Mari Kondo advises you to put everything in one category together first, and only then decide what you want to keep. This way, you can estimate the total amount of your stuff and keep only the best of it.

3. Vertical storage

The main storage principle invented by Mari Kondo is the vertical fold. If you place your belongings vertically, it will be impossible to forget about them. They don’t get lost under piles of other things and are easier to keep tidy, as shown here. Besides, clothing items keep their shape better and longer this way.

4. Groceries

Food products are usually sold in bright cartons, cans, and bottles. All these packages together create information noise that attacks you as soon as you open the pantry. But if you tear the labels off or move the food item to another "clean" container, the noise will disappear. The shelves look much better too, as you can see here.

5. Clothing

The most important thing about storing clothes is to see everything you wear during a season. Wardrobes and hangers suit that purpose well. Clothes of the same type and color are best kept together so that you don’t buy what you already have again and again. Hanging clothes should be arranged by their length from left to right. This will create the effect of an airy and well-organized closet, as shown here.

6. Bags

Empty your bags every day. This will help you understand which items you’re not going to need the next day. To prevent bags from losing their shape, keep them one inside another — this will also save a lot of space. Get a small box for the documents and papers you use daily to make it easier to find them. Organizers like this one will help you save precious closet space.

7. Photographs

A huge number of photos is another source of clutter. To recall life’s important moments, you only need a couple of the most memorable pictures. Advice on how to arrange them creatively can be found here.

8. Books

There are 2 categories of books you need to do away with: those that you have already read and forgotten and those you’ve been intending to read for a long time but haven’t. The first have fulfilled their function. After getting rid of the second, you’ll find out whether you want to return to them. Only the books worthy of your walk of fame should be kept in place. This site offers a lot of solutions on how to store your books and much more.

9. Workplace

Your workplace should help you work. Therefore, it should be mess free while still containing everything necessary. This can be done with the help of vertical holders and folders that can be obtained here. They will clear the space and give a new, fresh start for all your ideas.

Preview photo credit Mike McCune

SOURCE: BRIGHTSIDE