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A new craze has swept across the UK following the launch of Netflix’s latest hit show, ‘Tidying up with Marie Kondo’. The show focuses on Marie Kondo, a Japanese Mary Poppins of sorts, who helps people clean out their clutter to bring more joy into their lives.
The show quickly became a hit throughout the world, especially here in the UK. A simple search for #konverts will quickly reveal what sort of impact Marie Kondo has had in towns and cities throughout Old Blighty.
What is a ‘Konvert’ though? In short, a Konvert is someone who had adopted Marie Kondo’s famous decluttering technique, called the KonMari Method. The method is based on Japanese values and is designed to allow you to surround yourself with items that spark joy. It’s really all about decluttering though, something that we have been helping families, students and businesses with for many years.
Decluttering has been in the spotlight for some time as an increasing number of people realise the various benefits it brings, especially in January when New Year resolutions are in full swing.
To help you declutter, we took a look at Marie Kondo’s show and pulled out some of her top tips on decluttering and organising.
- The commitment to tidying up and decluttering
Commitment is the first step, but decluttering does take time and effort. There may be times during the process where the room appears messier than when it started. Committing to tidying up means that you have to prepare mentally to tackle the project and visualise your end goal. Take it one step at a time, but just make sure you commit to seeing the project to completion.
- Imagine your ideal lifestyle
This one may be tricky for some, but Marie Kondo encourages people to imagine their ideal lifestyle and envision their home as an organised and decluttered space. This will help decide what items to keep, what to store and what needs to be thrown out. Space in the UK is often limited, especially if you are in the City, so imaging a more spacious and uncluttered home is a great step to becoming more organised.
- Store by category and size rather than location
This one may seem obvious, but storing your shirts with your shirts and stationery with stationery is a logic that is often missed when decluttering. By storing your items categorically, you will never lose anything again.
- Ask if the item sparks joy
The Christmas holidays are becoming a distant memory and any summer suntans have long faded away - we all need a little joy at this time of year! One of Marie Kondo’s foundational mantras is to ask whether or not an item sparks joy to determine whether you keep or discard an item. ‘Joy’ in this instance could be interpreted in many ways, depending on the item. It could mean comfort, a memory or beauty. Whatever the definition of joy in the moment, according to Marie it is important to hold each item on its own and ask yourself whether or not the item “sparks joy”.
- Store items standing upright
In line with the KonMari folding technique, Kondo emphasises storing everything upright to make items more visible and accessible. It is a simple technique that enhances visibility, offering a range of benefits such as reducing the number of wrinkles in clothes and preventing you from buying more of the same item.
- Give thanks
One of Marie’s tips talks to the importance of mindfulness when tackling a task as large as decluttering. By thanking each item for its service and attached memories, you are demonstrating a mood of gratitude. Give it a go, even if it seems weird at first.
- Get rid of your paper
Kondo’s advice on paper is to “just throw them all away” (we would suggest recycling or confidential shredding). Not only do they take up unnecessary space in the home, they very seldom spark joy. If the thought of throwing away receipts and potentially useful documents makes you nervous, then you can always upload copies of your papers and receipts to the cloud for safe keeping or put them into self storage.
- Store your items based on how often you use them
Store your everyday use items, such as plates and mugs, in an easily accessible space. Save the hard-to-get spaces for items that are not used as often. This will make accessing your items a lot easier. Put your ski gear or summer sports equipment into affordable self storage.
- Use clear containers for storage
This is another technique that is used to remind you of the items that you have. By storing items in clear containers, nothing is completely lost or forgotten, but always visible as a reminder.
- Remember the goal and be patient
It may get worse before it gets better, but this is a normal part of the process. Make sure that you give yourself enough time to declutter properly by tackling items category by category. Take the extra effort to give every item in the home a space where it belongs – put the rest in storage.
During the process, you may find yourself in a position where you have decluttered your home, sorted out your categories and chosen a space for every item but there are still belongings that don’t quite fit. Perhaps these items are only used seasonally or for special occasions. These items still spark joy, but don’t fit in with your decluttering process.
This is where self storage comes in. A self storage unit can become a wonderful extension of your home to allow you to declutter and simplify your life.
With self storage stores across the UK, let us help you in your journey to become a Konvert.
Why not get a quick self storage quote or call us on 0800 0852 954 to chat to our friendly team about the various options.
