In all fairness, I should probably wait until I have tried implementing some of the KonMari method to give an evaluation. For now, I will simply point out some of the differences in this method from the standard decluttering advice and some areas of agreement.
Indeed, there are some aspects I have no intention of following. Her belief that inanimate articles have feelings and that they are sensitive to the owner’s emotions is too far-out for me. Instead of thanking an item of clothing for how it enhances my life and when getting rid of it telling it thanks for its part in my life and wishing it a happy future life, I would rather thank God for providing the item. I do think it is important to treat one’s possessions with care and respect, but I do not believe one has a meaningful dialogue and communication with an inanimate article.
The biggest difference in the KonMari method in my opinion is that one is told to go through one’s items category-by-category rather than room-by-room. This requires gathering together like items in one place and spreading them out on the floor. I can see how this helps a person to grasp how much stuff they own (especially if scattered in different rooms and closets and drawers). It has the added benefit of bringing together items for logical storage. When one creates a “home” for a category of items, it makes it easier to find them.
You may have heard that her criteria for keeping an item is that it sparks joy as you hold and touch it. I do like flipping the perspective from what should I get rid of to focusing on what should be kept. It is a subtle difference but I think it probably has a better outcome in reducing what a person owns.
To train one in identifying this spark of joy, Ms. Kondo has a specific order of which categories to go through first. Her other biggie is that she thinks the tidying (sorting, reducing, storing) needs to be done quickly as one big project. As she says, “Tidy a little a day and you’ll be tidying forever.”
My first thought was that the owner doing the tidying would be overwhelmed and never start. Knowing where to begin is overcome by her strict category order, but fatigue and giving up would certainly come into play. Then in a later chapter she clarifies that she is talking about mostly a 6-month timeframe, doing categories over that span, category by category. And at least in the miscellaneous category and subcategories she admits the order is not so important, especially for someone living alone.
Really, she is in agreement with other declutter writers about the degree of hardness for some categories such as papers, photos, sentimental mementos. That is why she wants you to start with easier categories. She also agrees that in deciding what to get rid of, you are in some ways processing your past. This can be painful at times, but to bring healing or allow you to move on, this step is necessary. All tidying professionals insist that you reduce your stuff before even thinking about how and where to store it. Ms. Kondo is on board with that.
Ms. Kondo has almost a fetish about folding clothes. Without any diagram or picture, I am not sure I totally comprehend her method. She thinks it is better to have few items hanging in a closet and more clothing items folded and standing vertically in drawers. I may try her sock folding/storing idea, but for me, if it is hanging in the closet I see it, if in a drawer I tend to forget about it. This is especially true of tops and pants.
The magic of tidying using her method she says is that you gain confidence in your decision-making capacity which leads to general confidence in your judgment in other areas of life. You will be ready to let go of the past or to not worry about the future, but instead be content with what you have now. Because you love (or need) what you own, you identify what is important to you and what your values are. You will be a happier person.
I have been yearning to get rid of more of my stuff, and I may try doing it in the order she suggests and by touching and holding items. Of course, I share a house with my husband, so there will be things that spark no joy in me, but hopefully touch his heart. One must lead by example, not by trying to get rid of others’ belongings.
Ms. Kondo has some other quirks besides the folding and vertical arrangement of clothing. Give her a try and see how you feel about her ideas, especially if you have put off reducing your possessions. Her method may get you started.
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