The Magic of the KonMari Method: What to Keep and What to Give Away
Letting go of things—especially those with sentimental value—can be difficult. Let these tips help you!
How can you successfully edit and declutter your space? Getting rid of things comes easy for some, difficult for most. Just imagine letting go of a dress that you've had for years or a stuff toy that you've kept since high school! Marie Kondo, cleaning consultant and author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, gives just one criterion when it comes to knowing what to keep and what to let go of.Â
Once in a while, I get in the mood to sort, throw, and clean things up. It’s usually when a space becomes an eyesore, like when messy heaps of clothes crammed into a closet or when the kitchen cabinet is overflowing with cans and food items. There's really no criteria when it comes to discarding and keeping things. Of course, broken and expired items need to go as soon as possible, but how do you deal with favorite clothes, bags, shoes, and other essentials?
After reading Kondo's book, I realized that my method focused on the negative—what I didn’t need anymore, what I didn’t like, what I found was just taking up space. Organizing became a sad experience of discarding things like they never meant anything to me.
Kondo's approach dwelled on the practical and positive:
