The KonMari Method - Japanese Decluttering That Sparks Joy
- Marcin Włodarczyk
- Oct 16
- 12 min read
Japanese are back at it again! Yet another cleaning-related post straight from the Land of the Tidying Up... I meant the Rising Sun. Funny how that rhymes. They’ve really got order figured out, haven’t they?
The KonMari method, developed by Marie Kondo, involves organizing by collecting all personal items, one category at a time, and retaining only those that "spark joy" (in Japanese ときめく tokimeku, meaning "flutter, throb, palpitate" in English).
Recently I wrote about the Swedish Death Cleaning and I noticed that one can draw a lot of parallels between it and today's topic (+ maybe one more topic that I have in mind for the future). It definitely isn't about preparing for the "inevitable", however. The KonMari method is more about how your treat your house and your items. Your home and your belongings. And it's very fiting - given the Japanese appreciation for animism, which is deeply embedded in the Shinto beliefs they practice.
It's the kind of belief that clicks with me too, on some personal level, I suppose. I wouldn't say I believe in gods living in my drawers and my laundry hamper but I do believe in some kind of energy in the general sense of the matter.
Kondo mentions that her fascination with tidiness began at the age of 5, when feng shui gained popularity in Tokyo, Japan; the Japanese adaptation was called fusui. Her mother "was applying the method, but according to Kondo, the house wasn't organized enough to attain the feng shui effect." As a result, Kondo started the "tidying up" process at this young age to support her mother's efforts.
In junior school, Kondo would rush into the classroom to organize bookshelves while her classmates participated in physical education. During class role nominations, she didn't aspire to be the class representative or the pet feeder. Instead, she desired to be the bookshelf manager to continue organizing books.
Kondo notes that her method is partly inspired by the Shinto religion. In Shintoism, properly cleaning and organizing items can be considered a spiritual practice, as it pertains to the correct way of living (kannagara) and the energy or divine spirit within objects (kami).
TIDYING UP WITH MARIE KONDO
So, I've finally watched her cleaning series on Netflix. The first thing Marie does in the very first episode, is thanking the house (of some random American family) to express gratitude towards it for always protecting its inhabitants. The idea is to learn to cherish everything that you have so you can achieve happiness for your family and live comfortably. This initial step is vital to the KonMari method so thank the house in your mind in silence and ask it to cooperate with you during the cleaning process.
KonMari method is unique because it organizes things according to categories, not places. There are 5 categories: clothing, komono (kitchen, bathroom, garage, miscellaneous), sentimental items, books, papers. We will focus on all of them but to a different degree with each.
Lesson 1: CLOTHING
Take all clothing from everywhere in the house and make one pile. Only when you actually confront it and see how many things you have, you start to realize what you need to do.
The picture you see above is actually from my own bedroom and after 4 hours of gratitude, 3 bin bags of parting ways and sniffling while sifting through, my partner can vouch - the method works.
When piling up clothes, it's the shock of seeing how much you have that makes you rethink which items, garments in this case, are the most important to you.
Now you decide what stays and what doesn't. Important step is to hold each item and keep it if it makes you feel happiness. You know, when you get the proverbial "butterflies". You'll get a better sense of this feeling the more you clean.
It's not about throwing everything away, it's to reintroduce yourself to what you have. Ask yourself if this is really something you want to take with you into the future.
Then, when you come across an item you don't want or need anymore - thank it. Express your gratitude towards that pair of jeans that served its purpose for so long.
Once you've separated your clothes into two boxes: "keep" and "discard" it's time to fold them. This process isn't just about making it all take up less space, it's the opportunity to, once again, express your thanks to the items in your possession. While folding you want to start with creating a rectangle in the middle (so folding the sides inwards), then folding in half and then in thirds. Inside your drawer you want to make sure to insert them vertically.
One way to share the wardrobe space with your partner is to designate an area for each of you. Be and stay responsible for your own area - just like you would ask your children to do. This will reduce the tension between the two of you and increase the trust.
The tip for parents is to treat this process like a group activity. Marie Kondo likens it to reading a story book to your child - you turn this task into a family ritual.
LESSON 2: KOMONO
In the category of komono are items that aren't clothes, books, documents. Use boxes with compartments to store these and make the organizing easier. Marie Kondo doesn't recommend storing items in plastic bags - with time they start looking like trash. Use transparent boxes instead.
It's time to focus on your kitchen and/garage if you own one.
Start with utensils you use for cooking. Put them all on the counter. Remember the clothes part? Make a pile where you can see it all. Make multiple piles when different categories of items. Similarly to your folded clothes, store what you can in an upright position so it's easily visible and readily available for use. Store similarly-sized utensils together. Use boxes to separate items from each other within the same drawer. It also makes for easier pick up if you need me than one item or when you need to clean the drawers later.
Store frequently used dishes, devices or utensils in cabinets closest to you. Fill hard to reach cabinets with items you almost never pull out, like fine china for special occasions or that one crepe pan you bought to make pancakes with and never used it again. Keep plastic and paper plates, spoons and straws in a separate box, together with items you don't use very often.
Remember that your kitchen will never be perfectly clean, especially if it works as your family hub that brings you together daily.
However, making sure your kitchen items have their designated drawers and cabinets, and are always stored exactly where you expect them to be will definitely help. If anything it will at least ease your decision fatigue.
Meanwhile, in your garage put it all in there center, sorted by categories. If you come across an important or sentimental item, leave the decision of whether to keep it or discard it to the very end, when get a better understanding of your methodology behind choosing. When in boxes, store them in orientations that allow for a quick glance, to see what you already have, instead of going to a hardware store and buying another paint brush or an electrical outlet cover.
Electronics often make up a substantial bulk of items that contribute to the mess. Devices of various shapes and sizes don't fit anywhere, and decades-old cables of forgotten technological days tangle every single time. Store what you can in boxes with compartments or store boxes in boxes to make sure nothing leaves their designated confines. Again, similarily to your garage, store what you can vertically so your items are easily recognizable from a single glance.
If you're sorting through kids' toys, pile them all up, categorize by the frequency of use but keep in mind the toys that your children are attached to the most - this is the moment to engage your children in the process, help them to make their decision and encourage to give thanks to items they won't be holding onto. Store in their respective boxes.
If you have more than one child, make separate piles as well as "shared" pile. Ask your children to choose toys that spark joy in them. It's very possible they will say that about all their toys - in that moment ask them to choose the ones they like the most.
If you have pets, it's important to make an area for their items. Categorize them by toys, harnesses and leashes, grooming utensils and food and snacks. With dogs, that need daily walks it's even more efficient to store their leads on hangers instead of taking them out of drawers every day.
When you're cleaning, it may feel like you create even more mess but stick to the plan and you'll pull through, says Marie in her Netflix series.
LESSON 3: SENTIMENTAL ITEMS
By cleaning, you can ease the pain of the past and start thinking positively about the future.
Envision and imagine your ideal lifestyle that you want to lead after you tidy up. Going through this process, remember that you are not alone, your house and all your belongings are here to support you.
Marie suggests leaving the sorting of things of our love partners to the end as it's difficult and it may delay the entire process. And if you think about it - in a way, this is the part that connects and links the Swedish Death Cleaning and the KonMari method. Episode 4 of the show dealt with the cleaning process after the departure of the family member.
If you were to be suddenly (or gradually) left with all of your partner's belongings because of their declining health - I could only imagine how difficult it would be to process it all so usually when you get to sentimental items too quickly, it's very easy to get stuck because our ability to judge what sparks joy hasn't fully developed yet but in the case of episode four, the rules have been adjusted to the person who were mentally strong and wanted to go through their partner's clothes then and there to feel complete with the clothes part, instead of jumping to their books and making another massive pile.
And I do agree with this sentiment personally too, especially if you compare the sizes of Western homes vs tiny Japanese apartments and the western mentality of consumerism, collecting and even hoarding vs the Japanese minimalism and the ingrained fear of possibly losing your belongings any minute due to natural disasters that you don't have control over.
You saw my picture with the pile of clothes above. As me and my partner are going through the process of moving right now, we can't really allow ourselves to produce multiple piles of half-looked-through items throughout our flat - we are already sleeping in the living room so that the bedroom can serve as a storage room for all the boxes.
Store your sentimental items in a way that sparks joy. You can prepare yourself a treasure box to keep them in. Store what you can vertically, put smaller items in a box and store next to vertical items. With photos, you can categorize them by year or by events. Put your entire treasure chest in a place you like and frequent often.
Don't focus on what to eliminate. Focus on what you want to keep and how to keep it. Cleaning changes not only your house or your life but it also creates a space that completes you fully.
LESSON 4: BOOKS
Ask yourself if you want to take them with you into the future? And if so, which ones? Books are reflections of our thoughts and values. While sorting through your books you will see what kind of information is important to you in that moment.
The understanding of our relationship with our items comes to us all at different moments in time. Even if you discard something at first, you may feel like coming back to it and sorting it again once you've honed your ability to see items that make you happy.
LESSON 5: PAPER
Designate one spot in the house for all of it. Categorize them into these sections:
Pending - papers that need tending to, for example letters and bills
Important - papers you need to keep indefinitely for example contracts and insurance documents
Miscellaneous - papers that you often go back to like food recipes or notes on topics that are your hobby
Tidying together is a great way for couples to see if they share the same values. After all, the KonMari method is meant to teach teamwork. While sorting papers, aim to get rid of everything. Always take everything out of envelopes to have easy access to the content and to reduce the amount of paper waste.
GRATITUDE
Many people feel guilty when they part with they're belongings. Expressing gratitude towards your items your will lessen the impact of that feeling. In case of clothing, it's especially important to express it towards the clothes you have ended up never wearing. It's because those items taught you that this is the type of clothing you don't like.
PURYFING THE SPACE
If you get stuck with your cleaning or feel overwhelmed, try to change "the feel in the air" by literally opening your window to get fresh supply of oxygen but you can also light a candle or a joss stick, use your favorite fragrant air freshener, create ambients sounds or play music.
MISCELLANEOUS FINDINGS I NOTICED DURING MY WATCH OF THE SHOW
if you don't have any drawers, use shoe boxes as temporary storage space.
if you have a lot of festive decorations, pile them up, hold and examine each item and keep only what sparks joy.
if you are having troubles with fitted sheets, fold in thirds, then in half and half again. If your drawers are deep, store vertically. If small, roll the sheets instead.
if you're a family, make sure everyone is responsible for their own space or room. Work together to keep your house a home.
if you have many handbags and purses and think you have nowhere to store them - put them inside one another to consolidate your space.
if you have plenty of photographs, store them either in boxes or albums. Then, find a place for them that also makes you happy when you see it.
if you can't decide where to start with clothes, you'll be more atuned to what sparks joy for you if you start with something that you obviously like and wear all the time.
if you are young and need that last push out of the proverbial "nest", during your clothes selection process, try to decide what you see yourself wearing that will make you feel more mature and grown-up.
fold your neckties in half to label, fold in half again, roll up and store in a small box.
people who collect shoes usually want to display them - categorize them on shelves either by shape, color, brand or year. Store heavy boots at the bottom and light sneakers at the top.
if you want to organize your pantry, group your groceries, for example: teas and coffees on one shelf, cereals and snack on another, pastas, flours and other carbs on yet another shelf and lastly canned food. Put loosely packaged or opened bags in a box so nothing falls out whenever you try to grab something.
I noticed a big shift in peoples' attitude. They often expressed how therapeutic the process was. Multiple participants, having completed the process, expressed how pointless it is to keep items anymore. They don't feel the urge to constantly collect or store material possessions indefinitely anymore. They build good, positive habits that stay with them for the future.
KEY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE KONMARI METHOD AND SDC METHOD
Aspect | Swedish Death Cleaning | KonMari Method |
Purpose | To prepare for the future and ease burden on loved ones | To live more joyfully and mindfully in the present |
Focus | Responsibility, legacy, practicality | Joy, mindfulness, emotional resonance |
Audience | Often older adults (but anyone can do it) | Anyone seeking order and joy |
Approach | Declutter gradually, with heirs in mind | Systematic “once and for all” tidying by category |
Emotional Tone | Pragmatic, compassionate, legacy-driven | Optimistic, joyful, self-focused |
View of Objects | Functional, what should or shouldn’t be left behind | Spiritual - objects have energy and should be respected |
THE JOY HAS BEEN SPARKED
In the end, both the Swedish Death Cleaning from the last post and the KonMari method we talked about today remind me that tidying is never just about the stuff - it’s about our relationship with life itself. Whether we approach our belongings with a sense of legacy or with the pursuit of joy, the act of letting go becomes a quiet reflection on who we are and what truly matters.
Marie Kondo’s philosophy, grounded in gratitude and intention, offers more than a clean home; it is a way to reconnect with our surroundings and ourselves. Her gentle “thank you” to the house feels profound because it turns an ordinary moment into something sacred, a mindful pause to honor the spaces that hold our lives.
Watching her series and trying her method myself made me realize that tidying is not the goal but the means, a path toward clarity, calm, and appreciation. Perhaps, like the Shinto shrines that inspired her, our homes too can become reflections of balance, harmony, and quiet, sparked joy.
