Organize your life
In 2019, the whole world spoke about a small woman from Japan and her somewhat unusual series on Netflix. Because Marie Kondo is not talking about the usual trend topics such as travel or street food. No. She has completely committed her life to organizing and tries to show the viewers how you can bring more joy into your life through more organized cleaning. Marie Kondo not only inspired the audience on Netflix, but also the whole team at Wunderkey.
The secret behind it: According to the Japanese saying "The disorder in the room corresponds to the disorder in the heart." the newly achieved order is supposed to make people happier.
Her organizing method is called "KonMari" (derived from the name of the young Japanese woman) and describes cleaning up by categories instead of rooms. It is organizing according to a simple but incredibly effective basic principle: "Only what is enjoyable is kept"
The incredible success of this approach lies in its holistic view of property, because separating from things that you already have possessed for a very long time can sometimes be quite an emotional affair due to memories, nostalgia and also partial fear of loss. So doesn't it make even more sense to include this emotional level in cleaning up and filter out positive feelings?
Kondo's radical view: around two thirds of the items in a household or at work are superfluous ballast and can be disposed. Only what "sparks joy" is kept. This approach may seem very extreme at first glance, but this approach releases positive thoughts and reveals a new attitude to life that many self-proclaimed collectors will not imagine to be possible.
If you can't find time to watch Marie Kondo's inspiring series on Netflix or her bestseller translated into countless languages " Magic Cleaning - How correct cleaning up changes your life ", we have summarized the 5 The most important steps for cleaning up according to the KonMari method for you:
- Cleaning up in consistent sprints
from the point of view of the Japanese, cleaning up should be a quick and consistent activity and not, as is practiced by many, a series of inconsistent and frustrating attempts to create order, which end in one never-ending process of cleaning. One should consistently set time limits for a certain category. For example, you could invest half an hour in the “books” or “pens” categories and no longer. This forces you to achieve the set goal in a sprint. Many real life examples have already shown that you can change your entire home in this way within a few weeks.
- Tidying up by categories instead of rooms
Who does n't think like that sometimes: "Today I tidy up the bedroom, tomorrow the living room and on the weekend the kitchen" or "First the desk, then the large shelf next to it". Tidying up by location or area is one of the worst and most tiring ways to go, according to Kondo, as it never ends. The organization expert recommends a very specific order according to deliberately defined categories: clothes, books, papers, small items ("Komono", 小 物 m, Japanese) and finally memorabilia.
The term Komono in Japanese means small household items that cannot be assigned to any of the other categories: These include decoration, pens, makeup, bathroom accessories, music CDs, cables and electrical appliances, accessories and also keys.
Starting with the clothing category has a very special reason. It is not too difficult for most people to put old clothes in the used clothing collection and you can get started with saying goodbye. In the last category - the memorabilia - most people find it hardest to sort things out. For this reason, these will come at the end. In Kondo's opinion, it is especially important to visualize how many things have accumulated over the years. Therefore, you should look for everything from the category that you want to tackle next in the whole house and in a heap. What follows is a moment of wonder and the realization of how urgent it is to sort out. We often forget the mass of objects in one category, since they are usually distributed over several rooms in our everyday life
- Sorting out based on gut feeling
The next step is detailed work. If you want to take the most time for one step, it is for this one. Take each object individually in your hand, touch it, feel it extensively. Look at it closely. Turn off your rational thoughts in this step. It is not about deciding whether you will need an item again or when you used an item last time. At this point, only one thing counts: your gut feeling. Listen to your body. How does this object make you feel? Does it make you feel good or bad? Does your body tense or relax? Or in short: "Does it spark joy?" So at this point we take a completely different view on things than expected: We don't worry about what we want to get rid of, but rather about what we want to keep. An example: You stand in front of your huge pile of clothes and hold the first sweater in your hand. You turn it back and forth. You feel the fabric at every part of the sweater, let its color affect you, you let it slide over your skin, you smell it, take care of your body feeling and ask yourself: Does this object inspire me? Does it make me happy to feel it on my skin? Does he give me joy? You will quickly notice that the KonMari method is not only used to clean up efficiently. It is rather about getting to know yourself and dealing with who you want to be, how you want to live and what is important to you. Finally, try to find out which items you want to use to tackle your future.
- Every item has its place
For many it may be taboo, but books can also be "thrown away". That doesn't mean that everything has to end up in the trash. Feel free to donate things like clothes, books or decorations or sell them online. But make sure to do this promptly and consistently, otherwise you run the risk of simply postponing getting rid of it. All things that make you happy or essential for everyday life are kept in a specific place. Each category has its own fixed place. That is the most important principle of the KonMari method. Of course, it takes a certain amount of time, but this is where long-term success is hidden: If you clean it up properly, you will have order forever. Because exactly in this fixed place the objects are put back after each use. For example, you used the shelf at the front door to dispose of old keys that still belonged to the doors of your old house. You keep the only 6 keys that are still needed. These then come to their tidy keychain and not back in any drawer together with small change from ancient times. What is special: The new visible and noticeable order will have a positive effect on your well-being. For the clothing category, Marie Kondo has even developed a special way of folding and storing.
It is best to fold your clothes into small rectangular packages and then put them up in your closet. The standing arrangement gives you a better overview and prevents your clothes from wrinkling. In addition, you should not fill your drawers and shelves too much - but not too little either. There must always be enough space to clear and unload, but the packages should still be so close to each other that they stand up. It is best to sort darker colors to the rear and lighter colors to the front. You will see the bright and colorful colors every day in search of your outfit and trigger a feeling of happiness in the morning.
The following applies to the clothes rail: Clothes that are to be hung on hangers should, if possible, optically form an ascending line. So hang heavy and long coats and jackets to the left and work your way to the right to light tops, t-shirts or skirts. Clothes and cardigans should hang in the middle.
Your shoe rack is sorted according to a similar principle. Heavy winter shoes belong down and the light summer shoes belong up at sight level
- The altar for memorabilia
The clean-up expert allows a spiritual influence on your approach in many ways. The KonMari method also contains small elements of Shintoism. In Shintoism, values such as respect and gratitude play an important role. Therefore, you should show respect and reasonable gratitude for things that have long been owned by you. This will also help you to let go. It is best to speak your thoughts out loud, even if it may seem strange at first to speak to the objects. Again you not only speak to things, but also to yourself: "Thanks dear sweater, you were interesting, I carried you, you did your services, you kept me warm in winter, but now you can go to the used clothing collection ". Of course, this is more difficult with important memorabilia such as photos, postcards, jewelry from parents and Co. For this you should create an "altar". The specific place for your important memories. We call it the "holy place". The most important thing is that it remains a firmly defined place that does not wander and does not grow and only offers space for your most important things.
How the KonMari method inspires our products
In the KonMari method we have found many elements that also inspire and drive us in our work on our Wunderkey products. Get rid of old ballast and keep only those things in everyday life that make us feel good. It is astonishing how crucial the small things - the Komonos - can be: the difference it makes to enter the apartment with a tidy and slim keychain. It is a daily reminder to keep order in your own life, every time you reach into your pocket. An order in which every object has a fixed place. Just like a Wunderkey - Because Organizing is Key