3 mins

A Primer on the KonMari Method

Learn how to simplify, organize and store your belongings to live a more mindful, clear-headed life.
by Therese Sivertsson | 2016-06-20

The KonMari Method is an approach to decluttering your life that was introduced by Japanese organizing consultant, Marie Kondo. This method positions tidying up as much more than a means to a clean house. Rather, it’s a way to live more healthily, become a better decision-maker, and achieve your dream life.

Inspired by minimalism and zen principles, the KonMari Method encourages people to hold on only to things that “spark joy” in their lives. For Kondo, tidying up is about cleanliness and organization, but only to a small extent: it’s more about creating a space that improves your body and mind.

The first step of the KonMari Method is to visualize your dream life. Once you’ve identified what you are working towards, you can start getting rid of things that do not help you achieve it.

As you go through your possessions, ask yourself “Does this bring me happiness? Does it have a purpose in my life?” If the answer to those questions is “no,” then toss it!

“The best criterion for choosing what to keep and what to discard is whether keeping it will make you happy, whether it will bring you joy.”

Declutter your way to a clearer happier life

Read more about the KonMari Method in Marie Kondo’s bestselling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Start with the blinks to fast-forward to your dream life!

Therese Sivertsson
About the writer
Therese Sivertsson

Therese is a Video Producer at Blinkist and a writer for Blinkist Magazine. She is passionate about sustainability and writes a monthly column on the topic.\nShe attributes her love for nature to growing up in northern Sweden amid vast spruce and pine forests and underneath the Northern lights. Therese studied Business & Marketing at Stockholm School of Economics.\nTherese’s recommended read on Blinkist is \nThe Hidden Life of Trees\n by Peter Wohlleben.

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