If you’ve ever wanted to organize your home using Marie Kondo’s popular KonMari Method, but you’re not sure whether the technique will work for you, this post will answer that concern. Read on to discover whether or not the KonMari Method is easy to follow.
Is the KonMari Method easy to follow? Let me answer this question for you right off the bat.
Yes, the KonMari Method is easy to follow.
At the same time, though, it’s not.
What an obnoxious answer, right? Yeah, I know. I’m not really helping you out there, so first, let me start by explaining WHY I wanted to adopt this organizational method into my life.
(I promise this will better help explain my stance on how easy the KonMari Method is to follow).
Also, if you’re not familiar with the foundational principles of KonMari, I would highly recommend first reading this quick beginner’s guide to KonMari, which will sum up your starting steps so you’re familiar with how this organizational technique works.
Why I started looking into the KonMari Method
Originally I decided I was going to read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, because it seemed like the perfect book to kick off my journey into SIP (please note: This is an affiliate link, meaning I make a small commission if you choose to purchase through my link, but just know I only recommend products I use and love).
SIP is my 12 month experiment in 2020 to improve my life (SIP stands for “self improvement plan”). Each month I read one self improvement book, and then I spend the month trying to implement the things that I learned, with the hope that by the end of 2020, I’ll have “improved” myself. If you’re interested, you can read more about SIP here.
So why this particular book, though?
Well, like I said, I wanted to kick off the new year making sure my environment was in the best state that it could be in.
As a freelance writer who works from home and spends the majority of her time in her home (especially in the winter), I have to make sure my space is in tip-top-shape in order to inspire my productivity and creativity.
The second I was done the book, I was ready to get started with my deep dive into this new organizational technique!
But here’s what went wrong…
Why I don’t think the KonMari Method is right for me
Once I was done the book, I realized, as someone who doesn’t have a huge clutter problem, but more so just wanted to tidy up a few select spaces, following the techniques laid out in this book in their entirety would have been a bit overkill.
For example, as someone who LOVES to read and who doesn’t buy that many books to begin with, the advice about only keeping a few select books just doesn’t make sense for me. In other words, it would have been a waste of time since I don’t think I NEED to get rid of any books.
Or, the idea about not keeping your hygiene products in the shower, and instead bringing them into the shower only when you’re actually in there… Good luck trying to convince me on that one. Shampoo bottles and soap have never bothered me, so why would I remove them from my shower? Just because a book told me to? That didn’t make much sense.
Point being: There are certain areas of my home that don’t feel disorganized or cluttered, so why would I spend the time “fixing” them?
Well, I wouldn’t, and that’s why I’m saying, as someone who doesn’t have an extreme clutter problem, the KonMari is probably not best suited for me.
Not to mention, she doesn’t give you a lot of leeway to adapt the method to suit your own individual needs.
In fact, one of the foundational principles of the KonMari Method is that you shouldn’t try adapting the rules to fit your needs.
She very clearly states that in order for the KonMari method to work, you have to follow through on it, one hundred percent.
And honestly, I just can’t do that right now. I don’t have the time, need, or patience to follow through on KonMari in its full capacity.
Who is The KonMari Method best suited for then?
In my opinion, I think KonMari WILL work for you if you have an extreme clutter problem and/or you’re motivated to free up some space in your home.
If you’re like me and you don’t necessarily have an extreme clutter problem, and you’re more so just looking for a way to tidy up, I think you’ll still find bits and pieces of the method that are helpful, but I don’t necessarily think you need to follow it exactly to get your desired results.
This is why I say it’s both easy to follow, but also not.
If you fall into the camp where you do need professional help tidying, she lays everything out for you in a very clear and specific way, so there’s no second guessing the steps.
On the other hand, though, if you’re more like me and you don’t have a clutter problem, you might find the method restrictive and not necessarily aligned to what you need (i.e. a more flexible method that allows you to tidy as you go).
Bottom line: I think the KonMari Method is best suited for someone with an extreme clutter problem.
How I’ve been approaching KonMari as someone who needs flexibility
All that being said, as mentioned, reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was NOT a waste of time. Even though I’ve decided not to follow through on it entirely, it made me realize there were a lot of things I could do better when it came to tidying and organizing.
Probably most prominently, this book really inspired me to start discarding certain items that didn’t spark joy.
For example, I have some t-shirts that I wear on occasion, but they’re so old and ratty that I definitely wouldn’t say they spark joy. I mostly hold onto them because they make for good sleeping shirts, but really, wouldn’t it be nicer if I had two QUALITY sleeping shirts, rather than ten ratty old ones that just take up space?
I, for one, would go with the nicer option.
In addition, while I do generally agree with all her rules about organizing clothing, I don’t have access to all my clothing right now (long story), so I can’t start with clothing like she recommends, BUT I can take the time to go through my jewelry and get rid of items that don’t spark joy.
In addition, I can easily go into my bathroom and see what products I’m holding onto that I’m not using/are empty (I had at least 3-4 products on my vanity that were nearly empty and taking up unnecessary space).
I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I’m not following the EXACT KonMari Method, but I AM implementing her strategies as they fit my needs and circumstances, tidying as I go.
All of this might not be in line with the starting methods to KonMari laid out in this post, but each time I implement a principle, or I find something new that I want to discard, I’m thankful that I read this book.
And really, finding a book that inspired me to tidy my space was my original intention for reading this book, so I can say with confidence that picking The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up for January’s SIP was a win in my books.
Stay tuned to the next post in the series where I’m going to talk about some of the things I’ve been doing to my house instead of KonMari that have been making a major impact. In the meantime, feel free to read this post on 21 Ways To Fall Back In Love With Your Home.
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