"Magic cleaning" by Marie Kondo: instructions for use

The bestseller "Magic Cleaning" has named Marie Kondo in Time's list of 100 most influential people on the planet. According to the girl herself, he helped thousands of people around the world clean up their homes and change their habits. But not all of the advice of the Japanese woman Marie is suitable for our country and mentality.

We'll go through the main Kondo tips, break down them with examples, and adapt them so that they really work for everyone.

Important: cleaning in the understanding of the author of the book is not wiping the shelves and washing floors or windows. This is decluttering, getting rid of unnecessary and unnecessary things that only do what they collect dust and mold. This book will not save you from the need to keep clean.

6 tips for getting rid of unnecessary things

1. Visualize what you want

Cleaning Magic by Marie Kondo: visualize what you want

This is great advice that is as consistent as possible. Before starting something, be it a new hobby or developing a good habit, imagine what would happen if you succeed. Marie Kondo advises you to imagine the life you want in detail.

She also recommends looking at the internet or magazines for interior photography. They will inspire you to act and suggest beautiful and functional solutions for your space. The source of such photos can be Pinterest, We Heart It, or Tumblr.

2. Take things in your hands and lay them on the floor

In Japanese culture, the energy of objects is very important. Marie says a lot about the fact that it is worth taking the things that you part with in your hands and thanking them for the experience presented to you. Of course, talking with socks and blouses isn't necessary. But the advice to touch the thing is still very important and useful.

Recently, while looking for a sweater in the closet, I found a whole package of T-shirts and T-shirts, which I brought from home to a rented apartment. I just threw these things on the shelf and completely forgot about them. Going through all these T-shirts, I felt that I had a completely different attitude towards them: “I will be happy to wear this, I like the style and color. But I definitely won't wear this, there is such an unpleasant fabric and a stupid pattern!"

We are not so sensitive to the energy of things, this is not typical of our culture. But touching them and laying them out on the floor really makes it clear how much you have and what you definitely don't need.

3. Disassemble and store items by category

Marie advises you to start cleaning off your clothes and gradually move towards the hardest thing to throw away - memorabilia and gifts. It is much easier to clutter up not a single room, but the whole house, but by item category. First, go through all the clothes (and immediately organize the storage of what is left), then tackle all the books, papers, accessories, and so on. Each thing will find its place, and it will become easier to maintain order and beauty in the house.

But don't expect it to be easy. Marie Kondo says that once you get rid of the trash, you will never want to clutter up the room again. But in reality, everything is not so rosy.

Habits, stress, and unconscious actions are far more powerful than a momentary urge to clean up and never litter again.

Professor of the Faculty of Psychology at Moscow State University Vyacheslav Andreevich Ivannikov describes the unconscious as follows: “In automated skills, not only regulation, but also orientation and methods of execution are often not realized. For example, if the switch in the room was to the right of the door for a long time, and after repair it was moved to the left side, a person will automatically fumble his hand in search of it on the right side for a long time."

If, after work or school, you unconsciously leave your clothes on the chair, and throw mugs of tea unwashed where you drank it, you will have to work on this carefully.

4. Don't rush to throw things away

Marie advises to throw out everything that does not bring you joy. But, unfortunately, it is impossible for many of us to just throw away what we spent money on. We are afraid that a thing that served faithfully and was exactly a thing will turn into garbage at one point. At the same time, Kondo advises to abandon the idea of transferring things to relatives or demoted to the category of "home". In the first case, you litter the space of other people, and in the second, you do not solve the problem of too many objects.

In our country, the option with the transfer of something to relatives or friends has the right to life. If you do not have acquaintances who might need your things, you can sell them online, give them to second-hand shops or centers to help people in difficult life situations. This will unload your home and do a good deed.

5. Deal with books and unnecessary papers

Here, Marie also recommends ruthlessly getting rid of everything that is superfluous, but the advice to throw away checks, payments and other bureaucratic papers is not very optimal. Unfortunately, there are situations when we are asked to provide receipts for payment of utilities for several years, so that all this has to be sadly kept. So, let's follow Kondo's other advice: if you need something once a year, don't waste your energy on inventive storage. Fold all these papers into a simple transparent file and put them away in the closet.

As a diligent student who anxiously writes notes by hand and keeps them, the advice to throw away all study notes also causes rejection. If you also treat knowledge, getting rid of these papers can be simple and useful: hand them over to your younger comrades for a symbolic payment in the form of a chocolate bar! Your efforts will not sink into the rubbish oblivion and will help the next generations of students.

Also, for me personally, Kondo's idea of throwing away books is unacceptable. Of course, they take up quite a lot of space, and if your space is very limited, the best solution would be to switch to an e-book or download a reading application to your phone.

If you do decide to get rid of your home library, you can donate books to schools, community libraries, second-hand bookstores, or fairs. Another option is to join the bookcrossing movement and make friends along the way.

6. Store your clothes properly

Cleaning Magic by Marie Kondo: Store Your Clothes Properly

Marie advises not to hang things, but to fold and store vertically. So the contents of the boxes are better visible, things rub less and last longer, and also take up less space. The same is true for socks: if you fold them in half, rather than roll them up into a ball, they will be stored more compactly and it will be easier for you to find the right pair in the drawer.

Clothes that must be hung on hangers (coats, down jackets, long dresses), Marie Kondo advises to place from heavy and dark to light and light: coats first, then lighter jackets and jackets, then dresses. If you believe in the energy of things, this tip will help you get your energy balance. If not, then you will simply sort the clothes according to the season, and it will be easier to search for something.

Finally

Fantasize about the end result and inspire yourself to change.
Do not look at things on the shelves, but touch and lay them out, this will help to assess their quantity and quality.
Store everything not by location, but by category: one type of item - one specific location.
Do not chop off the shoulder and do not seek to send everything to the trash heap. Instead, look for other options where you can transfer things. This will help other people and will probably even make new friends.
Organize the storage of important papers so that they can be easily found in an emergency.
Change the way you store your clothes: instead of stacking in a store, store your T-shirts and underwear vertically, hang things from “heavy” to “light” to make it easier to navigate.

Of course, no advice can be suitable for everyone without exception - people are too different. But in "Magic cleaning" there are interesting and useful ideas that will help solve many problems with the organization of space. Have you read Marie Kondo's book? Was her method right for you?