Have you noticed piles of discarded household goods on the side of the road in your suburb? Maybe you’ve seen people with trailers full of junk heading to the tip. Blame the Marie Kondo effect. The bestselling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has a new Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo which took the world by storm. It seems everyone is tidying up and decluttering. If you can’t seem to make it work for you here are some mistakes you might be making, and the easy fixes.
MISTAKE 1: Not learning the art of folding
It’s hard to get into the habit of folding after each wash but arguably the most revolutionary Kondo tidying tool is her folding technique. While it might look like origami there is one simple rule to it, try to make your clothes stand upright, including socks, underwear and teeshirts, not only does it make them easier to find when you open your drawers or closet, it saves space.
MISTAKE 2: Not getting the kids involved
Spokesperson for Officeworks, Maraya Bell (from Stuff Mums Like) says when decluttering kids rooms, after clothes and stationery, do the toys.
‘I leave toys for last. I go through and sort out what I think they don’t play with any more and then I show them the pile. I encourage them to choose the things they no longer want and we list them for sale on our local buy/sell/swap groups and they can use the money to buy things they want,’ Maraya says.
‘I’d definitely advise to get the kids involved in the decluttering and reorganising. It gives them a sense of ownership over their space and they are more likely to use it.’
MISTAKE 3: Not regularly clearing out your closet
Head to your room and open the wardrobe, take stock of each item and ask the following;
Why do I have this item? Will I want to wear this again? Have I worn this in the past year?
Has this item outlived its purpose? Once you’ve done that and still want to keep, try each item on. If it no longer fits dump it.
MISTAKE 4: Not asking if an item ‘sparks joy’ before buying it
We all like stuff, who hasn’t walked into a department store with one thing in mind and come out with 10 must-have essentials? But to stop the clutter in the house it could be a good habit to ask yourself whether the item ‘sparks joy’ (in Marie Kondo-speak) before you get to the cash register. Will it be on show for a while then packed away in the garage? Does it have a genuine use, can you go without it? Is there something similar in your house already that you can make use of, or repair if necessary? Not only will you save money, you’ll save space.
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