Does It Spark Joy? How Marie Kondo's Method Can Help

March 5, 2020 Jessica Starr

Have you heard of Marie Kondo? Even if you can’t quite place the name, there’s a good chance that you’ve run across some reference to figuring out whether things “spark joy” when cleaning up your house. The idea might seem simple, but it’s a central part of her organizational philosophy, repeated again and again in her books and on her Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. If something doesn’t bring joy to your life, why are you keeping it around?

Organizing Your Life

There are a lot of reasons that you might choose to try and organize your life and get rid of some unnecessary things around the house. It might be that you’re just trying to get rid of clutter. Maybe you’re going to downscale and need to get rid of some of your belongings. Maybe you want to make it easier to find the things you care about by getting rid of a lot of unnecessary things. Perhaps you’re planning a yard sale and want to figure out what to sell. Or, maybe you’re anticipating a move and only want to have to pack the essentials.

Regardless of the reason, sorting through your belongings and figuring out what you really want to keep can be a major undertaking. This is where Marie Kondo’s method can come in handy, because it helps you to evaluate exactly how you feel about the things you’ve surrounded yourself with. By bringing those feelings to the forefront, it can make it much easier to get rid of what you need to get rid of while keeping the things you actually enjoy.

The Marie Kondo Method

You’ve probably seen the basics of Marie Kondo’s method referenced even if you’ve never read her books or watched her show. She encourages people to pick up the object they’re evaluating, consider it and ask whether it “sparks joy” within them. This causes you to stop and think about your actual feelings for the item and helps you to separate those things that you hold on to for no reason from those that you actually enjoy.

Does It Spark Joy?

When it comes time to go through your own belongings, you can easily implement some of Marie Kondo’s techniques into your organizational methods. You obviously don’t have to do it for everything in your house; there are some things that you know you want to get rid of, and others that have long outlived their usefulness. Go ahead and get those out of the way, by recycling them, giving them away, or otherwise ridding yourself of them.

Marie Kondo’s techniques are most useful for those things that you’re not sure about, such as items that you’ve had for years and never use. You may never even touch them unless you’re dusting or need to find something that they’re in the way of. Some of these items might have sentimental value, but that’s different than sparking real joy within you. You don’t have to rush yourself; take some time and really consider whether you have an actual use for these things or if you’re just holding on to them because they’ve always been around. You might be surprised what you’re willing to let go of once you really put a little bit of thought into it.

Making Positive Changes

Decluttering and otherwise cleaning up your house can be a big chore. Sometimes you’ll find that you need to bring in some outside help after you’ve figured out what you’re keeping and what you’re getting rid of. You may also realize that you’ve finally gotten rid of enough stuff to start an exciting new project but need the help of a painter or other contractor to make it happen. Regardless of your need, HomeKeepr is here to help! Sign up for a free account today and find the cleaners, contractors and other pros that you need to help make sure that everything in your home sparks joy.

•  CLEANING
•   ORGANIZING