I am a health and wellness fanatic. I am also the 159th worldwide, Certified Konmari™ Organizing Consultant. Being “fit” is a big deal and can elevate anyone’s lifestyle. Space “fit” to live in is organized comfortably and usefully. Focus your mental game, enhance productivity and buy back some of your precious time by organizing that living space.
No doubt, your professional life is already organized if you’re reading this on Thrive Global. But, is the same true for your personal life? After a long and productive day, imagine the stress that can creep in as you realize your home is in disarray; you haven’t found the missing shoe that crawled away last week or your vehicle doesn’t fit in your garage as there are several pieces of old, unused furniture still in the corner. You get the idea.
Are you wasting time looking for lost items? Disorganization costs time, money and overall happiness. The last time an item was misplaced, how did you feel? Were you angry, sad or frustrated? Perhaps you felt all of those emotions one after another? How much time did you waste playing hide and seek? You know that’s a kid’s game, right?
You found it or, you replaced it and you promised yourself it would never happen again. Ah yes, but what’s your action plan or solution? That is the challenge. How about steps to measure progress? Do you have a system in place to ensure you are well served by your things? Or, are you serving them?
Organizing with intention to the rescue! Organizing is a dull topic for most people, but the disruptive (meaning “innovative”) Konmari™ Method of Organizing has changed the process of organizing into a proven, replicable AND MINDFUL SYSTEM that can help you get “organized for life.” Let’s explore my take of the the Konmari™ Method of Organizing and help you get organized once and for all.
Marie Kondo, Creator of the Konmari™ Method of Organizing, (you can check her out at konmari.com) has been an organizing fanatic since childhood. Her Japanese lifestyle and culture are deeply incorporated into her organizing method. Marie has successfully tied together Japanese culture and philosophies and created a SIMPLE AND MINDFUL SYSTEM. After all, isn’t system and consistency what every professional teaches?
The basic steps of the Konmari™ Method of Organizing are:
1. Organize by category, not location. The five categories are: clothes, books, paper, miscellaneous and sentimental-in that order.
2. “Joy check” all your possessions. Give gratitude to what you keep AND discard.
3. Find “homes” for all your possessions and continually show gratitude to your possessions. All your items will have their dedicated space and you will put back any item each time you use it.
4. Be intentional about what enters your personal space.
The “Konmari™ tidying festival” is the core of my coaching sessions and I guide you through this process. At the end of the “tidying festival,” the result will be a living space that is organized and supporting you to reach those “higher vibrations” in all areas of your life. How so?
Inventory and assessment of all your possessions require “a process,” without doubt. But, at the end of your “tidying festival,” you will have a major sense of accomplishment, gratitude and mindfulness. Why? At its basic level, the Konmari™ Method of Organizing is behavior modification. Major emotions and intense thoughts surface in people who take on the Konmari™ Method of Organizing. It can be quite the mental and physical “workout” (pun intended).
The positive result(s) of a complete “tidying festival” can include:
1. Better time management (since you’re now not wasting time-daily-looking for items or trying to figure out where to store excess items); which means increasing productivity, more time for clients and profits. Perhaps, you simply want more time for yourself.
2. Some amount of money will be found—this happens all the time.
3. No more guilt about any possessions. This is huge for a calmer state of mind long-term.
4. More intention and mindfulness regarding what enters your personal space. This spills into your purchasing habits…you will look at any future purchase differently after your “tidying festival.”
5. More focus on your daily tasks since you have eliminated as many distractions as possible in your mind and physical space—this same organizing method can work for your work space.
Just like you are pleased to see positive results in your professional world, so can you personally experience an easier, more productive and mindful way of life. Think about it; you’ll be glad you did.
Cathy Pérez is the 159th worldwide, Certified, Konmari™ Organizing Consultant. She coaches her clients through organizing projects (professional or personal) to create their best imaginable lives. You can reach her at [email protected] or checkout her website, cathyhannahperez.com.