Best Takeaways On Personalised Organizing From Netflix’s “Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo”

Organizing expert Marie Kondo comes back with a new Netflix show, “Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo”.

Though it might sound similar to “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”, this separate series goes beyond the average household cleaning tips and ventures deeper into organizing for your workplace. It’s not just about folding clothes more efficiently, as Kondo’s new show gives advice to help both organize your items and your personal relationships.

We binged watched it and gathered 8 takeaways on personalised organizing that can help you efficiently clean up and improve personal life in your household.

---

1. Organize As You Clean

The key to making cleaning more efficient is to organize your belongings as you go along. The process becomes more easier if you follow these easy steps:

Group Like Items Together

Store items like clothes in categories such as dress pants, jeans and jackets. Further categorise them into sub categories based on material, or colour.

Note the above picture from episode 3, where Lorri, a church volunteer, reorganized her closet so that her light colored clothing (dresses, blouses) is to the right while her rough material clothes (jean jackets) are to the left.

Personalised Organizing

Personalised organising is when you group items that you see best fit for your work style.

In episode 1, Jimmy and Logan, a father-son gardening duo, place their shovel, seed planting guides and other often-used items together in a container.

Tip: Organizing items that are often used together (even if they are very different) so it will be easier to find them later

2. Always Store Items Upright

Storing your personal belongings vertically is actually more efficient than you think, as it allows you to see the full extent of your items without having to rummage through them. 

Episode 2 shows how the Konmari folding technique is about storing clothes vertically and folding them towards the center.

Also check out on StyleMag: 10 Best Decluttering & Tidying Lessons From Marie Kondo’s Netflix Series

Similarly, office supplies greatly benefit from vertical organizing! Notice how clear the papers and notebooks can be seen from afar. Stacking them tends to hide items underneath, and you may end up forgetting they were even there.

3. Keep Sentimental Items You Truly Cherish

There’s a misconception on how sorting through old sentimental items means we have to get rid of them eventually when it’s just not true. What’s important is to really savour each precious memory and truly cherish what you decide to keep.

Arts and crafts projects made by your children can be organized by the ones that spark joy the most to you. It’s important you go through sentimental items all at once so you can compare and contrast.

Tip: Store photos of larger arts and crafts instead of keeping them

4. Box-In-Box For Drawer & Large Boxes Organization

It’s a common sight to see our drawers cluttered with things like makeup brushes, lipsticks  and moisturisers strewn about. That’s why you should try the ‘Box-in-Box’ technique that Kondo applies throughout the series. The technique requires you to use small boxes to organize small items, and place these boxes into larger ones. This method works well when dividing your drawers into sections.

Try to imagine how a store would display your items, and go from there. That way things don’t get mixed up and you can easily take any item hassle-free.

Tip: If you discover an item with the tag still on, remove them as it deters you from actually using it

5. Communicate Household Responsibilities With Your Partner

In Episode 2, Kondo encourages healthy communication with your partner by managing household responsibilities in a fair manner. She does this with her husband Takumi by:

• Listing tasks that require attention
• Narrowing down which tasks are top priority
• Assigning tasks to each other according to individual strengths

By visualising your issues together, Kondo says it will “help strengthen the will to create a happy family unit”.

6. Have A Clear Storage System

After grouping your belongings and placing them in containers, the next best step is to have a clear storage system.

• Labelling your boxes — easier to find items when you’re in a rush to grab something  
• Store containers in category groups (in a kitchen, you can have a shelf that is for containers of snacks) — more organized, allows for compartmentalisation

7. Create A Power Spot

Kondo describes a “power spot” as a place where you can feel rejuvenated and energized. It’s important to make one so you can designate a physical area to relax the mind and body. She suggests “a side table, a chair or even a whole room” as potential areas, but it’s entirely up to you what it could be.

Tip: Kondo recommends “crystals, candles and flowers” to decorate your power spot as they can bring joy and serenity

Also check out on StyleMag: 2021 Home Interior Design & Home Decor Trends To Get Inspired With

8. Often Clean Things That Spark Joy

For items that ‘spark joy’, it’s important to bring them out and clean the dust off them. If done thoroughly, tidying your space only needs to be done once. This includes items like books and old albums.

Kondo’s classic phrase “Does it spark joy?” can help you determine if something is worth keeping instinctively. It’s when you hold up an item and go with your gut feeling if you want to throw it out or not.

---

We hope you can benefit from these simple takeaways from what we’ve gathered from the Netflix show “Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo”. Let us know what tips helped you the most the next time you have to clean up your house or workspace.