Like many other people, I am a lover of organization and decluttering. A few years ago, after the umpteenth time I opened a full closet, I thought that I had nothing to wear, I started thinking that maybe there was something wrong with the way I did things.
Looking at my spaces with a critical eye, I realized that my home was full of things that I didn’t want to have anymore, but that I still kept for several reasons.
One day, out of curiosity, I decided to do a research on the internet on decluttering methods and among all there was one that immediately caught my attention: the one created by the Japanese tidying expert Marie Kondo. She is author of bestsellers The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying (2011) and Spark Joy (2016).
Her method is the one I trusted to put my spaces in order first, and then those of many people who have trusted me.
The decluttering method
The method declutters by category, not by location. And this is fundamental, because in order to tidy up we need to have a complete vision of what we have. This way you will only have to tidy up once.
It is possible to declutter all your spaces by following the six basic rules of tidying:
- 1. Commit yourself to tidying up
- It’s about setting the intention to seriously tidy up. It requires energy and motivation.
- 2. Imagine your ideal lifestyle
- It is not about quickly tidying up for visitors to come, but to envisioning how you want to live, so that at the end of the process it will match your ideal lifestyle.
- 3. Finish discarding first
- One of the big mistakes is finding a place for every item at the same time you are discarding.
- On the contrary, discarding first allows you to know how much you still need to store. And once you know what you want to keep you can concentrate on finding a place for every item.
- 4. Tidy by category, not by location
- When you tidy each place separately, you don’t have the full view of what you have. Just when you put together all the items belonging to a same category, you have the full vision of what you own.
- 5. Follow the right order: clothing, books, papers, komono (miscellaneous), sentimental items.
- It makes sense. By starting with clothes and ending with sentimental items, we move from the easiest category to the most difficult one, and this allows us to hone our decision making skills.
- 6. Ask yourself if it sparks joy
- In this method, the feelings are at the center of what you do. And knowing what sparks joy gives you key to know what you want to keep. When you hold an item, ask yourself: does it spark joy? If not, let it go with gratitude.
“The important thing in tidying is not deciding what to discard but rather what you want to keep”
Marie Kondo
Services
I’m Patricia. I have enrolled the official Consultant Program of Marie Kondo and have been certified as a consultant in June 2020. I’m based in Zurich ans I follow the method with Spanish joy and Italian flavor.
Perhaps you are already a fan of decluttering and just need sessions to begin, but then you want to go on by yourself. Or you are moving, and want to declutter before starting in your new home. Maybe you just want to face one category to tidy up. Or a whole tidying festival. Let’s speak.
Phone/Video Consultation: Free 20-30 minutes consultation so we can discuss what you need and how can I help you.
Sessions: Each session consists in a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 hours. Price: 80 CHF (75 euro) per hour
Virtual sessions: 1,5 hours via Zoom or Skype. Price: 80 CHF (75 euro) per hour.
“Never discard anything without saying thank you and goodbye”
Marie Kondo
Contact
Please contact me in English, Italian, Spanish or German.
You can also send me an email : lovingorder@hotmail.com
“Discard everything that does not spark joy”
Marie Kondo
FAQ
- How many sessions do I need?
- It depends on how much you own, but we will discover it in the free consultation. In any case, the number of sessions can be adjusted depending on how the sessions develop.
- Do you put in order my things?
- I will be there with you to give you my advice and assist you in decluttering. I will also help you with some things, teaching you for example how to fold. When I leave, you can go on with “homework” or finishing a category on your own.
- Do you clean my spaces?
- The service is decluttering, cleaning is not included.
- Can we make it virtually?
- Yes, for sure it can be done virtually.