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Japanese tidying expert Marie Kondo became an international household name thanks to her KonMari method.
The organization techniques are the subject of her global bestsellers The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Spark Joy, and also feature heavily in her Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.
Her latest show Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo lands on the streaming platform on August 31 and helps people apply her decluttering teachings not just to their homes, but their whole lives.
The core principle of this method is to find what "sparks joy" which is linked to the Japanese concept of "tokimeki".
KonMari Consultant at A Life More Organised, Sue Spencer, told Newsweek that this literally translates to "heart flutter."
When working with clients, she encourages them to touch all their items and see what feelings they evoke.
"You'll have clothes in your wardrobe that you love wearing, that you look fabulous in or find really comfortable," she said.
"This can also apply to more functional items that we may appreciate for the role that they play in our lives – a potato masher sparks joy for me as it makes my life easier."
Ultimately, she said it's about finding and caring for the things that you love and feel important to you.
Spencer was previously a corporate research director but changed path after 20 years to become a professional organizer, training with Kondo herself to become a certified consultant in her techniques and attested to the power of the KonMari method to declutter your whole life.
"It generally starts with your home but the focus on what sparks joy and really matters can't help but spread into other areas of life.
"I am healthier and more positive as the balance of what really matters flows through my life."
You get better attuned to what brings you joy and pleasure and stop accepting situations and relationships that don't.
In the KonMari method, there is a specific order to approach your tidying, beginning with clothes, then books, paperwork, komono (miscellaneous), and finally sentimental items.
By starting in this way, you're tackling the easiest things to part with first, improving your ability to identify what sparks joy along the way before tackling the hardest items to part with.
"In my experience, tidying your physical possessions leads to clarity in your thinking," said Katrina Hassan, KonMari Consultant at Spark Joy London.
"Once your home is in order, you have the decision-making toolkit to apply the method to all other aspects of your life."
Hassan also realized her career choice was not sparking joy for her after discovering Kondo's tidying methods, as did Mimi Bogelund, KonMari Consultant at Organised Home & Life who added: "You get better attuned to what brings you joy and pleasure and stop accepting situations and relationships that don't. The method helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my life, not just what I didn't want.
"Practicing the same criteria for relationships, work and social events as the one that you use for choosing what in your home makes you feel happy and gives you a sense of wellbeing.
"Going through my books was when the penny dropped that I never wanted to open or buy another strategy, leadership, motivational book related to my previous career and that's when I made my biggest life change."
The ideas that lend themselves to a total life overhaul are intentionality, gratitude and finding the joy in your life.
To declutter other avenues of life, Hassan said: "Choose what you love or what serves you practically in your life. Let go of all the rest. If it sparks joy, keep it with confidence. If it doesn't, let it go with gratitude."
Your schedule is a good place to start, by looking at what you do in a day and evaluating if you are making enough time for the activities that make your heart sing.
"The first step is recognizing what within your schedule does bring you joy, makes you happy, is something you really enjoy doing and brings you closer to your overall objective - how can you have more of that?" Bogelund explained.
"What is necessary but doesn't bring you joy exactly and what would you love to change if you could?
"The solution and processes obviously depends totally on each different situation but at the heart of it is really noticing what you are doing, where you spend your time and how joyful you feel as a result."
Hassan recommended working through this in a journal: "Once you have assessed your current reality, the next step is to create your vision of your ideal day. What are the 'non-negotiables' that make up your day? How much time do you need to allocate to specific tasks?
"Write down your ideal day that allows you to be joyful, productive and present, allowing time for self care."
For homeworkers, decluttering your workspace could help boost productivity, reduce stress and disconnect from the stresses of the day.
Start by removing anything unnecessary from your home office setup before tackling cables, chargers and electronics and removing anything you don't use.
"Tackle stationery as a category applying a good dose of realism to how many pens do you really need, getting rid of freebies or excess that clog up space for what you do need," Bogelund said.
"Don't forget to check that your lighting, desk and chair spark joy."
Spencer recommended using a lidded box to put away work materials at the end of the day to serve as a reminder to disconnect.
"Displaying these things you love and removing the clutter that previously masked them does create a more positive environment," she said.
