It’s wonderful when we already feel motivated to begin tidying with the KonMari method and want to dive in as soon as possible. But before rolling up our sleeves and creating our ideal home, it’s very helpful to pause and spend a moment working with the vision of our ideal life — and with the idea of tidying not only our home, but also our inner world.
Don’t worry — you don’t need to spend hours crafting a grand “how to tidy” vision. It may sound lofty, but practically it’s simple: don’t start by rushing into decluttering and throwing things out mindlessly.
Your Ideal Home
Pause for a moment, take a pen and paper, and honestly answer a few essential questions:
- What does my ideal home — the one where I’d feel amazing — look like? (Colors, furniture, atmosphere?)
- How would I like to live?
- What do I deeply long for?
- What would my ideal day look like?
- Which activities would I like to do?
Answering “how to tidy” definitely isn’t a long essay. Once you feel the essence of what you want and need, a simple bullet‑point list is enough — that’s how I like to work. You can also create a mood board — a visual collage of inspiring home photos, clothing styles you love, activities you want to pursue. Apps like Pinterest can help a lot.
Magic of the pile
In the KonMari method, we often return to our vision of an ideal life and the question How do I tidy my home and my life? This vision reminds us why we embarked on such a deep and sometimes challenging process. When we feel overwhelmed — and trust me, standing in front of a giant pile of items from any category (the famous “Magic of the pile”) is overwhelming for everyone!
Only in that moment do we fully realize how to tidy — and how much we truly own. When things are scattered around the home, we don’t perceive it. But it’s important to remember that these items are with us at every moment of our lives — and they weigh us down, even when we travel to the other side of the world.
Healing Declutter & the KonMari Method
Healing Declutter uses the core principles of the KonMari method, especially in sorting and organizing. Yet in a few points, I see things slightly differently than Marie Kondo:
1. There is no universal sorting guide that fits everyone. Every home and life phase is different.
2. You don’t have to sort strictly by categories. In more demanding life periods, sorting by smaller zones may work better.
3. You don’t need to follow the exact category order to finish successfully. If you feel drawn to a different order — go for it!
4. We work with accepting the home as it is right now. We say no to perfectionism and pressure for flawlessness. Acceptance is the best starting point for change.
5. Energetic cleansing of the space as the first phase is important — it helps the following decluttering feel lighter.
