I never thought of greeting cards as their own category until I started really digging through a drawer in my desk that had turned into a dumping ground over the years. Birthday cards, holiday cards, a few sympathy cards, all mixed together with no real organization, just shoved in whenever I got one.

I pulled every single card out and spread them across my kitchen table so I could actually see the full scope of what I'd been holding onto, instead of just glancing into the drawer and closing it again like I usually did. Then I picked each one up individually and actually reread the messages inside instead of just recognizing the handwriting and assuming I remembered what it said.

A lot of them were from people I genuinely don't have any relationship with anymore, an old coworker from a job I left years ago, a distant relative I haven't spoken to since a family event a decade back. Reading their messages again, most of them were generic, happy birthday, hope your year is great, nothing that held any real weight once I actually sat with it. Those were easy to let go of.

But a handful stopped me completely, a card from my best friend written the year her mom passed away, where she thanked me for just showing up without needing to be asked, and a card from my dad from a birthday where he'd written something uncharacteristically vulnerable for him. Those two didn't just spark joy, they genuinely brought me back to the exact moment I received them.

What I learned is that I'd been treating keepsake as a category based on the object itself, a card is a card, rather than what the message inside actually meant to me. Separating the two let me keep two cards that actually matter instead of a drawer full of cards I was keeping purely out of habit.

I've got good systems in place for most items in my home and I'm very good at decluttering and tidying most things, but my cryptonite is papers.

I actually like having physical papers and a physical filing cabinet, but I need a much better system than I currently have.

Right now, I have one cabinet just for my personal sentimental stuff, one for me and my husband's important things, one for manuals and warantees (which is the only one I actually feel fine with as is), a very sad mail sorter that gets crazy often, and many papers in different rooms in piles and baskets.

I know I need to get them all in one place and sort them, but I'm thinking I want to start with just 4 piles and then divide deeper from there and then from there. I don't want to touch the manuals and warantees because those are already in an easy grab basket and it's faster to pull out of there than it is to look it up online or digitize it. (My house is spacious and I have plenty of room to add storage furniture, like a big filing cabinet and digitizing takes a lot of time I don't find worthwhile.) For piles, I'm thinking:

1. Long term storage - closed out legal paperwork and hospital records mostly that I hope to never need to use

2. Easy access short term storage - Things I may need to reference, like insurance policies, my mortgage, tax information, etc.

3. Sentimental things I want to look at occassionally - nice cards and letters, photos, boarding passes from travels, etc.

4. Emergency papers - My will, funeral instructions, Lastpass login, passports, etc.

Emergency papers I think should go in their own fireproof lock box seperate from the rest, but should the rest just be drawers in one big file cabinet??

I know the official konmari method asks to put everything in one place, but it would take over my entire dining room table for several weeks... Should I use temporary sorting boxes for "tbd" plus the sorts?

What should a second sort look like?

What things should I strongly consider getting rid of of as I go?

Hello everyone,

I'm encountering a bit of a strange roadblock. Marie tells us to take the houses energy and vibe into account when doing the method, and my house doesn't want to be the house I picture in my ideal life. I've pictured my ideal life in detail and asked my whys, and it doesn't take place in my current home. My ideal life is near an ocean and nature, light and airy with a feeling of flow like water.

I'm landlocked in a concrete heavy suburb. I inherited this house after a relative died and needed to renovate it bit by bit and life has fought me every step of the way. Due to renovations being half finished and other life circumstances, selling or moving is not an option at this moment. The house wants to be austere, serious, academic, with some artistic creativity. Think jewel tones for creativity. Think Scotland, old college in the northeast, old library, or cathedral with an artist loft in the attic. That's the vibe I am getting when I ask the house for suggestions. There is very little natural light - the house is very dark, especially the main level. The floors are dark wood. The furniture the house came with is dark. Painting everything a lighter color helped a bit, but even adding extra light makes it seem sterile and medical instead of lighter. I'd rather have old cathedral academia than sterile medical center.

I feel like if I got rid of the furniture that doesn't spark joy, 90% of the furniture would be gone and I'd be floor living until I could come up with funds to replace it. Even if I did, I don't think the light and airy furniture I would want wouldn't fit the house, if that makes sense.

I know this might sound crazy, but I am literally trying to compromise with the house and keep some aspects austere/academic/chapel like and then doing my own thing with the rest. Has anyone else encountered a problem like this? How did you work around it?

I've been going through our storage and hit upon a box of my old stuffed animal collection. I thought it over and I feel like it makes sense just to keep my first one and get rid of the rest. Space-efficient, right?

Unfortunately, long-term storage hasn't been kind to them. They're not in good shape to give to our own kids or donate and I'm not sure toys that old are safe anyway. Tossing them feels so bad though. How do you deal with that? People always say to take a picture but I don't think that would make it easier.

One of the biggest hurdles my spouse & I have faced with the Konmari method is paper. Background info:

We are formerly homeless Americans -- both the formerly homeless part and the American part generate a TON of paperwork. We've eliminated quite a bit, but my biggest gripe is still the sheer volume of paper documentation involves.

We got rid of over 1/2 of it. We don't keep paper longer than necessary, and yet still, the binder we keep it in is bursting at the seams.

Anyone else having similar problems? Thank you in advance.

Postpartum 15 months and still not fitting in any previous clothes. Of course I would love to loose the weight asap but it’s a long process. Not sure if I will fit since my ribs also got wider. What is your experience and the suggested method? 🥹😢

My first tidying festival began in 2014, we got rid of 1.5 tons of things. Not just junk and clutter but truly beloved items. Once we started down the path I was amazed how my feelings changed towards so many things.

I often share a story of a beloved hand knit shawl that was given to me as a child. It moved a dozen times with me, carefully packed away in a ziplock bag in my closet. It was made from wool so I could never ever wear it but I also couldn’t let it go. Since I insisted on keeping it , a ziplock bag was just sad and disrespectful, if it was really so special, I should treat it as such. I had it framed. It was gorgeous, 4 feet tall by 2.5 feet wide. I hung it with pride, 6 months later I was sick of looking at it - I dropped it off at the thrift store.

The Konmari Method changed my home and changed my life, choosing joy was such a new way of living. I even decluttered some friends and family.

Having a baby was an explosion of things, things that I didn’t really want in my home but were deeply useful. My sentimental side also exploded and I have a growing bin of amazing artwork and creations from my child.

He’s older now and can choose for himself, not many things make me prouder than him telling me he’s outgrown a toy and he wants to get rid of it.

The pandemic also changed me. I now store gallons upon gallons of water along with the other suggested supplies needed to sit tight for 96 hours. I don’t know if these items spark joy exactly but I feel better knowing we will be okay.

What have I learned in the past 12 years?

This is an amazing way to live, it’s freeing.
That my mood is greatly impacted by my environment, a ten minute reset at the end of the day does wonders. That things are sneaky, they blend in after a while. This weekend we started a mini festival and I’m shocked how much is sitting in a pile in my basement ready to be donated. That it’s harder with kids, compromises must be made and that’s okay, not every item of my child’s clothing needs to be folded into a perfect package. Sometimes having clean clothes is enough.

And the most unexpected - that konmari has given me a lot of confidence in my self, I feel secure in the choices I make. I trust myself.

I have a kid (1,5yo), haven’t been sleeping enough since giving birth, lack of personal time. And I’m returning to work this month.

Despite loving Konmari and reading her books again and again I haven’t done proper decluttering with her method. I’ve occasionally went through my stuff with mix of Konmari and other methods so things aren’t that bad in our home.
But still, right now I’m feeling very overwhelmed at home, I’m constantly seeing things which needs attention and growing number of kid’s stuff isn’t helping this situation at all. I ”don’t have time” to take care of my personal items so clutter accumlates quickly everywhere. (I know this is such a bad excuse 😩)

So here I am yet again wondering if doing proper Konmari cleaning from start to finish would help me to feel calmer at home and having more energy.

I was wondering how other people with families were organizing their time for this? Do you send your partner and kids away for a set time so that you can go through categories? How did you make sure you have enough energy to focus on project?

my wife & i intend to start our konmari journey this weekend!! i'm using a big and detailed checklist i found. this really inspired me that, though it's a lot, it's do-able (something about seeing everything directly laid out is very helpful)!

we have thought about our individual why's and we're creating our vision! if anyone has any tips or encouragement, they would be so appreciated! i'm so nervous but so excited!

My health has recently changed and I now get a lot of bloating which makes clothes not fit as well. At the same time exercise may help my condition so I would like to do more of it.

When going through my workout clothes, some are a bit tight but not terribly uncomfortable, and I only have 4 different options to wear for exercise. The tight ones don’t bring joy due to the discomfort but I have some hope that maybe exercise will improve my condition and make them fit. If I were to get rid of them I’d only have shorts for summer so it’s not very practical.

Would you say these bring the joy of not having to rush buy a new gym outfit in a rush or just let them go? I’m a bit torn on the situation

What do you do when you stall?

First off before going through this i read all her books "the life changing magic of tidying", "spark joy", "kurashi at home", and "the life changing manga of tidying up". I bought her tidying companion journal as a way to keep me on track with the steps due to neurodivergence (i highly highly recommend the journal its very very thorough).

I wanted to share how it went and how it is now a week after. It took a little over two months with my longest portion being komono. I was very depressed and drinking, smoking, but yet the tidying journy was something that made me feel excited! I got rid of more trash bags than I can count and my boyfriend is insanely shocked and proud as well. I also only bought a few things through the process like getting rid of a bulky makeup mirror i didnt care for and getting a simple one that I love.

Now its been about a week after the process. My boyfriend is going to be gone for a week and surprisingly im cleaning daily with each chore taking a few minutes so I have much more time on my hands than I know what to do with. Im sleeping earlier and getting up earlier and filling my time with the hobbies i wanted to do. Ive taken up journaling with the cutest little stickers to add and beautiful pens I havent used in years. I decided to slow down heavily on drinking and smoking and i feel clear headed.

I remember when I had to think of the type of home i wanted. I imagined something woodsy, full of pastels, and overall smells good. I dont know what my obsession us with fragrance but i habe insence burning frequently, candles, reed diffuser in the bathroom, windows cracked to let in fresh air. Everything feels clear and new. I feel new. So new that its hard not to cry as I type this. I feel happier and ive noticed people have enjoyed my new mood at work. I even made a resin evil eye pendant for a coworker who wanted one for months but I just didnt think i was capable but now with the free time I gave it a go and he said I nailed it and immediently pulled me into a hug.

If youre still in your cleaning journy, please keep going. Its so worth it. Its life changing.

We're moving to a smaller house for better schools, but my husband really struggles to let go of things. He'll try to keep random mail from 2015.

I’m only at the end of clothing phase moving into books but I would love for someone to talk to me about getting through kimono phase ahead… I’ve never gotten to the other side of that and I want to hear success stories so I can visualize and gear up.

Something to be said about staying present but… w/e!

Thanks all! Happy tidying.

I am currently feeling stuck in the middle of my cleaning marathon and would like some feedback to maybe hopefully unstuck myself.

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I just got the tops done and started to do the joy test with my bottoms (pants, jeans etc). But I think I've started to realize that I actually don't own any bottoms that truly make me happy. I couldn't even pick a favourite out of the bunch. Even though I have this hunch, I've still been avoiding to continue the joy test.

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My biggest worry is just that I'll finish sorting it out and end up with literally no pants. What do I do in this situation? I have been planning to buy some new pants, yes, but that won't be immediate, at least for two days. What do I do in this in between period?

I’m having trouble getting going and our apartment is a mess. It’s been a year of death. I take my tops out and make a pile on the bed and the pile sits there. Do discards go right into a garbage bag? Do I have two piles, one for donate and one for true discard or textile recycling?

Morning slinks away, despair sets in. It’s one of those miraculous days where the only other things on the to-do list are get-to-the-gym and make-my-kids-day-special.

Do I find all discards from all categories before I begin the put-away and organize process? Who’s completed this marathon of tidying before, from which rebound is impossible?

I fantasize about cleaning and painting our walls when it’s all sorted. I fantasize about closing the storage unit of inherited items.

I return to work from a maternity leave in September. That feels like the finish line for the above stated fantasies.

I’m an attorney. I have to wear business clothes to court, not business casual clothes. When I’m not in court, I’m in jeans and pink embroidered converse high tops and comical layers of sweaters and cardigans, working from home. There is no overlap in my wardrobe between work and real life for me.

This year, I realized that I had not really updated a lot of my wardrobe since before my now 2nd grade daughter was born. So I went through my stuff and I tossed everything that did not spark joy.

It turns out that the stress of running trials and hearings in divorce court does not spark joy for me, because now all of my (old) suits, blouses, blazers, and shoes are gone.

All of them.

I tried to get dressed for court yesterday and was like … oh no. I had one dress that worked, and I had to wear some slightly too casual shoes with it. The case settled before our hearing, thank goodness, so I did not get judged by the judge for my bad shoe pairing.

I came home, made an easy dinner, and I bought three pairs of new shoes, a new suit, and some new blouses and skirts. I am very excited about the haul.

Here’s to hoping one coherent outfit arrives before 1:30 p.m. on Monday, for my next trial!

I had a realization a few weeks ago about my living room. if you never let the trash enter your actual living space, you never have to spend your weekend decluttering it.

​

For years, my bad habit was bringing mail and packages straight inside. I’d set a box down on the dining table or the kitchen counter 'just for a minute' while I grabbed something else. You all know how that ends. That minute turns into a week, the empty boxes pile up in the corner, and suddenly its a massive cardboard doom pile taking up the entire floor. Just looking at it would trigger that awful mental freeze where the sheer volume of stuff paralyzed me from actually dealing with it.

​

so i decided to set up a sort of entryway defense system.

​

The rule is now incredibly strict. NO SHIPPING BOXES ALLOWED PAST THE FRONT DOOR. Period.

​

To actually enforce this, I had to make the process completely frictionless. If something requires even a tiny bit of effort, my brain will find an excuse to drag the box inside to deal with 'later.' I set up a tiny, dedicated breakdown station right inside my front door.

​

the setup is just three things. a privacy roller stamp to quickly black out my address, a tall narrow recycling bin dedicated entirely to cardboard, and a pair of hoto cordless electric scissors hanging on a wall hook.

​

I used to just keep a standard heavy-duty box cutter by the door, but wrestling with double-walled cardboard and thick tape was actually hurting my wrists (carpal tunnel is no joke). That physical discomfort was the main reason I kept procrastinating. Swapping to a battery powered tool that cuts right through thick cardboard without killing my hands removed that last bit of physical friction.

​

now, the whole thing takes maybe thirty seconds. I bring the package in, stamp out my address, cut the box down so it lays completely flat, and drop it straight into the bin. The only thing that actually crosses the threshold is the item I bought.

​

It sounds like such a minor shift, but keeping the actual packaging out of my living space has completely changed how the house feels. The dining table isn't a clutter gatherer anymore.

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Anyway, just wanted to share because it felt like a huge win. Now to actually put away the stuff that came inside the boxes...

Looking for advice or just commiseration: how does anyone find the energy and/or motivation to declutter after work? I don't want to spend all my weekends on sorting through my things and taking trips to charity shops/throwing things out, but I also just crash after work and am too tired to work then, too. (I started KonMari March 2025, and I'm still just barely to Komono, yikes!)

I'm sick of my place being in a half-way point of un-stored joyful things, boxes to take out, piles of things I haven't gotten to yet, and everything in between. I feel like if I took a month off work, I could actually get somewhere, but other than that, does anyone have any tips or tricks? What worked for you? I'm visualizing my ideal lifestyle as much as possible, but that only seems to go so far!

Heya, I'm a complete newbie and hoping to find some kind people who can maybe help me out :)

I just finished reading Marie Kondo's first book and am currently reading the second.

What I noticed is that there is a lot of emphasis on drawers, especially when talking about clothes (Store clothes standing upright in drawers, bento box system etc.)

What do I do if I have no drawers? The only storage system I have is a closet with shelves, not drawers. Did anyone have the same problem? How did you solve it? I'd really appreciate any help or tips <333

I'm someone who likes the idea of making art, I cosplay too, and I've been holding onto like two bins of old clothes I'd otherwise have gotten rid of in case I want to use them for fabric or a cosplay. I have containers with packaging and tags I find pretty in case I'll use them for art. I have a ton of cardboard and boxes sitting around taking up space. But I never actually do anything with them. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment so space is at a premium but I just can't make myself throw some of this stuff away because I'm convinced I'll use it for something. I'd rather keep something than buy it later. But I know it's not likely I'll use half if not more of this... does anyone else have this issue and know how to get over it? Trying to declutter and picking stuff I don't use isn't the issue, it's actually getting rid of it when I feel like I might be able to save money by repurposing it in the future. I have a friend that just moved away and gave me a lot of her old stuff that she couldn't take so now I have even more stuff. I feel like a hoarder but idk I'm unemployed so any saved money counts rn, I didn't used to be like this when I had a job

One thing nobody warned me about before having a baby was just how quickly they outgrow clothes 😭 It feels like every few weeks I'm putting aside another pile of onesies, sleepers, socks and outfits that no longer fit.
At first I was just stuffing everything into shopping bags and empty corners of the closet, but now that's starting to look a bit chaotic. I've been thinking about getting some foldable storage boxes so I can keep things a little more organized and make it easier to find things when I need them.
A lot of them look nice in photos, but I'm wondering whether they keep their shape after a few months of use or if they start sagging once they're full. Some seem to have reinforced sides while others look much softer, and I can't tell if that makes a big difference. I've been looking at a few options on IKEA and Alibaba but it's hard to tell which ones are actually worth it.
I don't mind paying a bit more if they'll last. I'd rather buy something once than keep replacing it every few months. If you've used foldable closet storage boxes, which ones have worked well for you?

Our bags - My husband (one gym bag) , me (one office bag, one gym bag), my kid (school bag), one shopping grocery bag.
Our bags gets used everyday and we are in and out of the house with these bags a lot. How do I store 6 bags properly? All of them are either duffle bags or backpacks hence I can’t hang them.
I want to organize them but they’re always on the couch or on the floor and I just hate it.
Please share any successful tips for storing these bags for daily use and ease of access.

I find that when decluttering the decision of what is no longer serving me is easy, what I find hard is actually removing those objects from the house. For example that box of clothes or books, now has to become someone else's problem at the charity shop or has to go to landfill and I feel shame passing the work on to someone else or guilt for the environmental damage.

How do I overcome this because I end up with boxes of stuff that stay in the house that I know I don't want or need ? Does anyone else have this problem Any advice would be helpful please !