How do I start to organize like Marie Kondo?

The first step in the KonMari Method is to visualize your ideal lifestyle. Create a written or picture version of the life you want to live.

What's the first step in the KonMari Method

The first category to organize is clothes. Begin by making a pile of all of your clothes on your bed. Hold each item and decide if it sparks joy. Those are the items that you will keep.

Imagine Your Ideal Lifestyle

Your ideal lifestyle statement or picture

needs to answer the following questions:

What does the life I want to live look like?
Why am I doing this?
What is my motivation?

It’s not enough to say, “I want to be more organized.”

You must ask yourself why you want to be more organized.

Ask why again and again until you get to the heart of the matter.

Here is what it looked like for me:

What does the life I want to live look like?

I want to live a life characterized by simplicity, efficiency, generosity,

comfort and plenty of silly fun.

I want my home to be thoughtfully designed and arranged, without an inch of wasted space, even if the space is there simply to make things beautiful or more interesting.

I want it to be filled with bright colors accented by fun prints, black, white, silver and steel. Nature is brought inside with succulents, fresh flowers, stone, wood and seeds.

I want my home to be a place filled with music and singing, the reading of great books (especially out loud), cooking and baking and eating together as a family.

I want it to be a favorite place for friends to gather and grow over meals,

board games, conversations and s’mores cooked over a bonfire.

Why am I doing this? What is my motivation?

I want my husband and kiddos to experience my best, most whole self.

I want my girls' childhood to be characterized by play, learning,

creativity, boredom, work, rest, faith and lots of time together.

Why?

Because we are becoming people who give and experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Except around the holidays or freshly baked goodies.

So there you have it!

I have a written description of what I want my home to look and feel like

and what kind of things I want to have happen there,

but I also found the heart of the matter.

Yours will look very different because it will be yours!

If you get stuck...

Start with a word list.

It might include words like cozy or navy blue or playing frisbee.

Google those words. What images resonate with you?

Choose one or several that embody the life you dream of.

Print them out. Put them where you can see them.

Leave them as is, or make a collage.

Or use them as your inspiration as you create

a written statement of your ideal lifestyle.

Be specific and have fun with it.

Looking forward to helping you achieve it!