I have been following Marie Kondo (KonMari) on Instagram since I started out my minimalism journey a year ago. She has published two best-selling books entitled The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Spark Joy. I loved her idea of decluttering – thanking the things that have served you one way or another, before letting them go when they no longer spark joy. I have also done this several times before, starting with my clothes that no longer fit, to random things in my kitchen that really served no purpose anymore.

With her show on Netflix – decluttering and organizing has become the “in” thing to do. And it’s great because it spreads the minimalism lifestyle that I really support! But, I can’t also help but think of the impact this could make, with everyone discarding things that don’t bring them joy anymore.

Spark Joy

Before I proceed, I would like to explain that Marie Kondo’s “spark joy” concept should not be taken literally as just something positive. The word used in Japanese is Tokimeki – which means excitement or heartbeat. In that essence, something that brings you Tokimeki, can be something that brings you joy, or arouses your emotions, like sentimental objects. To answer an argument I read on Twitter about the ridiculous idea that books should spark joy for you to keep them – do not take it literally that you should only keep the books that have happy endings. Even if that book screws you up and makes you question everything in your life – if you were captivated or disrupted by it – feel free to keep it!

There is no right or wrong path in minimalism – you can customize it to fit your lifestyle or your values. Personally, I have had a hard time letting go of things that have sentimental value to me – but I also recognize that I should not be emotionally attached to things as if they’re the actual people or events that they symbolize. Eventually, I want to be the kind of minimalist that will only own things I both need and want.

As people are now getting into the KonMari process of cleaning and decluttering their households, I hope they learn an important lesson that goes beyond the things they already own. The question of “does this spark joy” should not be asked after you have already acquired a thing. This should be done at the start to all together prevent having to declutter in the first place. Ask that question before you buy the next clothing item or gadget, or book – and even go beyond just sparking joy – do you also really need it? Can you borrow it from a friend or a family member instead? When you decide that you both need and want (sparks joy) it, then you have been deliberate about your purchase and have been a minimalist about it.

Storage and clutter

KonMari also talks about things having their own home inside your house. And this means they should be stored in the right places and according to certain organizing techniques. I also agree to this – but I also believe that having more storage in your home invites more clutter. When you have a table or a shelf sitting in your room, it’s easy to just put things and leave them there until they pile up and you have to clean them again. This has also been my problem and I try to make sure that I only have enough storage for the things I really need. I’ve gotten rid of shelves in the past because everything I’ve put in there are basically things of no use but I just felt like storing because I have enough space for it.

On decluttering, I hope that people are discarding their old things the right way. Give them to the people who at least need them and can use them so they don’t end up as someone else’s clutter, or worse, adding up to the trash of the world. Clothes take up a long time to decompose, too! This can be the start to a more mindful and minimalist life for everyone, and I hope that as we do this more, there will be lesser things to declutter and discard in the future, ultimately lowering down our trash output.

From KonMari to Minimalism

Lastly, and I won’t delve into this that much anymore – I hope we all work together in taking a stand against consumerism. I encourage those who have seen the Marie Kondo series to also watch the documentary Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things, also on Netflix because I really feel that in this day and age of instant gratification, convenience, and so many material things bombarded to us by companies and advertisers, we have lost control of our lives. Maybe I’m exaggerating it a bit, but our decisions are influenced a lot by the things we are exposed to. Success is not defined by the material things you have. Life value is not how media defines it to be. These things are something you define for yourself, and you can only find that when you mute out the distractions and focus on what really gives your life meaning or what makes you feel content and fulfilled.

There is not one template for a life well lived. The KonMari method is a start to clearing out the clutter and I hope those that have started this will continue on the wonderful journey of minimalism!