How to clean house changes lives

Japanese expert to restore order Marie Kondo promises: if you are ready for a big change, the result will be a miracle cleaning



Bestseller Marie Kondo "changing life magic restore order: Japanese art of getting rid of unnecessary things and the organization of space" really changed the lives of Emily Clay, hostess in Oregon. According to her, after reading the book, she got rid of "tons" of clothes and books, and even loves to go shopping tips Marie Kondo kept her from being able to re-score the refusal to all shelves and cabinets. "This book completely changed my view on things - she says. - If I do not like any thing, if I never used it, I did not read, did not carry - I get rid of it without thinking »

. The same opinion is shared by the designer in San Francisco: "I myself follow the basic tenets of the book Kondo and I advise everyone to do the same: to keep worth only what brings pleasure, - she says. - It usually helps me to determine the location of things in my heart and my house. It's amazing how much clearer became my home after I threw away all the junk. »

We are waiting for change!

However, the definition of "life-changing" is perhaps too bold. Life changing events such as marriage, birth, death, relocation. Cleaning even a capital, is not covered by my understanding of global change, but the attitude towards home ideas Mari Kondo changed beyond all doubt.

It does not matter how you feel about the Magic, which is constantly the focus of this book. However, sales of the book throughout the world can truly be called supernatural. It lasted 23 weeks on the bestseller list, "New York Times" in "Tips and practical leadership" category. On Amazon, it has been named the best book of 2014 in the "Crafts, home and garden." Since the first edition of the book was launched to press 13 times, and two million copies were sold last fall. Looking at these figures, we can conclude that people are really desperate to change the existing order of things. Let's see if Marie Kondo fulfill the promise given in the bold title of his book.

Two key rules

After many years of practice, a Japanese expert on space organization has developed its own method. The point is simple, but to apply it is incredibly difficult (I speak from personal experience), because people for no reason do not wish to part with their own things.

So, two key installation method Mari Kondo boil down to the fact that the house should keep only those things that fill the heart with joy. And in the process of cleaning you need to work not with the bathrooms, and the categories of things.

Keep what you love

Kondo often uses the phrase "sparkle with joy," speaking of the things dear to the heart. In summary, we can draw the following conclusion: if you do not like a thing, get rid of it. The difficulty lies in the fact that, as they say, to separate the wheat from the chaff, and distinguish between "happiness" and the concept of "attachment." In his book The condo offers a pretty tough way to help do that.

To deal with things, not with rooms

One of the main ideas that distinguishes method Kondo from all others, is that things should be disassembled by category. For example, instead of having to get out of the dressing room, it is necessary to deal with all the clothes, which is in the house.

Typically, it is stored in several places: in wardrobe, chest of drawers and closets and children's bedrooms, in the hallway and even the attic. Experience Mari Kondo showed that if cleaned separately in each room, this will be an endless process. Therefore, all that is in the house, must be divided into categories, and to deal with each of them. On the first page of his work, the author writes: "First, we need to reject all unnecessary, and then clean up the mess around the house once and for all»

. And this is just the first tip, and the book is quite large - as many as 216 pages. We asked Marie Kondo interview by e-mail, and it is summarized for us the basic principles of his method.

Cleaning step by step

Meet Marie Condo is at the beginning of harvesting in the dressing room of one of his clients. In her world, the way to cleanliness and order begins with a presentation on how you want to live. In an interview, she described this process in stages.

1. Think about what a perfect life. In other words, how you want to live.

2. Collect items of the same type put them together. For example, put all the clothes on the floor. Condo offers to start with clothes, then take the books and finally the documents.

3. Ask yourself whether each item radiates joy. "Take the thing in his hands, feel it, and try to feel whether there is joy in it", - says Kondo

. 4. Sort out the things and put them in their place. A suitable place for each item to determine in advance.

It seems too simple, is not it? But Kondo said that the method is difficult because many of us are filled with emotional things. Sometimes we cling to things that we do not like, simply because they gave us. We allow books and papers pile up on the table in the hope that someday they will read. We categorically refuse to throw out bad buy because regret the money spent. "The essence of my method is to objectively look at their possessions and decide what all of the accumulated over the years is really important," - says Kondo

. Now you understand how difficult it is. In response to doubts Condo quoted Princess Elsa of "Cold Heart": let go and forget

.

TO:

This photo room one of the clients to the cleaning condo. For many of us packed to overflowing shelves and endless packets of things - a familiar sight

. And Marie Kondo seen it hundreds of times. It encourages people to forget those things that are overflowing wardrobes (once they're hidden, so no one needs), not to become attached to objects that may be needed "someday" (for "someday" Kondo means "never"), and be sure to give their belongings to those who need them, so as not to feel guilty for what you get rid of them.



AFTER:

Same room after cleaning by the method of Kondo. Published worried that houses photographs of Japanese customers condo can frighten the Europeans. Indeed, after the table was moved to another room, but most of the things thrown away, this premise seems pustovat.

However, what it seems to be Spartan to one person, another call ideal. Here's how Kondo describes his own home: "At home, I feel a sense of bliss, even the air seems fresher and cleaner. In the evenings I like to sit quietly and think about the day with a cup of herbal tea.

Looking around, I see a picture that is very love, and a vase of flowers in the corner. My house is small, and there are just those things that have a place in my heart. This life style brings me joy every day. »



TO: This kitchen is waiting for the Tokyo magical transformation. Just imagine the difficulties faced by its owner!



AFTER: The same food after work Mari Kondo. Radical transformation, is not it?

And what considerations need?

"Many people find it difficult to follow the rules Mari Kondo - said Kaylee, a specialist in the organization of space in San Francisco. ─ I like some of her ideas, but not all of them work. " How, for example, to put into practice the idea that it is necessary to keep only those things that cause pleasure? "In every house is full of things that have nothing to do with happiness, but simply necessary," - said Kaylee

. Kondo says about the right things, but its definition is required goes beyond the usual concepts. For example, what to do with textbooks and manuals for appliances? They can be found on the Internet. Books that you are unreadable? Give you still never let them read. Gifts from loved ones that you do not use? Free yourself and them, too.



A real example of California

Keighley sure many people around is not easy to follow the advice condo. Not to be unfounded, we enlisted the help of Susie Shoaf, a resident of San Francisco, which won a free consultation Marie Kondo. In this picture you see Susie (left) in his home area of ​​84 square meters. m during a meeting with Mari Kondo.



This photo living room after a visit Susie Marie Kondo. "You can laugh, but I was going to do for a long time to restore order - Susie says, who had heard about the method of Marie Kondo, but did not read her book. - A lot of things got me by inheritance from parents, and indeed I love to collect finds from flea markets. Things were saved as long as the house does not become difficult to move around. With this it was necessary to urgently do something. »



Before and after:

Although Susie usually takes a book in the library, she has a soft spot for album art and design, as well as guides in foreign countries. It looked like her bookcase before it started to get out with the condo.

The prospect get rid of many of my things a little bit scared Suzy, but she knew she could save that truly love, and this thought comforted her.



"It started with the fact that removed all the books on all the shelves on the first and second floor," - said Suzy, who herself was shocked at how much it has actually books (in his book condo gives many such examples). "She did not blame me - continues Susie. - But when I saw how many books accumulated, I realized that I wanted to deal with this avalanche, and with all my heart accepted method Marie »

. "Before the analysis of the Kondo patted each book and said that since it wakes them - says Susie. - Then, we sat on the sofa and began to take one book after another. Through a translator, Marie asked me about every book, whether it radiates joy. If I say "yes", we set aside the book in a stack if the "no" - to another. That day we watched 300 books and get rid of 150. »

When all the books were dismantled, Kondo offered worship the books with which it was decided to say goodbye and to thank them.

In his book, Kondo says that things thanks for your service - an important part of parting with them. "When you say" thank you "things that have served you faithfully, you get rid of feelings of guilt for what they throw away, and feel gratitude toward those things that are allowed to stay," - she writes
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AFTER: The idea that you can throw away so many books, many confused. But no matter what you think, admit it: now this bookcase looks much better. "I took seven boxes of books in the" Library Friends "fund. For me it means a lot. And I'm sure that, as paradoxical as it may sound, the analysis of each book has accelerated the process and helped me figure out which ones are really important, "- says Susie. When Susie and Marie disassembled the book and left only the most favorite, the shelves had enough space for pictures and decorative items. And, importantly, they are now easier to see.

"Books that you liked when you bought them, may eventually become useless. The information in books, articles and documents for long stays relevant, - says Kondo. ─ When will expose on the shelves only those books that cause joy, easier for you to understand what others are no longer needed. And then it's simple: the fewer books on the shelf, the easier it is to maintain order »

.

With clothes the same principle works. Pull out all the cabinets, that there is, seed the most favorite and get rid of the rest.



TO: Susie really wanted to Marie showed her his method of folding clothes. In this photo you can see one of the dresser drawers before cleaning.



AFTER: The same box! Condo advises to pack more than one on top of another, and vertically, or, as she says, "standing." In her opinion, the only way to preserve the order and quickly nahldit what you need.



Another tip: fold the things compact rectangles

. Susie demonstrates this method on her blouse: "Screw the long sides blouses or shirts inside and remove to the same sleeve to get a long rectangle

.

Now grab the narrow side of the rectangle and fold it popolam.Prodolzhayte put the thing two or three times as long as it is not reduced enough to gently "stand up" in the box next to the other things. »

"Now my boxes look beautiful on the inside and outside" - laughing Susie

.

Cleaning as a path to success

How to become an international star in the field of space? In the first part of his book, Kondo said, as the beginning of your path to success. Since childhood, she was obsessed with cleanliness and removing the debris. "When I was five years old, I read my mother's magazines on economics, and it awakened my interest in everything that is connected with the house," - she says

. At school, she first realized what was its major fault. Before Marie discovered the book "The Art of throw things" Nagisa Tatsumi, her experiments sooner or later turn into a vicious circle. It was removed in the same room, then move to the next, to the next - and so until then, until you return to the first, where it all began again. "It seemed to me that much I get out, not getting better. At best, the parsing process debris comes later, but still advancing, "- she said

. However, after reading the book Tatsumi Marie realized that she needed urgently to restart the entire system. She returned home and locked herself in her room for a few hours. In her book she writes: "When I finished, I had a total of eight packages of clothes that I never wore, from primary school textbooks and toys, which I have not played for many years. I even threw away his collection of erasers and seals. Frankly, I'd forgotten that I have all these things. After analysis, I sat on the floor for an hour and wondered why I even kept all this junk. »

This is the question put to start your own business with customers who are waiting in line for several months. It is as a result also led to write a book that became a bestseller in many countries.

Does it work in reality?

So, we return to the question posed in the title of this article: Can a maid change our lives

? Of course, Kondo thinks he can. "The whole point of my method is to teach people to understand what is important in their lives, and what does not - says Marie. ─ Following my advice, you will understand what kind of things make you a feeling of joy, and so will know exactly what you need to be happy. »

Readers - such as Emily Clay - agrees: "The book made me think about how many things I have and what I really needed. I do not regret that got rid of the pile of all unnecessary, although I hate to think about how much money I have spent in vain. Getting rid of unnecessary things in some way freed me, - says Emily. - Now, instead of buying a new handbag or shoes, I save money on a trip to Italy. "

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