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SPRING CLEAN WITH US, MARIE KONDO STYLE

February 9, 2021

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Spring is the season of new beginnings and as the festive period draws near, it’s no surprise that many of us are faced with dilemmas on what we should throw out, what we should keep or how to even begin with spring cleaning. As tedious as it may seem, decluttering your home can be a catalyst for joy and productivity, a way to bring peace and calm into your living space, mind and body. To usher in new beginnings for a bountiful Year of the Ox, let’s try out Marie Kondo’s famous KonMari method – a possible solution to help you permanently declutter for the ultimate spring clean.

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The KonMari Method

Not to be confused with the idea of minimalism that advocates living with less, Marie’s KonMari method encourages living among items you truly cherish. For starters, imagine your ideal lifestyle. Visualise the space you would like to live in, be it in a surrounding with the bare essentials or a space filled with your precious collectibles and art. Everyone’s ideal life and space differs.

Reorganizing is one thing, but owning too many items is another. Do you have the habit of hoarding? Perhaps you may not even realize your own hoarding habits until you start to organize and rearrange things around. More often than not, people have been living with items they no longer love, or never did. With your vision of your ideal lifestyle, make space for what you love and discard those that doesn’t support that lifestyle anymore with gratitude. This way, your treasured possessions can truly shine; plus, you are also creating space for future joy-sparking additions. As much as it isn’t a prescriptive formula, Marie’s KonMari method does have certain rules for everyone to stick to in order to be effective at decluttering.

  1. Rule 1: Commit yourself to tidying up
    The KonMari method is not meant to be a quick fix for tidying up a messy room, neither is it a once-in-awhile approach. You have to be seriously dedicated to put in the time and effort with a clear vision, can-do attitude and most importantly, never, ever give up halfway. Spring cleaning does sound like an arduous chore but believe us – it’s going to be worthwhile, so stay committed.
  • Rule 2: Imagine your ideal lifestyle
    Lifestyle – the living conditions, behaviour and habits that are typical of them or are chosen by them. Think about your ideal lifestyle and clarify that thought as much as possible. Put words to describe it, sketch it out if you prefer, or even create a Pinterest board to envision it better. Once you have a vision of your best life, take charge of it by getting down to the details – the tidying process.
  • Rule 3: Finish discarding first
    Discarding items may seem like a simple decision to make, but the lesson behind it is important. The act of letting go of something you never used teaches you that you have no purpose for something like it in your life. Discarding it also reminds you to cherish the items that brings you joy, to focus on what you want to keep.
  • Rule 4: Tidy by category, not by location
    We’re probably used to clearing and organizing one shelf, closet or room at a time, but the KonMari method is different – you must tidy by category, not by location. You can never grasp the overall volume of each type of thing you own until you tidy them by category as we often store the same type of item in more than one place, repeating the never-ending cycle of tidying in many locations.
  • Rule 5: Follow the right order
    So you’ve discarded things that no longer spark joy and you’re ready to start organizing. How many times have you stood in your home, thinking of where should you start? Don’t bother fretting, the proposed order is clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items (also known as “komono” in the KonMari world), and lastly, sentimental items. This order was designed to help you hone your instincts about which items make you happy. But of course, having an order to stick with helps prevent you from getting distracted as you work on the task on hand. While there are no rules for organizing your stuff, it’s ideal that you keep things in a way that lets you see everything at once, rather than left scattered all around, so everything should have its place and should be returned to it after use.
  • Rule 6: Keep only things that sparks joy
    “Does this spark joy in you?” You’ve probably heard this famous sentence from Marie Kondo. Instead of choosing what to discard as most of us would do when spring cleaning, you’re supposed to choose what to keep. The reason is simple – Only you can know what kind of environment makes you happy. If the item doesn’t speak to you in some positive way, or in another word, spark joy in you – you’re likely going to be fine not needing it in your life moving forward. Pay attention to how your body responds when you pick up each object one at a time and ask yourself “Does this spark joy?” If it does, great – keep it! If it doesn’t, thank it and let it go. There’s no hard rule to what or how much you can keep as joy is personal, and this process will help you learn more about what you love and what you need.

Shopping for an organized home

While the idea of spring cleaning is about getting rid of what you don’t need than buying new items, sometimes it’s good to invest in useful products that’ll help you stay organized as you get through your busy everyday life. Proper storage solutions like bookshelves, bathroom storage or shoe racks will give your precious items that spark joy a home, while making your space feel less cluttered. Shallow boxes or dividers inside drawers are great organizing tools too, so you can have a bird’s eye view of your belongings instead of stacking them in drawers.

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Keeping the environment green as you spring clean

As you go about on your spring-cleaning journey using the KonMarie method, don’t forget to recycle, reuse and upcycle whatever you can. Our team at Gryphon Tea has come up with several ways to go about upcycling our products and packaging here – something that you can consider doing to continue and keep our Earth sparkling.

We hope your living space will be as sparkling as ours by adopting the KonMari philosophy and that you’ve gained insights on how this spring-cleaning process can allow you to grow as a person in terms of introspect, mindfulness and to be forward-thinking in this brand-new year.


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