Common Questions about the KonMari Method®

You don't have to pay someone. You can tidy your belongings by yourself at no cost! With a library copy of Marie Kondo's book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" or "Spark Joy," plus time and self-motivation to declutter, you can do this successfully on your own. But, if you struggle to find time or motivation, or if you have strong attachments to physical items, a KonMari Consultant can help you navigate rough patches, enjoy more of your decluttering journey, and keep going strong to the finish line! 

It depends. Everyone's tidying journey will be different. The length of time is generally determined by three things:

• the size of your home (or office)

• the amount of stuff you tend to have in each room of your home, and

• the speed at which you are able to assess your feelings and make decisions about each item  

A thorough Tidying Festival could take anywhere from a month to a year. Ideally, you should strive to complete a Tidying Festival in not more than six months.  

Maybe. One key principle Marie follows is that you should only declutter and discard things that belong to you. If your partner or parent wants help decluttering, and they want to follow the KonMari Method®, then I would be very happy to meet and talk with them.

I'm sorry I can't. Some organizers are willing to help in this way. However, my work focuses on helping you make long term changes in your life, and only you can decide what brings you joy and meaning. I help clients go through their belongings individually – and you choose which items to keep based on what sparks joy for you.

Generally no. Many of the storage containers you already have – now full of items – will become freed up during your decluttering. You will likely reuse those containers in new ways to house the things you love. At the very end of your decluttering journey, you may need or want a few more storage containers to resolve specific storage issues. It's better to wait until you know exactly what you need.

No. You are always the decision maker about what to keep and what to discard! If I sense you are feeling ambivalent about an item, we'll talk through a number of scenarios that will help you make a thoughtful final decision about whether to keep or discard an item. Ultimately, you always make the call. 

Absolutely not! It's a common myth that Marie Kondo promotes a minimalist lifestyle. Some clients own just a few special items that spark intense joy for them. Other clients feel abundant joy in many items throughout their home. Only you know what sparks uncomplicated joy for you. How many items you choose to surround yourself with is entirely up to you.

All of us have some attachment to physical things. People who struggle with hoarding tend to have exceptional levels of attachment to many things. While I'm familiar with aspects of hoarding, I do not have the professional training that is necessary to address issues in the lives and homes of people with hoarding tendencies. 

Yes, I offer both in-person and virtual tidying services. To do so, you must have a fast and stable internet connection for our sessions, which are typically 3 or 4 hours in length.

This is a question I think everyone struggles with - I know that I did when I started. I had become used to thinking of objects in terms of what they might do for me in the future, determining the last time I used something, and using the one-in-one-out method for bringing new things into my home. However, I was totally unaccustomed to asking myself whether something sparked uncomplicated joy for me.

To better understand what joy was, I focused on items I knew did spark joy for me – a particular painting, a specific jacket, several mementos from my childhood. I used the feelings they invoked as a yardstick to determine how much joy, if any, other items sparked for me in comparison. 

Over time, I got much better at feeling with my heart what sparked joy for me. I now define joy as the uncomplicated positive feeling of happiness, warmth, comfort, enthusiasm, satisfaction and meaning..

With more practice, you, too, will feel more clearly what tends to spark joy for you. Honing your decision making skills will serve you well in all aspects of your life. It will transform your life. So it sticks.

Yes, I do! I have pictures of when I first went through my tidying festival ( 3 houses ago) that demonstrate what I started with and how the decluttered items were finally organized. Check out the Before & After page.