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Decluttering tips for life after lockdown

It’s been a year like no other we have seen in this lifetime. The lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 have turned our lives upside down and changed the way we work, the way we feel and how we interact with those we are close to. With all the stress and upheaval many of us have experienced, a large number of people have found themselves in a position where they have accumulated more things than they would have under normal circumstances. Home offices have been created, crammed into small spaces, homeschooling supplies, and furniture have been purchased, to name a couple. But, now the world is opening up and some normality is being restored. It’s time to declutter and turn our homes back into just that:  A home.

The KonMari Method of Decluttering

Marie Kondo is a professional organiser and creator of the KonMari method, a minimalistic approach to decluttering your home. If you are not familiar with the KonMari Method, it essentially means decluttering your home by tackling your stuff by category rather than room by room. Why are people adopting this method? Well, clients using this method have proven that they are less likely to go back to hoarding or accumulating clutter again afterwards. The technique follows six basic rules for decluttering your items:

  • Commit to tidying up
  • Imagine your ideal lifestyle
  • Finish discarding first. Before committing an item to the bin or charity box, sincerely thank it for its service.
  • Tidy by category, not by room or location.
  • Follow the correct order of categories.
  • Ask yourself if the item sparks joy as you declutter.

The idea is that at the end of the process, you are only left with items that spark joy and bring some happiness to your life. There are five categories that must be tackled, and the aim is to not move onto another category before the one before is complete. The five categories to work through (in this order) are as follows:

  • Clothes
  • Books
  • Paper and paperwork
  • Miscellaneous items (Komono)
  • Sentimental Items

You should remove all the items from your draws, closet, desk etc. and go through them one by one until you are left with only those items which spark joy and you want to keep. We understand this may feel like an odd process to go through, but Marie Kondo -and thousands of homeowners who have followed the method report it gets easier to spot the items that make the cut as you go through the process. Once you’ve worked through all the categories, then you should be left with a clutter-free home full of items that bring joy to your life. While tidying or decluttering, you are encouraged to visualise the home and life you are aspiring to achieve as your tidying anything in your home that isn’t part of that goal doesn’t deserve a place in your home.

Here at Unicorn Windows, We hope you feel inspired by the KonMari method, and this post helps you get started on a journey to decluttering your home and life after lockdown.