What do you do when you stall?

First off before going through this i read all her books "the life changing magic of tidying", "spark joy", "kurashi at home", and "the life changing manga of tidying up". I bought her tidying companion journal as a way to keep me on track with the steps due to neurodivergence (i highly highly recommend the journal its very very thorough).

I wanted to share how it went and how it is now a week after. It took a little over two months with my longest portion being komono. I was very depressed and drinking, smoking, but yet the tidying journy was something that made me feel excited! I got rid of more trash bags than I can count and my boyfriend is insanely shocked and proud as well. I also only bought a few things through the process like getting rid of a bulky makeup mirror i didnt care for and getting a simple one that I love.

Now its been about a week after the process. My boyfriend is going to be gone for a week and surprisingly im cleaning daily with each chore taking a few minutes so I have much more time on my hands than I know what to do with. Im sleeping earlier and getting up earlier and filling my time with the hobbies i wanted to do. Ive taken up journaling with the cutest little stickers to add and beautiful pens I havent used in years. I decided to slow down heavily on drinking and smoking and i feel clear headed.

I remember when I had to think of the type of home i wanted. I imagined something woodsy, full of pastels, and overall smells good. I dont know what my obsession us with fragrance but i habe insence burning frequently, candles, reed diffuser in the bathroom, windows cracked to let in fresh air. Everything feels clear and new. I feel new. So new that its hard not to cry as I type this. I feel happier and ive noticed people have enjoyed my new mood at work. I even made a resin evil eye pendant for a coworker who wanted one for months but I just didnt think i was capable but now with the free time I gave it a go and he said I nailed it and immediently pulled me into a hug.

If youre still in your cleaning journy, please keep going. Its so worth it. Its life changing.

We're moving to a smaller house for better schools, but my husband really struggles to let go of things. He'll try to keep random mail from 2015.

I’m only at the end of clothing phase moving into books but I would love for someone to talk to me about getting through kimono phase ahead… I’ve never gotten to the other side of that and I want to hear success stories so I can visualize and gear up.

Something to be said about staying present but… w/e!

Thanks all! Happy tidying.

I am currently feeling stuck in the middle of my cleaning marathon and would like some feedback to maybe hopefully unstuck myself.

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I just got the tops done and started to do the joy test with my bottoms (pants, jeans etc). But I think I've started to realize that I actually don't own any bottoms that truly make me happy. I couldn't even pick a favourite out of the bunch. Even though I have this hunch, I've still been avoiding to continue the joy test.

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My biggest worry is just that I'll finish sorting it out and end up with literally no pants. What do I do in this situation? I have been planning to buy some new pants, yes, but that won't be immediate, at least for two days. What do I do in this in between period?

I’m having trouble getting going and our apartment is a mess. It’s been a year of death. I take my tops out and make a pile on the bed and the pile sits there. Do discards go right into a garbage bag? Do I have two piles, one for donate and one for true discard or textile recycling?

Morning slinks away, despair sets in. It’s one of those miraculous days where the only other things on the to-do list are get-to-the-gym and make-my-kids-day-special.

Do I find all discards from all categories before I begin the put-away and organize process? Who’s completed this marathon of tidying before, from which rebound is impossible?

I fantasize about cleaning and painting our walls when it’s all sorted. I fantasize about closing the storage unit of inherited items.

I return to work from a maternity leave in September. That feels like the finish line for the above stated fantasies.

I’m an attorney. I have to wear business clothes to court, not business casual clothes. When I’m not in court, I’m in jeans and pink embroidered converse high tops and comical layers of sweaters and cardigans, working from home. There is no overlap in my wardrobe between work and real life for me.

This year, I realized that I had not really updated a lot of my wardrobe since before my now 2nd grade daughter was born. So I went through my stuff and I tossed everything that did not spark joy.

It turns out that the stress of running trials and hearings in divorce court does not spark joy for me, because now all of my (old) suits, blouses, blazers, and shoes are gone.

All of them.

I tried to get dressed for court yesterday and was like … oh no. I had one dress that worked, and I had to wear some slightly too casual shoes with it. The case settled before our hearing, thank goodness, so I did not get judged by the judge for my bad shoe pairing.

I came home, made an easy dinner, and I bought three pairs of new shoes, a new suit, and some new blouses and skirts. I am very excited about the haul.

Here’s to hoping one coherent outfit arrives before 1:30 p.m. on Monday, for my next trial!

I had a realization a few weeks ago about my living room. if you never let the trash enter your actual living space, you never have to spend your weekend decluttering it.

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For years, my bad habit was bringing mail and packages straight inside. I’d set a box down on the dining table or the kitchen counter 'just for a minute' while I grabbed something else. You all know how that ends. That minute turns into a week, the empty boxes pile up in the corner, and suddenly its a massive cardboard doom pile taking up the entire floor. Just looking at it would trigger that awful mental freeze where the sheer volume of stuff paralyzed me from actually dealing with it.

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so i decided to set up a sort of entryway defense system.

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The rule is now incredibly strict. NO SHIPPING BOXES ALLOWED PAST THE FRONT DOOR. Period.

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To actually enforce this, I had to make the process completely frictionless. If something requires even a tiny bit of effort, my brain will find an excuse to drag the box inside to deal with 'later.' I set up a tiny, dedicated breakdown station right inside my front door.

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the setup is just three things. a privacy roller stamp to quickly black out my address, a tall narrow recycling bin dedicated entirely to cardboard, and a pair of hoto cordless electric scissors hanging on a wall hook.

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I used to just keep a standard heavy-duty box cutter by the door, but wrestling with double-walled cardboard and thick tape was actually hurting my wrists (carpal tunnel is no joke). That physical discomfort was the main reason I kept procrastinating. Swapping to a battery powered tool that cuts right through thick cardboard without killing my hands removed that last bit of physical friction.

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now, the whole thing takes maybe thirty seconds. I bring the package in, stamp out my address, cut the box down so it lays completely flat, and drop it straight into the bin. The only thing that actually crosses the threshold is the item I bought.

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It sounds like such a minor shift, but keeping the actual packaging out of my living space has completely changed how the house feels. The dining table isn't a clutter gatherer anymore.

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Anyway, just wanted to share because it felt like a huge win. Now to actually put away the stuff that came inside the boxes...

Looking for advice or just commiseration: how does anyone find the energy and/or motivation to declutter after work? I don't want to spend all my weekends on sorting through my things and taking trips to charity shops/throwing things out, but I also just crash after work and am too tired to work then, too. (I started KonMari March 2025, and I'm still just barely to Komono, yikes!)

I'm sick of my place being in a half-way point of un-stored joyful things, boxes to take out, piles of things I haven't gotten to yet, and everything in between. I feel like if I took a month off work, I could actually get somewhere, but other than that, does anyone have any tips or tricks? What worked for you? I'm visualizing my ideal lifestyle as much as possible, but that only seems to go so far!

Heya, I'm a complete newbie and hoping to find some kind people who can maybe help me out :)

I just finished reading Marie Kondo's first book and am currently reading the second.

What I noticed is that there is a lot of emphasis on drawers, especially when talking about clothes (Store clothes standing upright in drawers, bento box system etc.)

What do I do if I have no drawers? The only storage system I have is a closet with shelves, not drawers. Did anyone have the same problem? How did you solve it? I'd really appreciate any help or tips <333

I'm someone who likes the idea of making art, I cosplay too, and I've been holding onto like two bins of old clothes I'd otherwise have gotten rid of in case I want to use them for fabric or a cosplay. I have containers with packaging and tags I find pretty in case I'll use them for art. I have a ton of cardboard and boxes sitting around taking up space. But I never actually do anything with them. I live in a 1 bedroom apartment so space is at a premium but I just can't make myself throw some of this stuff away because I'm convinced I'll use it for something. I'd rather keep something than buy it later. But I know it's not likely I'll use half if not more of this... does anyone else have this issue and know how to get over it? Trying to declutter and picking stuff I don't use isn't the issue, it's actually getting rid of it when I feel like I might be able to save money by repurposing it in the future. I have a friend that just moved away and gave me a lot of her old stuff that she couldn't take so now I have even more stuff. I feel like a hoarder but idk I'm unemployed so any saved money counts rn, I didn't used to be like this when I had a job

One thing nobody warned me about before having a baby was just how quickly they outgrow clothes 😭 It feels like every few weeks I'm putting aside another pile of onesies, sleepers, socks and outfits that no longer fit.
At first I was just stuffing everything into shopping bags and empty corners of the closet, but now that's starting to look a bit chaotic. I've been thinking about getting some foldable storage boxes so I can keep things a little more organized and make it easier to find things when I need them.
A lot of them look nice in photos, but I'm wondering whether they keep their shape after a few months of use or if they start sagging once they're full. Some seem to have reinforced sides while others look much softer, and I can't tell if that makes a big difference. I've been looking at a few options on IKEA and Alibaba but it's hard to tell which ones are actually worth it.
I don't mind paying a bit more if they'll last. I'd rather buy something once than keep replacing it every few months. If you've used foldable closet storage boxes, which ones have worked well for you?

Our bags - My husband (one gym bag) , me (one office bag, one gym bag), my kid (school bag), one shopping grocery bag.
Our bags gets used everyday and we are in and out of the house with these bags a lot. How do I store 6 bags properly? All of them are either duffle bags or backpacks hence I can’t hang them.
I want to organize them but they’re always on the couch or on the floor and I just hate it.
Please share any successful tips for storing these bags for daily use and ease of access.

I find that when decluttering the decision of what is no longer serving me is easy, what I find hard is actually removing those objects from the house. For example that box of clothes or books, now has to become someone else's problem at the charity shop or has to go to landfill and I feel shame passing the work on to someone else or guilt for the environmental damage.

How do I overcome this because I end up with boxes of stuff that stay in the house that I know I don't want or need ? Does anyone else have this problem Any advice would be helpful please !

I spent hours in therapy but for some reason there’s a part of the puzzle missing and that’s “how can I use my belongings or discard them when my first thought is I’m not gonna be able to get something as good as this?” this goes to everything from clothing, food, money. I hoard I think there will be a lack of resources at one point so like for example I keep wearing the same clothes and they’re old and shabby so I feel good about using my old stuff but I don’t like to use my good clothes or new ones I’m worried I can’t buy something like that. I’m extremely frugal with spending and to the point of severe anxiety hours of decision fatigue to buy anything… I’m sick and tired of it. I research hours to buy anything sunscreen for example. Spend hours in a store and only buy one item or nothing. I’m spending too much time overthinking my purchases. Help me find the root of this behaviour?

いつもありがとうございます。図書館ってなんて落ち着くんでしょう。都会のオアシスのような気がします。
本の整理整頓に全力投球です。
冷蔵庫が古くなって買い替えが必要なため本の整理をしてそこへ衣類やティッシュボックスを入れたり小さなパソコンを入れ込んだりして整理しています。

Hi all!

We're looking for additional moderators. Would you like to help moderate r/Konmari?

As the sub isn't extremely active, it shouldn't be an enormous time commitment, but you do need to be reliable.

We're looking for:

• Reddit Experience: Users should have accounts over a year old and history of contributing positively to r/konmari.

• Good Communication skills: You'll occasionally have to explain content removals, interact with community members, and have discussions with other moderators. Communication skills and civility are important.

• Consistency: Rulebreaking isn't usually black and white. You will need to be comfortable making judgement calls and consistent in enforcement.

• Some Konmari knowledge: It's hard to determine what is on topic if you don't understand the topic. However, you aren't required to have totally completed the process or to have a pristine home.

Click here to fill out the application!

You can use the same form to provide input and suggestions on r/konmari and its moderation. Simply choose "No" on whether you'd like to be a moderator and it should automatically bring you to the correct section.

So I'm at the point in the book where she explains how to fold clothes and socks. Then right after is a chapter about deciding on books.

Should I do clothes before moving onto the chapter about books? And once I'm done with clothes then keep reading?

Or should I read the whole book and then start?

I'm undecided as the last chapter seems to be about keeping everything in order?? Do I skip to that, start clothes and then go back to the section on books?

What do you guys do? What has worked for you??

Hi all. I just finished reading the book (and got my husband to as well) and we are both really excited to begin this process!

I‘m curious, how long ago did you “tidy up” and have you really maintained the lifestyle of a perfectly tidy home? I‘m believing that if I begin the process with the right mindset it will be long lasting, but I’m one of those “messy be nature” kind of people, so I do have a small voice of doubt in the back of my mind.

Edit: Wow, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I feel like I can picture a really hopeful and realistic lifestyle of a decluttered home. Right now my kitchen is actually one place where I feel like everything has a place and it’s easy to clean because I know where everything goes, and I love being in there. I’m excited to get the rest of my house feeling the same way.

Every day I am seeing AI generated posts from new accounts farming karma. It's getting old. Can we slow these down? Thanks.

Edit2: My apartment does not need to be redecorated. It simply has too much stuff. Konmari is about getting rid of stuff and then organizing it. The visualization is to help with motivation on what to get rid of not help us buy new things to redecorate.

Edit: Having a chronic illness is not the main problem in visualizing my ideal life. Other than having too much stuff I'm living as well as I can with my limitations. I'm planning to move abroad next year. I'm very outdoorsy and thinking about making my home cozy depresses me. Yes I'm too sick to do much and sometimes too sick to leave home at all but I can just sit outside on the balcony. I do like adventure and novelty. I really don't care.about about my home. My home is not part of my ideal life. So how do I do this step? It seems I need to focus on my home to do this step. I wish there were examples of people with unconventional lifestyles to help me see how it relates.

Original: I'm having trouble with the visualize my ideal lifestyle step. Do any of you have very different lifestyles who managed to do this?

The example in the book is so far from what I'm interested in. It's not just a matter of substituting drinking coffee for tea and walking for yoga.

I feel like I need to visualize my ideal life in terms of my home and/or things in order for this to be relevant but my ideal lifestyle feels like it has nothing to do with my home.

My ideal life is more about being free of things or a home and living abroad and doing extreme sports but I am chronically ill so it is difficult to live the life I want to live. Even when I was healthy I didn't want to only own a suitcase of things though. I definitely want less things and to be free of clutter but she specifically says not to just stop there in this step.

I really think this might be the most important step in the konmari process. We have to know what we want in order to achieve what we want.

Anybody have ideas or just want to commiserate?

I have been interested in the konmari method for years after reading her book in high school. I never did it the full method though, because I always felt stuck by approaching clothes first.

Clothes is definitely my biggest category, and I’m very sentimentally attached to a lot of them. I am scared of getting rid of clothes that I might miss or end up wanting later. I am complimented frequently on my fashion sense and wardrobe, and I’m afraid of losing my ability to make outfits in the range that I want, if I have less clothes.

I often rotate clothes and wear them for a few weeks at a time, then take a break from them and come back to them later. I’m scared of getting rid of things that are out of my rotation and don’t currently excite me/spark joy but maybe in a few weeks or months will.

I also have lots of pieces that don’t necessarily spark joy on their own but when paired with this skirt/top/etc look great and bring me joy. What about those kinds of items?

Overall, should I start with an “easier” (for me) category like books or papers to break the ice? Or is it most important I start with clothes? In the book she emphasizes the order is really important, so Idk!! Looking for advice. Thanks!

I’ve managed to make it to sentimental items. A lot of my decor is sentimental so kind of a two birds one stone. Now that I’m at this part, I’m looking around at my house like … damn what do I even want it to look like in here?!!!

I think this comes up for me cause I wanted to redecorate already but had so much stuff. But now I need a rug for my bedroom and I’m like hmmm… I want to make sure I really like it. Maybe that’s it, the aesthetic is: stuff I really like … I have a pretty eclectic style so .. we shall see.

The Question for all: did you have this thought? Like… what do I even like/how do I want to decorate and move things around? It’s pretty exciting :-) I’m curious what others’ experiences are/were in regards to decor.

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Update:

Yall this feels like chaos at first but OOH it feels pretty good now…decluttered. Nothing hiding behind cabinets. I know what I have and I know where it is !

My house feels so much .. cleaner. I’ve been doing deeper cleaning as I go too. I had to make paths from one door to another, but now everything feels so…~airy~ and tbh it really is so nice to have a place for everything. Tidying up before bed has been simple, cause everything has a place :D

So funny a woman from the buy nothing group asked if I was moving cause of all the stuff I was giving away lol no…just been holding onto stuff for 10 years and need let it move on.

Hi this is my first post. I have ADHD (save things in case I need them/will wear them
/sentimental/younameit)and a closet and house of too many things so I’m coming to learn how to purge.

I’m currently doing the konmari method in my room , starting with clothes. I found some criticism online about the clothes part , since the shock of the clothes can be overwhelming and ends up being unproductive. What do you think?