Marie Kondo for dummies

(who have no time)

Do you also always feel like the only loser on earth who hasn't Marie Kondo-ed her house yet? I think I've gotten stuck with Feng Shui, and wasn't that somewhere at the beginning of the millennium?

I want to do it all, you know, thank those pants and say goodbye ritually and I believe in it too, but I don't even have time to read the book. Let alone apply it. Moreover, I'm always very scared when people say that all clothes should be on the bed. That would make me so depressed that I would never get around to saying goodbye. But there is hope in fearful days because there is a shortcut Marie Kondo version. On Netflix. Well, shortcut, shortcut, the presentation of the, in itself nice, let's say they really, really, really had a lot of problems with the clutter and chaos in the house was really seventeen times too long for me. Yes, yes, yes, I know it now, I shouted at my laptop. And now roll up those sleeves and get to work. Goodness, the husband in question was almost about to say he had erectile problems because the Tupperware lids were always missing, but it wasn't far off. But anyway, Marie patiently listened to it all, smiled reassuringly, occasionally knelt down to stroke the floor and take a big breath of air and then sprang into action. By the way, I really want to know where Marie buys those impeccable, beautiful cardigans because they are perfect.

Anyway. Then they sprang into action and I'm now going to tell you what I learned from Marie.

1. Start with segments, not with rooms

Don't do your entire living room, but start with the books. Then it's manageable and you'll keep your motivation.

2. Make sure you see everything

So place Tupperware boxes on their side in the drawer so that as soon as you open the drawer, you can see exactly how many you have. This also applies to cutting boards and so on.

3. Make sure everything is usable

So that literally every jar has a lid that fits. And every pair of pants has a button.

4. Fold it small

Marie folds T-shirts into beautifully small packages. Where I stop folding, she goes through two more times. This way you have small, upright ‘tents’ that you can neatly place next to each other, allowing you to immediately see how many you have and you don't run the risk of the whole stack toppling over when you unpack one.

5. Categorize

The man in question was tasked with organizing the garage. Now I found the disorganized garage already quite neat, but that probably says more about me. He had to place like with like (garden with garden, car with car, ski clothes with ski clothes) making everything very clear and easy to find. And here too, vertical stacking applied. In one glance, everything in sight.

So far my lessons from Marie. Ready to start and be spring-ready very soon?