Tidying up coaching and home organising are becoming more and more popular and are on everyone's lips. After the successful Netflix series of 2019 with the bestselling author Marie Kondo (Tidying up with Marie Kondo), a new Netflix series called "The Home Edit" will start at the beginning of September.
Which method do these experts use? Are there different systems? Personally, I know of the following 3 clean-up methods.
4 boxes Method:
All items from the area to be organised are categorised as:
- Keep
- Donate/Give away
- Waste and
- Room change subdivided
- (Sometimes there is also a 5th box with projects or To Do's).
Some experts take everything out of the area, others simply leave the "Keep" category alone. Only at the end is proper order created. This method is time-consuming, but very effective and sustainable.
Advantage: you get a good overview and the order remains sustainable
Disadvantage: time-consuming and also somewhat chaotic, i.e. before it gets better, it first gets worse.
Marie Kondo Method:
This is about looking at or touching all the things in a category. That means, for example, all the clothes in the house, no matter where they are. Then you ask yourself the well-known KonMarie question: "Does it spark joy?", loosely translated: "Does this object (still) make me happy? What brings you joy is allowed to stay. Everything else is disposed of or donated.
Advantage: very sustainable and the order is room-spanning
Disadvantage: too much stress and chaos. Very time-consuming and intensive.
"No mess method"
This method is by the author Dana K. White, who has written two books on decluttering ("A slob comes clean" and "Decluttering at the speed of life"). This method is meant for people who get distracted very quickly and cannot work with focus for a long time. Here you first look for obvious rubbish or things you no longer want to keep. Things from the category "Does not belong here" are immediately moved to the right place. If you like to move around a lot, you will love this method.
Advantage - you can stop at any time, no piles to take care of later, you reach your goal in small steps
Disadvantage - takes a long time, you get distracted and eventually give up or it's no longer a priority, less holistic, lacks overview.
As a certified tidying coach, I of course recommend everyone to try tidying coaching once, so that you can 1) get to your goal faster 2) have more fun with it and 3) have less stress when tidying 😉
By the way, I use the 4 box method with most of my customers :-).
