Tidying in the end is just a physical act. The work involved can be broadly divided into two kinds; deciding whether or not to dispose of something, and deciding where to put it. If you can do these two things, you can achieve perfection.
Tidying in of itself is not an activity. How many times have you claimed to have been tidying up, only to find that you have walked the same item from room to room, and rehomed or repositioned it, triumphantly calling this tidying up? According to Kondo, this is not tidying at all. The real key to tidying up is the thought and deliberate intention that goes into it.
First of all, the item needs to be considered as all the other items in your home do; does it spark joy? Consider this for a moment. If it does not spark joy, get rid of it. If it sparks joy, decide where it should best be put. If it has decorative value, consider carefully where to display it. If it has functional value, consider the most efficient place to store it. If it has sartorial value, decide on the best way of folding it. This decision making is the work involved in tidying; the moving from room to room in pursuit of tidiness is really the physical manifestation of the act of tidying. The decision making process, when done clearly and intentionally, can achieve a perfect home environment, and also declutter your mind as well as your living area.
I pray that through the magic of tidying more people will be able to experience the joy and contentment of living surrounded by the things they love.
The central argument espoused by Kondo is that people generally have so many possessions that they cannot discern between the ones that have meaning and the ones that are just "stuff". This means that it is impossible to truly appreciate the possessions that really have meaning; for example, if there are twenty different pictures on the wall, it might become overwhelming, and far more difficult to focus on and enjoy the three pictures that truly spark joy. The same can be said of all of the possessions that we own. When we are cluttered up with possessions that are all given the same value, and the same treatment, we almost cannot see the wood for the trees; when we de-clutter we are able to look at and find joy in the possessions that are truly meaningful, and life enhancing, to us.
Although not large, the space I live in is graced only with the things that speak to my heart. My lifestyle brings me joy.
Kondo is able to relax in her home because she does not feel overwhelmed by the clutter in it. This means that instead of having to do something, buy something or consume something to make herself joyful, she is able to experience joy merely by being in her own living space. This would not be possible if she was surrounded by things that not only did not speak to her heart, but that prevented her heart from hearing what her more treasured possessions are saying. This is an outlook that is rooted in the Shinto faith where tidying up and de-cluttering is a religious ritual and not just an exercise in good housekeeping.
