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By the time we are done, I feel as transformed as my closet looks, and more than ready to escort the difficult, the worn-out and the useless parts of my wardrobe, and my life, out the door.

Ramalho offers private one-on-one consultations and is leading a $49, web-based, 12-week KonMari group challenge starting in January. Go to konmarina.com for more information.

dryan@postmedia.com

Do it all and do it now

The method works best when you go all in and commit. When I first applied the method to my own home I actually created appointments in my calendar indicating which category I planned to do that day. I stuck to the schedule. As I moved through it and the clutter started to disappear I became even more motivated to get it done. A decision to do it all the way through is the key.

Attack by category not by room

Stick to the KonMari order of operations for tidying: clothing, books, documents, komono (miscellany), and, finally, mementoes. Deal with every item you have in this category in your entire home and don’t move on until the category is completely done.

First discard, then organize and tidy

As Kondo puts it, “Do not even think of putting your things away until you have finished the process of discarding.” Evaluate each and every item in the category and ask yourself if it serves a purpose in your life or sparks joy — if it doesn’t, thank it and say goodbye. This will make the process of organizing your remaining items much simpler.

Persevere through the tough stuff

The method is effective because it forces you to deal with all of your items, not just ripped jeans and broken toasters. The magic really happens when you deal with sentimental objects such as your children’s old toys or a late aunt’s vase that you packed away in the attic. This can be both painful and cathartic, but it’s ultimately a necessary process if we want a home that serves our future rather than our past. As Marie says, “The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.”