First and foremost, aim to declutter things by their categories  For example, books in all parts of the room instead of clearing out the study room first. Marie Kondo advises to begin with clothes since there is less emotions tagged to it than photographs.

Living in the digital age where everything can be accessed online, physical copies of credit card and phone bills are no longer a necessity. Toss out these bills and letters instead of keeping them in a pile untouched for months to come.

To identify your items more easily, Kondo advises to store your items next to each other. For example, store your rolled up T-shirts next to each other for easy identification instead of piling them – which could pose a challenge itself since it is easier to mess the pile up.

Nostalgia can be beautiful but the mess of items that trigger it isn’t. The faded movie ticket that you watched on your first date? Gently leave it in the bin where it belongs. Tackle old cards and letters in this manner as well. Let the memory live on in your mind but not in a rusty tin can at the dark recesses of your drawers.

One of the most quoted tip from her book, Marie Kondo advises her readers on the decluttering journey to ask and answer the question “Does it spark joy?”. If the item in hand sparks joy, it is a keeper. Otherwise, either toss it or give it away for it to have a better life.

Is this a typical scene at home? The piles of clothes that were once folded neatly on top of each other are now in a mess.The jumbled up socks are in the drawers and the cupboard is now overflowing, no thanks to the sales that just ended. All the above show signs that the items are not being respected. Kondo reminds her readers that it is important to respect one’s belongings by keeping them in their respective places properly and tidily, instead of simply squeezing them in to spaces that they no longer fit in.

Famous for her folding tips, Kondo recommends to fold clothes and to place them in drawers instead of hanging them up. Her vertical folding technique makes it easy to see everything at a glance. For drawer dividers, Kondo recommends using shoe boxes.

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