I can’t wait to get home every night.

Not because the job was stressful, not because I’m tired; not because dinner is always bomb or because my show is in the queue. Can I tell you why!? Because I am absolutely in love with my space! I used to cringe at the thought of coming home because I didn’t exactly qualify my space as being that; a home. I hated that my furniture didn’t match or that I had too many clothes that didn’t fit. I hated that I’d been using the same comforter since high school, that I didn’t have any pictures displayed, or that my only lighting was the in-your-face fluorescent ceiling lights that came with the place. 


Tired of being tired, I reached out to a friend who deeply enjoys her space and asked how she turned a frumpy studio into a joyful home. She told me of a book she’d read years ago, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”, and that it’d recently become a show on Netflix called “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”. Believe you me, halfway through the first episode was all the motivation I needed to start the KonMari method step-by-step. Until you can watch or read it for yourself, let me drop the five tips on turning your space, big or small, into a home that sparks joy!

  1. Tidy all at once. When you’re ready to start the tidying process, start and finish without hesitation. It should not be a drawn out process; a day or weekend at most, never days or weeks. The longer you take, the easier it will be to convince yourself out of decisions. Make a plan to start and see it through.
  2. Imagine your space tidied up. What would a great space look like to you? It’s important to have an end goal in mind, so that as you grow frustrated with getting rid of so much, you’ll remember that it is ultimately to bring you more joy than you had.
  3. Determine if the item “sparks joy”. You know what joy feels like; the butterflies you feel when you hold a puppy or the smile on your face after a wonderful day on the beach. While holding the item, simply ask yourself ‘does this spark joy?’. If the answer is no, say thank you to the item - literally - and decide to trash or give it away. 
  4. Tidy by category, not by location. In tidying up your space, its necessary to take note of your habits; what you spend the most money on, what you most often use or don’t. If you have clothes, for example, in multiple rooms in the house, bring them all into one pile and go through them one at a time, following tip three all the while.
  5. Tidy in order. The brilliant Japanese method simplifies your belongings into five categories; you should follow the tidying process in this order:
  6. Clothes
  7. Books
  8. Papers
  9. Komono (Miscellaneous)
  10. Sentimental


There are a million things and more to say about the KonMari method, but I hope these five tips inspired you to reimagine your space!

Remember, if it doesn’t spark joy, take a hint from Ari G and say thank u, next! 


happy spring cleaning,

raygen samone