Marie Kondo: Six top tips to organise your home and life 

Here's what worked for us after we read the new book Kurashi at Home: How to Organise Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life 

Marie Kondo advises planning and setting a deadline.

Who doesn’t give the house the once-over coming up to Christmas?

After two successive festive seasons with restrictions on visitors to our homes, we might just go wild and start welcoming guests en masse across the threshold, and that alone could be the motivation to get the gaff in order, with bonus points earned from the opportunity to rid ourselves of excess belongings before Christmas gifting brings the onslaught of more stuff.

When tidying, Marie Kondo maintains it’s important to face the fact that your home has limited space and storage, so some of her tricks and techniques might be just the thing you need to get going and achieve the ideal lifestyle, or kurashi, of the tidy home and make a great impression on your Christmas visitors.

Here is what we found worked for us at home after we read Marie's new book Kurashi at Home: How to Organise Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life, which is published this week: 

SET A DEADLINE

Set up a deadline. It’s more important to know when you’re going to finish, and Christmas is just six weeks away. 

According to Kondo, “Without a clear deadline, it’s human nature to put things off indefinitely.” 

CATEGORISE

Tackle komono, the name she gives to small household items such as kitchen utensils, bathroom toiletries and miscellaneous items like batteries which are thrown randomly in drawers. 

These should be made orderly and easy to find by putting them in small containers in drawers by category.

EACH TO THEIR OWN

If all your efforts are sabotaged by a messy partner, Kondo says to deal thoroughly with spaces you have complete control over, such as a wardrobe, bookcase or hobby-related items and have easily identifiable places to put things, otherwise, if you’re not sure where things go trying to get others to tidy up is a hard road.

CHILD'S PLAY

For parents of younger children excited for Santa Claus to arrive with more toys, encourage the children to give away toys they no longer use, first of all. Kondo explains, “I’ll suggest giving it to someone who will play with it more or ask them if it might make the toy happy to be a present.” 

WELCOMING SPACE

Making a good impression on guests coming to your home, Kondo recommends regular floor cleaning — the home’s foundation attracts good news and increases one’s financial luck. 

The entrance is like the face of the homeowner. Keeping it clean and bright raises the prestige of your home and brings good luck, and is also welcoming to anyone crossing the threshold.

BE KIND TO YOURSELF

Above all, be kind to yourself and take breaks when tackling tidying up.

Kondo recommends three tea breaks, typically, as she maintains working for hours, whether it’s your job or a tidying session, is tiring both mentally and physically and reduces efficiency.

• Kurashi at Home: How to Organise Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life is published by Bluebird and is on shelves this month