KonMari method + Trello = a perfect combination

Since it has been eight years since I became "a minimalist" and purged 80% of my belongings (Read: Confessions of a Former Pack Rat) - I thought it was time for another round of decluttering (maintenance). Once or twice a decade sounds about right. With 2020 around the corner I want to start the year off on the right note.

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I recently read "The life-changing magic of tidying up" by Marie Kondo book and learned some new tips, tricks and techniques. I wish that book had have existed back when I did my original decluttering eight years ago (or maybe it did but I was not aware of it at that time). If you haven't had a chance to read the book I highly recommend it, there is also a series on Netflix and several blogs and youtube videos that you can use for inspiration. As an aside, I already gave the book away to a friend to pay it forward, so it won't be collecting dust on a bookshelf in my house :) 

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Marie Kondo's technique is called the "KonMari Method" - here are a few tips and take-aways from her book:

-Tidy all at once
-Visualize the destination
-Determine if the item “sparks joy” 
-Tidy by category, not location
-Tidy In Order

Remember: your only real concern should be discovering which possessions of yours bring actual joy into your life. Marie Kondo shared the ideal order in which you should tidy up, and I found a life-changing KonMari checklist on pinterest (by Jersha and Dup) that I turned into a Trello board. I first thought checklists inside a card would be the way to go, but then decided since each category has a life of it's own I opted for cards instead. That way you can keep track of your progress, note items that are on the fence and need a second look, and you can archive the whole card when you are done of a category. Once the board is empty, your clutter will be too :)

I created a sample board (which is now a Trello template), and made it public so you can copy it and adapt to your own needs. Here is a link to it: KonMari Checklist board.

kondo checklist board.pngIf you decide to copy the board, you can go through and archive all the cards that are not relevant to items you own, and add in any unique groups of items that may not be listed. You would then start on the "Clothes" list and work your way down the list in order. As mentioned, take the time to read the book first so the whole process will make more sense. For example, Marie Kondo mentions to gather up all of the like items in a pile in one room so you can see everything you have, don't just go from room to room, or you won't realize the extent of what you own.  

Would love to hear your thoughts on the KonMari method, whether or not you have tried it, and what other tips and tricks have worked for you.

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Happy decluttering!

9 comments

Esme Crutchley
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December 1, 2019

OMG, you're totally speaking my language @Jodi LeBlanc !

I've been decluttering for a few months and my husband and I are now practising intentional living/spending, being intentional about things we're buying and bringing into our house, which is amazing! It's made me think about my wardrobe, new gadgets and a myriad of other things when I'm shopping, along the lines of; do I need it, will I use it, do I need it or just want it, would I get rid of something in order to have it in the house; general things like that.

I work and he's a house husband, so he does the majority of the cleaning, so I managed to 'sell' decluttering to him purely because if we had less stuff, he'd have less to clean, which clinched the deal instantly, as long as he doesn't have to actually help in the decluttering process, which is fine by me! But I NEVER declutter anything of his, I make a helpful pile and he can go through it whenever he's ready and he decides what he wants and doesn't. 

My digital decluttering has been the most satisfying for me, especially when I finished my MSc Psychology and finally handed in my dissertation, and was able to put that exactly where it should be because I didn't need to have instant access to it anymore, and knew exactly which archive folder it should be in. Having moved all the archival documents to a specific cloud drive and being able to have the current documents on another cloud storage that costs us, has meant that the current documents are taking up a lot less space and therefore costing us less!

I also had a major email purge and unsubscribed from all the mailing lists that come into my email and stay there long enough for me to have a massive delete! What's the point in them being in there when I never read them? Get rid of them! I know when I want to buy something, I'll go to their website, I don't need to have a million emails an hour telling me about amazing deals on products I'm just not interested in!

And now I've done all that, and handed in my dissertation (just waiting on my grade now), I have the time to be able to tackle the bedroom!

Thank you for sharing your board, and I think a LOT of people will find masses of value in it, it's awesome!

Although I don't have a specific board for decluttering, I do have a 'House Vision Board' that I add things that I'd like to have in the house, split up by rooms, and it looks like this:

Screenshot 2019-12-01 at 23.01.57.pngThis means that I can add things from all over the internet, with Custom Fields for prices and the shops, as well as pictures of the items, so that I have an idea of what I'd like to have in each room to maximise the space or just generally things that I find cute that I'd like to have!

Not quite the same thing as yours, but useful in a different sort of way, especially when you're living with hand-me-downs and you'd like to get your own furniture!

Esme :)

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Jodi LeBlanc
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December 2, 2019

Wow @Esme Crutchley I love the way your mind works! This is amazing, and I love how you sold your hubby on decluttering -that is a really great approach. Less stuff = less to clean :) Congrats on your MsC in psychology, what a huge accomplishment and that must be so gratifying to hit the archive on all that work accomplished. Good for you! 

Digital decluttering is something I need to work harder on, I have done the email purge and unsubscribing so all my inboxes are close to inbox zero (most times). However I love taking photos, and I find it hard to delete duplicates (especially ones of my adorable dog Max). I have started to organize into folders, and make it more manageable in the cloud. Next will be to do a major purge of all my Trello boards, as they tend to accumulate as well.

I love how my car is always super clean and tidy. I used to get embarrassed if someone asked for a ride and I always had bags of sports equipment or random items in the back seat. For about 8 years I have kept up the practice of always emptying it when I get out of it, no random items and I clean it often. My current car is 4 years old but I still get the comment when people get in, did you get a new car? Looks and smells so new :) That makes me smile. 

Your house vision board is awesome, I am definitely going to create one as I am inspired by yours. I have a minimalist friend that can't wait to break a dish or a cup so she can go shopping for a new one. I am a minimalist, but not quite to that extreme :) Just like only having things around me that I love or are useful. Thanks so much for sharing! 

As an aside, I saw your pups on another thread, they are so adorable :)

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Esme Crutchley
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December 2, 2019

Thank you so much for replying @Jodi LeBlanc 

I will admit that I never go through my photos, I never delete duplicates, I just can’t do it! I use Google Photos and iCloud Photos, and have over 750,000 on Google and almost 200,000 on my iCloud! I think trying to organise that would fry my brain so I just carry on snapping away! Hubster and I are signed into the same Google Photos account, so all the photos we take go into the same place, which makes things so much easier I must admit! I love taking lots of photos at once and then seeing what Google AutoAwesome creates for me, as the name suggests, they’re awesome! But I just can’t bring myself to delete photos, never have been able to! In fact, I have a 50 First Dates Board, where I put our favourite photos into years and months so that if someone happens to one of us, we have a record of the things we loved at the time, and for later life we can look back if Alzheimer’s or dementia should creep in, we will have loads of boards of our fondest memories. We add the photos and then write where they were taken and why they’re important to us, so if necessary (hopefully it never is) we have them all safe. It’s a bit soppy, but I don’t care!!

Thank you for your kind words on my MSc, it’s amazing that it’s done, just have to wait for my results which I think should be around 20 January because of Christmas holidays etc, but I’m so proud that I’ve done it and my dissertation (I think that’s a thesis in the USA) was on something I love and could really sink my teeth into! 

Esme :)

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Esme Crutchley
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December 2, 2019

Oh, and I know what you mean about the car! Ours looks like a train wreck inside!!

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Jodi LeBlanc
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December 2, 2019

I am so glad I am not alone @Esme Crutchley when it comes to snapping unlimited photos and not being able to delete the duplicates :)  Love your 50 First Dates board (what an awesome idea!) and definitely great to have for memories, I think I will make one for my hubby and I too. Thank you, you are a wealth of inspiration! Wow January 20th will be here in no time, glad you will have a chance to take some time time enjoy the holidays and sounds like you are super passionate about your work. Your clients are very lucky to have you!

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Jodi LeBlanc
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December 8, 2019

Hey @Esme Crutchley I just popped on your website in your profile and see that you are a blogger. I love your writing style and you have so many amazing ideas to share. Have you considered writing articles for this community? There is an Atlassian Authors group that you may be interested in joining. Also, there is a new badge that was launched earlier this month, 10 articles and 50 likes on the articles :) You may have noticed an influx in all the articles these days :)

Esme Crutchley
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December 9, 2019

Hey @Jodi LeBlanc 

I'm already a member of the Atlassian Authors group, I was added not that long ago, however, I had to wait until I'd handed in my dissertation before I could comfortably devote any time to it, although I have 9 days off work (I go back on 17th) so I put aside a few days to devote to my websites and the Community! I'd love to write articles for the Community, I have so many ideas buzzing around my head that I'd love to write!

I have 2 websites, one is a blog, which I think is the one you've already been to (?) on being a Plus-Size Princess (www.plussizeprincessproject.com), which is all about being healthy no matter what your size, making healthy choices, working out at home (if that's your thing, it is mine) and not being ashamed of your body.

The other is all about how to use free and minimum cost technology and to only pay for what you truly get value out of, which is www.tinytech.tips. It's mainly aimed at students, although it's probably applicable to everyone who uses technology! I wanted to start a YouTube channel to go alongside this as well, but I'm not quite there yet I don't think!

I might have a look at the badge launch and see if there's something there that sparks my creative flair, or can focus all these ideas I have! :)

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Jodi LeBlanc
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December 9, 2019

That's awesome @Esme Crutchley ! Also thanks for sharing your other blog too (Tinytech.tips), just had a look and so many golden nuggets shared. I look forward to reading more posts from you, but yes take some much deserved time off from that huge accomplishment of completing your dissertation - congrats again!

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Anna Dzoba
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January 17, 2024

Link doesn’t work. Could you please share it?

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