We all know the life-changing magic of tidying up. But do we all DO it? It’s easy to read Marie Kondo’s, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up or Spark Joy, but taking the challenge to actually clean up our pigsty of a home, room, or office is another topic. But with the right mindset, 5 minutes, and the right storage products, we too, can organize our lives like Marie.
Before we start, let’s get into some basics of how to organize like Marie Kondo.
- Clean all at once. Don’t spread your spring cleaning from April to June! Cleaning all at once makes you confident in your decision to change your way of life and will invigorate you.
- Keep (or in this case, buy) items that spark joy in your life. If you have a storage bin that makes you cringe every time you see it, man, toss it!
- Take care of your items and appreciate what they bring to your life. I’m not telling you to marry your stuffed Hatsune Miku doll, but just look over at your nice pencil holder and think, Wow, this makes my desk so much neater. Thanks, pencil holder.
- Quality over quantity. You don’t need 10 of the same plastic box if 3 excellent quality woven boxes will do the same job for a longer time (without damaging the environment as much).
Disclaimer: These products below are not for “fast-fashion” people. They are for people who intend to care for and use their products for a long, long time. These are high-quality and purposeful tools to get us organized. Because we are high-quality and purposeful people who ain’t got time to buy plastic storage bins every winter. Thank you.
7. TAWBURY Wooden Valet Tray for Men
You know what happens every night before bed… You empty your pockets of your phone, earphones, wallet, coins, gum, and your nightstand becomes a cluttered mess! Not to mention when you’re finally in bed, you reach out for your phone to set an alarm and knock your items to the floor like bowling pins.
So, to keep your precious items from joining the dust under your bed, keep them all organized with this simple wooden valet tray. I especially like this one for the stealthy phone charger hole in the back and the removable tray where you can even store a small book inside! It’s made of high-quality wood and has a sleek look that’ll pair well with any house furniture.
6. mDesign Soft Fabric Hanging Storage Organizer
From Marie Kondo’s Joy at Work:
Do you know people who are always asking, “Where did that file go?” Often it’s because they are piling their files in stacks on their desk.”
Marie says stacking documents makes it difficult to see how much you have, so you don’t know how much you accumulate over time. This leads to forgetting files at the bottom of the pile, ergo, wasting time to find them.
So how to stop wasting time and be more efficient? Marie suggests storing papers in a hanging-file system. That way, it’s easier to see how many papers you have. “It also looks neat and tidy,” says Marie.
This fabric hanging storage allows you to store papers upright and separate them by importance. I chose this 4 pocket one following The Eisenhower Box. If you’ve ever heard of Stephen Covey’s 4 quadrants of importance and urgency, that’s what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, will show you.
Using this storage organizer, you can separate documents based on importance and urgency so you can prioritize your tasks and make sure you focus on the most important thing. Made of breathable fabric, it’s best you use this for papers and documents. Don’t torture this guy with binders and books! That’s what the storage bins by your desk are for. Speaking of which…
5. Devaise 3 Drawer Wood Mobile File Cabinet
Yes. To Marie Kondo your home, you cannot just shove your books and binders and scrap papers under your desk. Using a simple 3-drawer file cabinet can save you time in finding tools and documents for work and give a home to your homeless items.
Here’s why this one beats the one that came with your desk (there I said it!):
- Has wheels that roll and lock so you can move this guy around easily when you need to
- Has a fifth wheel at the base of the bottom drawer to support your bulky binders/papers/secrets
- Has inside rails so you can store hanging folders on the bottom drawer
4. Bamboo Drawer Dividers
Okay, so you’re saying you always end up trashing that first drawer. Me too. That first drawer is supposed to be a home for your office supplies and other komono, or accessories, but it ends up being a Where’s Wally challenge. But that’s before I found Marie, and these.
Keep that mess contained between the walls of these bamboo drawer dividers. I used to buy desk containers all the time but sometimes they just wouldn’t fit what I wanted to use! With these dividers you have the power to divide your drawers however you wish. All you have to do is gather your komono into subcategories like desk supplies, food, gadgets, personal-care items. Then divvy up the drawer using the adjustable dividers like so:
Ahh~ Doesn’t it feel so nice to know where everything is? Isn’t it so peaceful when everything is in its place? Joy at last.
3. YOUNIS Dresser
But we’re not done cleaning yet. Your clothes, your towels, your handbags are all tired of being tossed everywhere. They need a home. One that’s sturdy and light. One that’s stylish and useful. This YOUNIS dresser can be used not only for your closet, but also for storing toys, electronics, and even double as a mobile pantry.
The modern minimalist design makes it suitable for pretty much any kind of storage while the fabric bin drawers make it easy to open and close. I like how the metal rails curve up and form a kind of tray on top of the dresser. You won’t bleed if you accidentally bump into this dresser (I’m looking at you, furniture with sharp square edges!). You can also use the top as a temporary space for folding clothes or placing decor.
2. StorageWorks Hand-Woven Wicker Baskets
Number 1 tip for decluttering? Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! Or in this case, don’t put all your komono, small items, in one basket. You see, you don’t need to have all 24 rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom at one time or all your self-care products dominating your sink real estate. These wicker baskets allow you to store just the right amount at a time.
Use the large size to store towels or toilet paper. Use the smaller sizes to store your self-care products, cream, lotion, makeup upright and organized. Store the rest of your toilet paper out of sight in drawers, a dresser, or your pantry.
1. NaturaClo Cotton Woven Storage Basket
This one is great for storing ANYTHING from clothes and kids’ toys to your ever-expanding collection of board games and fancy dumb bells. The leather handles prevent it from breaking apart when carrying and the rope baskets themselves are sturdy yet can still fold up to save space when they’re not in use.
The cotton rope basket makes it easier to organize your cubby shelves and also makes things easier to clean up. “Just toss it in the basket!”
In Conclusion, TLDR
I could go on forever about products that will organize your life. We haven’t even reached the kitchen yet! But these are starters to get you thinking about how you can organize your life to make it the best. Because organizing like Marie Kondo isn’t about organizing like Marie Kondo…
It’s about using Marie’s tips to create a life that brings you joy.
You don’t have to clean 24/7, just spend 5 minutes of your day putting things back where they belong. You’ll find a sense of peace when you put your precious items back into their homes. At least, that’s what Marie’s tips have taught me. I hope they bring peace to your home as well.
