If you follow Marie Kondo’s advice in Spark Joy, you’ll see her goal is actually not to de-clutter your home or make it “last-minute tidy” for guests. It’s more about keeping only the things that bring you joy.

The key to success is to tidy up quickly and completely all in one go. This sounds overwhelming, but it makes a ton of sense.

Here are the main ideas behind the KonMari method.

The six rules

1. Commit yourself to it.

2. Imagine your ideal lifestyle.

3. Finish discarding first.

4. Tidy by category, not by location. (This one is HUGE!)

5. Follow the right order (clothes, books, papers, kimono or miscellaneous items, and sentimental items). This avoids the distraction of pausing to look at sentimental items such as old photos.

6. Ask yourself if an item sparks joy. Kondo says you should hold it in both hands, and pay close attention to what your body does when you do this.

Four principles of storage

1. Fold it (like origami).

2. Stand it upright.

3. Store in one spot.

4. Divide your storage into square compartments.