From applying to colleges to juggling an after-school job to unexpected emotions, teenage life is not easy! Add to that a messy bedroom or disorganized schedule, and life can feel overwhelming.
One of the best ways to combat those feelings of disorder and overwhelm? Tidying up. Using the KonMari Method™ to organize your room and life will pay off big time by giving you the time, space and clarity you need to reach your goals. We spoke to Eshani, one of our certified KonMari consultants, for her favorite tips for keeping tidy as a teen. She should know — she first discovered the KonMari Method at age 15 and became a professional KonMari consultant for her sweet 16!
01. Reframe What “Tidying” Means to You
If you tend to think of tidying as an annoying chore, it’s time for a reset! Tidying is not cleaning. And, when you do it right, it’s joy-sparking.
“It’s stressful being a teen! Tidying up the physical things and mental things, it makes your life a lot easier,” says Eshani. “It gives you the clarity to take intentional steps towards your goals, whether that be your dream college or another ideal future,” says Eshani. “Decluttering your surroundings 𝘢𝘯𝘥 your mind makes space for what sparks the most joy.”
02. Imagine Your Dream Life
The KonMari Method encourages you to “imagine your ideal lifestyle,” then set up your room to support that. Put simply: Your room should make you feel like the best version of you. What does your dream life look like right now and in the next few years? Do you have a dream college? Do you want to travel the world?
Now, look around you — is what you see in line with those dreams? As you start to tidy up and discard items that don’t spark joy, ask yourself what you want to see each morning when you wake up to keep you on track for those goals. Let that be your guide.
03. Start with Just One Joy-Sparking Item
If the idea of discarding makes you nervous, Eshani says that it can help to pick a compass of sorts. “Everyone has that one thing that really really makes them happy — something that immediately sparks joy when they touch it,” she says, “Maybe it’s a t-shirt you love, maybe it’s something else. Whatever it is, you can use it as a metric of comparison as you discard, so you can always refer back to it. It will keep you on track as you discard other items, allowing you to check how you feel against your chosen joy-sparking item.”
04. Tidy Just Once
The KonMari Method asks you to commit to tidying, fully, just once. (Yep!) After that, keeping things tidy and organized feels streamlined.
“Once you do your initial tidying festival, it becomes a whole lot easier to keep up with it and to make that a part of your habit and lifestyle,” says Eshani. “The earlier you start, the more you see the impact and the more you see the benefits, too. The first time is probably going to be hard — just like anything new — but once you see how much of an impact it has, you’ll want to keep doing it and maintaining that.”
05. Use “Does This Spark Joy?” in Your Whole Life
Asking yourself what sparks joy can also help you find your ideal way of life, or what Marie calls kurashi. “As a teenager, you’re making a lot of decisions — how to spend your time, what you want to do after high school, choosing between colleges — and ‘spark joy’ is a tool that you can use to take the right steps toward your ideal future lifestyle,” says Eshani. “Once you’ve used it for a tidying festival, it will feel natural to use it as a guiding tool for all other decisions!”
Today, Eshani is in college at Vanderbilt University while also running a business with a fellow certified KonMari consultant: her mom! Together, they find new ways to spark joy every day. You can find them at sparkjoynashville.com.
KonMari Consultants are available for virtual and in-home sessions around the world – find one today! If you’re interested in becoming a Consultant, we offer in-depth trainings throughout the year. Learn more.
