The Differences Between The KonMari Method & Minimalism

I'm sure a lot of you are at least familiar with Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. And while I'll admit I haven't read this book at all, I am familiar with the book's core principles in the most general sense as I've heard/watched other people's reviews of it.

From what I've learned about KonMari method at least is that instead of working to declutter by each room or zone, she recommends going through your stuff by category. She also recommends that you fold all of your clothes instead of hanging it up, and there are certain ways that she thinks are best to fold each clothing item. One thing in particular that kind seems odd to me is verbally thanking each item as you give it away. I would figure that it's common for people like Marie to have that somewhat spiritual component come into play with their physical belongings, and perhaps there is some value to doing so as it makes you become more appreciative of what you already have. Gratitude is something that we as a society should probably practice more often anyways. 

The thing that separates the KonMari method from minimalism is that while its principles are similar in a lot of ways, this method emphasizes more on what to keep versus what to toss or give away. Decluttering this way brings into focus a more emotional/spiritual approach, but with minimalism, there's a different perspective as you're thinking more in terms of practicality. The questions that come to mind from a minimalist approach are how much value you're getting out of something, how long has it been since this item has been used and will you buy this again if you were to see it in the store. There's probably a lot more questions that follow, but either way, the more you adhere to these guidelines, the less you'll end up having. In some ways, the same could be achieved with the KonMari method if you practice the habit often enough in a way that actually works for you. 

Now that these differences have been distinguished, I do want to touch on something that may or may not be considered within these two lifestyles, and that's the human mindset. How we see the process working out in our heads may be different than how it actually works out in reality. If you're expecting to have a lot less in the end but you find that you're holding onto more, then you might want to consider where you're current mindset or emotional state is at; this can also be said for those who are expecting the opposite to happen. Decluttering can be a long, tedious project no matter which method you use, and it's completely understandable to feel overwhelmed when you're tackling it for the first time. However, you must remind yourself of why you're putting yourself through this in the first place. If you're living space is making you feel stressed because of the amount of stuff you have, then that's a good sign to start the process no matter how daunting it may seem. Chances are that you'll probably end up feeling better at the end; you can trust me on that.