How To Use The KonMari Checklist With A Bullet Journal

Key Takeaway

1. Many of us find it difficult to declutter because we don’t know where to start or what to get rid of.
2. If this is your case, the KonMari checklist would be a great thing to include in your bullet journal.
3. Sometimes going by room can feel like a never-ending process because by the time you get to the bedroom your living room is dirty again. Going by category can prevent this from happening.
4. You can incorporate the KonMari organization method into a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly goal spread in your bullet journal.
5. This process will help make any tiny apartment feel huge!

If you want an organized home and mind with a clear path to achieving your goals, look no further than pairing a KonMari checklist with your favorite bullet journal spread style. With a few simple steps and a little practice, in this article, you will find an easy-to-follow guide on how to use a KonMari checklist with a bullet journal!

What is a KonMari Method

If you need help decluttering and tidying up your space, the KonMari Method might be the way to go. Created by Marie Kondo, it’s a unique system that guides you into organizing and simplifying your environment with the goal of bringing harmony and joy into your life. Rather than tackling each room, the KonMari Method goes by category.

This approach basically allows you to focus on groups of items at once such as all clothing or all books which can make it easier to let go of basically all the things that are no longer serving you or bringing you joy.

Applying the KonMari checklist to my space has been an incredibly helpful tool in decluttering. The straightforward principles give a sense of control by integrating mindfulness during the entire decluttering process, rather than simply mindlessly cleaning schedule throwing away items. By following the six rules, you can both declutter and create a space that is filled only with things that bring joy.

It encourages us to question why we might be clinging on to objects and memories through emotional attachment to material things, as well as other tips for helping us let go of whatever isn’t bringing any value anymore. Using this checklist has helped me view my belongings in a different light, resulting in clearing my house out of anything that I don’t need or want anymore!

Getting Started On A Bullet Journal KonMari Checklist

6 Rules You Need To Follow

1) First you must be ready to tidy up and commit to the objective.

• You need to be ready to put in the time and effort it takes to get these things done.
• You should approach tidying up with a clear mind and a good attitude.

2) Imagine the life you want or your ideal lifestyle.

• Take some time to think about what kind of space you want to spend your time in.
• Describe that lifestyle to yourself to get a better understanding of it.
• You might even want to write this down in your bullet journal.

3) Start by discarding items, before you get rid of them, thank each of the items for serving a purpose in your life.

• This can provide a learning experience from passed items.
• Letting go of things you don’t use lets you know that you don’t have a purpose for something like it in the future.
• Discarding things will also help you figure out how much needs to be organized.

4) Tidy by category, this will help especially if you get overwhelmed by cleaning a whole entire location at once.

• You might store something in more than one place.
• When tidying up by space you repeat the same work multiple times.
• This can end up in a never-ending cycle of cleaning.
• Tidy by categories like papers or clothing will also help you get a grasp of what you have and where it should ultimately go.

5) Follow the right order of the method.

• Start with the easy things like clothing and then end with some of the harder items to get rid of like sentimental items.
• You’ll get better as you go with deciding what you should keep.

6) Ask yourself if the item sparks joy.

• Pick up each item and ask yourself if that item sparks joy for you.
• This will ensure that you have a home full of useful items instead of things that are just causing clutter by sitting around and not being used.

Using A KonMari Checklist In Your Bullet Journal

Using a KonMari checklist in your bullet journaling is a great strategy for tidying up your home. To get yourself started, it’s important to first take stock of what needs sorting and make some categories for organizing the items. For instance, having specific pages for clothing, books and papers can be a helpful way to make cleaning tasks and organization more straightforward.

Within each category, you can then list the items that need organizing in easier categories, from bills in the papers section to old sweaters in the clothing group. This is so that everything is tracked and accounted for. With this visual system in place, you can work through each category until every item has its own specific place instead of making a mess of your home!

Formatting Your KonMari Checklist Spread In Your Bullet Journal

Going through a checklist can be very therapeutic, especially because you can visualize the progress when it comes to the spring cleaning and tracker getting organized. (If you want to learn more about habit trackers check out this article) A bullet journal is a great medium to record this in because you can also do it in phases. It can be a part of your weekly bujo routine. Maybe pick a week every month to get caught up with your spring cleaning and organizing everything.

Your Bullet Journal Spread

To achieve this, I suggest building a spread including a little check box next to each item. You can make the spread as artistic or as basic as you want. Once you get the hang of it, you can also add in how much time you think it should take to organize a bigger task for a certain category. This will help with planning your spring cleaning schedule and also help you if you get the feeling of being overwhelmed by tasks. Certainty can be a great feeling to reduce anxiety.

A fun way to gamify it, is depending on how many items are in your checklist, once you can check it off, instead of using a check, use a letter. You can work towards completing a word in an inspirational phrase. If there are 4 items in your list, then make it so you spell out “DONE”, or 8 items gets you “FINISHED”. For added fun bujo a “Spring” theme, for Spring cleaning time. (You can check out my favorite bujo supplies HERE) It may make the spring cleaning process more fun, so the idea of getting organized to spring clean doesn’t feel like a drag and is more of a celebration.

The Goal

The goal of these small tasks in your spread or cleaning tracker is to help you keep track of exactly what to do and also give you a sense of satisfaction when looking back at checked-off categories or completed inspirational phrases. Depending on your preferred cleaning schedule, you could even work this simple list into a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly goal or cleaning tracker too. (Find out more about goal trackers HERE) By diving into these small, planned-out tasks, it doesn’t feel like an overwhelming amount of work and allows you see progress within seconds!

Creating A Weekly Spread Checklist

Page 1

One of the best ways to stay organized and get things done is by creating a weekly checklist in your bullet journal. By utilizing the KonMari method, you can enable yourself to tackle the entire decluttering process in small doses, and with enough practice, this will help reduce any potential stress. The first bullet journal page should contain a category checklist for the week, with three categories to five categories, including things like clothing, books, papers etc.

By breaking down each part of the whole declutter process over several weeks you’ll be able to spread out the decluttering as well as allow yourself ample time to go through items at a leisurely pace. This can make the whole process of decluttering much easier and more pleasant in the long run. You can come back to this page each week to remind yourself of what category hasn’t been finished.

Page 2 And Beyond

There should be a page for each category. One of the key things is that your checklist doesn’t get cluttered it’s self! For example, if the category was clothing, I’ll create a checklist containing each type of clothing item from this same category from dresses to hats to pants. By week’s end, as I’ve gone through each item and checked them off one by one, I can then start on the next page for the following week with its own set of items! This helps me stay organized by breaking down daunting tasks into smaller chunks that I complete little by little over a limited period of time.

If you are of the mind, that you like to sit down and plan out your whole checklist first, that is perfectly fine too. Again, that is why it is great for the KonMari checklist method to be a part of your bullet journal. Or pick a category, and make it a part of your tracker for the month.

The key thing is that you are putting thought into it, listing items, maybe along the way realizing why they should go or stay, then executing your plan as you check items off. By planning it all out with your bullet journal, the process doesn’t feel unorganized and there for overwhelming. You will enjoy the process of decluttering as you see the results in your living place spark joy and bujo as you check items off.

Difficulties You May Face With The KonMari Method

Easy Stuff First

The KonMari method is an excellent way to declutter your life, organize, and relieve yourself of burdensome belongings, but it can be hard to get rid of items that have sentimental value. To make the process of decluttering much easier on yourself, start with items that won’t be as much of an emotional strain to part with, such as clothing.

When you give yourself small victories in your house cleaning tasks that way, it will be easier for you to work your way up to the more difficult areas like sentimental objects. Not only does this give you the practice and confidence necessary for other more challenging spring cleaning tasks, but lets you make progress on much bigger tasks one step at a time so it doesn’t feel like a huge task or too overwhelming.

Difficult Stuff Next

Keeping tangible reminders of people in your life can be a tricky situation if you’re following the KonMari Method of decluttering your house. Since she advises decluttering by concentrating on items that bring joy, it might be difficult to part with certain sentimental objects. One way around this is if you identify one object around your house for each person, which acts as both a reminder and a tribute to their memories.

This allows you to designate space to hang on to a select few things, rather than letting them overwhelm your home or workspace. Finding a purpose for each item is also key. Display photos, craft pieces out of fabrics or ceramics, and make framed collages. The options are limitless! At the same time, each item will have an extra layer of special meaning since it’s associated with someone close to you.

In your bullet journal, write a small passage about the person or event if you are having a hard time parting with an item. List how this item makes you feel. Some items will show how important they are to you and maybe it isn’t time to let go of it, while others may show it is time to let them go. If you have multiple items which give you the same sentimental value, or sentimental possessions, then this will also make it easier to decide which one to keep.

Other Applications For The KonMari Checklist Method

This method has mainly been used to organize your home but it doesn’t need to stop there. You can also use this method and adapt it to so many different places and avenues. If for example, you find that your car is cluttered with things you don’t need, this method can also help there. I like to use it in my office too. It helps me decide what items are most important and make sure that I only keep things that bring me joy and provide me with a sense of purpose.

In addition, using the KonMari Checklist when packing for a trip is an amazing tool. It helps narrow down all the miscellaneous items and stuff you want to bring and only allows items that will be used or give joy while also finding a way to make it all fit into your suitcase! (Learn more about using a bujo while traveling HERE) Overall, the strategies of the KonMari Checklist have provided helpful insights as to how life can be tidied up and organized in different places.

Conclusions

It’s no surprise that we all struggle with organizing from time to time. Whether it be laying out a bullet journal or tidying up a messy closet, it can become an overwhelming task to take on alone. The KonMari method is an amazing way to help regain control of your space and set yourself up for success in the future.

I found that incorporating the checklist within my bujo allowed me to stay organized with minimal effort. Not only was I able to literally get things done faster but ultimately I gained more joy when surrounded by only essential items. If you’re struggling with keeping up with clutter in your life, give the KonMari method a try and see if it works for you! You might even like it so much that you make a separate KonMari bullet journal. After you’ve taken this bullet journal journey, share your experience and tips with the community here in our comments section so we can all benefit from each other’s wisdom!

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