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Organize Komono

How to organize komono – all the miscellaneous items in your life!

Why are my drawers and cabinets chaotic?

  • No designated forever home for categories
  • Not putting things away

Marie Kondo’s Tidy Order

  • 1. CDs/ DVDs
  • 2. Stationery supplies: tools, paper-like (post-its), letter writing (envelope)
  • 3. Electronic Items (phones, camera)
  • 4. Electronic Cords
  • 5. Electric items: USB, ink cartridges for printers, batteries
  • 6. Skin care items
  • 7. Makeup
  • 8. Hair goods
  • 9. Relaxing goods: candles, essential oils,
  • 10. Hygiene care
  • 11. Medicine
  • 12. Valuables: passbook, wallets, certificates
  • 13. Sewing kit materials and cloth: thread, scissors, needles, tweezers, etc.
  • 14. Tools
  • 15. Hobby
  • 16. Collections
  • 17. “Just Because” buttons, key chains, change, phone cases
  • 18. Linen & Towels
  • 19. Stuffed Toys
  • 20. Recreation: fishing, balls, equipment
  • 21. Seasonal
  • 22. Special occasion: ceremonial, charms, ritual objects
  • 23. Rain gear
  • 24. Paper + Shopping Bags
  • 25. Consumables: tissue, toilet paper, etc.

If there are many items in a category, create a new subcategory

How to Joy Check

  • Step 1: Pile one subcategory at a time
  • Step 2: Pick an item that sparks joy
    • Does it spark joy for you today?
    • Does it weigh you down or compete with your other priorities?
    • Does it contribute to your ideal lifestyle moving forward?
    • Is it something worth keeping if you move?
  • Step 3: Place items in Keep, Donate, or Trash
  • Step 4: Store items by category temporarily (final storage will be at the end)

Facts about komono

  • Be mindful of the items you kept “just because.” See how much of this category takes up precious space.
  • Presents show someone thought of you. The gift should not be kept out of a sense of obligation, guilt, or should be stored away. Thank it for the joy it gave you when you received it and say goodbye if it is not joyful.
  • Travel toiletries have a short shelf life of a few weeks to six months at most
  • Throw away mystery cords. They’ll always be an unsolved mystery.
  • How often do you have overnight guests? If you have guests once or twice a year, be mindful of how many linens you need and keep only ones that spark joy.
  • Free, new, unused items such as calendars, etc, can be donated
  • Add spare change in your wallet so you can use it

What Komono do you need help to organize?

Contact Nicole

Clients Receive up to 25% off organizer products at The Container Store!

“Keep things because you love them – not ‘just because'”

– The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo

owner of tidy time organizing san francisco

Why hire a Professional Organizer?

Tidy Lifestyle is a Professional Organizer Service committed to help you live your best life and feel inspired everyday through a sustainable organizing system that makes life easier.

Common Situations

Physical

  • clutter on surfaces, things left out
  • hidden clutter: inside drawers, closets, cabinets
  • frequently searching for things, misplacing/losing things
  • too many items, duplicates
  • similar items are stored in many places with no designated home

Emotional

  • Overwhelmed
  • Stressed
  • Distracted
  • Guilty
  • Frustrated

Spiritual

  • “I want to tidy but don’t know where to begin.”
  • “I’ve tried to minimize but still have too much stuff.”
  • “I have trouble letting go.”
  • “I may use this one day.”

Tidy Lifestyle can help you –

Physical

  • organize more efficiently
  • support with where and what to donate and recycle
  • custom shopping lists with recommended items to buy
  • display things beautifully and practically around the home
  • create a organizing system that you can maintain and that makes life easier

Emotional:

  • keep items based on joy, that add value, and are useful
  • let go of gifts, unused, forgotten items, etc.
  • to build confidence in your decisions of what to keep and discard
  • to rediscover yourself, reevaluate the possessions you own, and to work towards the lifestyle you want and deserve

Long-term

  • hold yourself accountable by putting items back where they belong
  • easily find items when you need them
  • know everything you have, where it is stored, and when you need to buy more
  • to be surrounded by items you truly love, that spark joy, and that make life easier

Why Tidy Lifestyle?

  • Nicole genuinely cares.
  • Nicole is passionate about organizing.
  • Nicole loves learning about others and helping clients reach their goals.
  • Nicole wants you to live your BEST life! You deserve it!
How the Process Works
owner of tidy time organizing san francisco

Meet Nicole Sachiko – Organizing means so much more to me than tidying physical spaces. It is a vehicle to help clients learn about themselves, how to maintain organization, and to live their ideal tidy lifestyle.

During my childhood I grew up in a hoarder home. It was typical to walk through “alley ways” of piles upon piles of stuff, a tradition to clear clutter off the table before meals, and a struggle to find items when needed. I can empathize personally with what it feels like to be physically cluttered and mentally stressed. How items naturally accumulate over time and hold us back instead of enhancing our daily lives. In college I studied Psychology, Child Development, and Health Education to ease my insatiable curiosity to help and understand people. After organizing my parents hoarder home I realized how the magic of tidying up can change lives physically and mentally. I went on to get certified with Marie Kondo as a KonMari® Organizing Consultant.

It is my joy in life to help guide you to rediscover what truly sparks joy for you – not only with your possessions but with your life.

More About Nicole

In-Person & Virtual Clients
Receive up to 15% off!

BA in Psychology & Child Development
Minor in Health Education

Find my Consultant profile ”Nicole Sachiko” on Marie Kondo’s Website

organize papers

Organize Papers

How to organize papers effectively

Why are papers everywhere?

  • Even in our digital age, we accumulate receipts, tags, warranties, mail
  • Papers saved over the years for events like tax season
  • Coursework we intended to refer back to from seminars/classes

The guide to success

  • Create a pending box for “to-do” items
  • Have a file folder or file box with dividers
  • Separate sensitive documents for shredding
  • Save shredding for last, shred everything at the same time

How to set up to organize papers –

  • Gather a manageable amount of papers in a pile or box. Pile an amount that is reasonable to sort through in your set timeframe.
  • Ready your supplies
    • filing cabinet/folder accessible
    • labeler or labels to write down each category
    • Recycling bin/bag
    • Shredding bin/bag
    • Pending box (to-do items)
    • phone or camera nearby
  • Create labels for subcategories. A few examples are:
    • Tax
    • Medical
    • Auto
    • Work
    • Manuals/Warranties
  • Have extra blank labels on hand for new categories you discover as you go.

How to Joy Check papers?

  • Step 1: Pile all papers on large surface
  • Step 2: Pick up papers or a binder one by one.
  • Step 3: Joy Check
    • What papers make life easier?
    • What documents are essential to keep for the future?
    • When did you last refer to these papers? (Seminars/Coursework)
    • Have you ever used this for reference?
    • Will you reference this? If so, when?
  • Step 4: As you sort, subcategorize keep papers in separate piles or a filing cabinet
  • Step 5: Separate and pile empty folders, binders, and notebooks. At the VERY END you will be able to see all of these together. This is the opportunity to joy check and pick the ones you want to keep and use!
  • Step 6: If you want to digitize your documents, I recommend to take photos at the end of each paper session rather than at the very end of ALL papers. This helps to break up the monotony of paper sorting while helping you to digitize your documents as you go.
  • Step 7: Recycle discards & shred sensitive documents
  • Step 8: Designate a home for your papers to live. Perhaps in the office or a cabinet.

Storage

  • Have a “pending box” for all incoming mail
  • Attend to your pending box regularly to avoid build-up
  • Store all papers in one spot ex. office

Need help to organize papers?

Contact Nicole
writing organizing resources on notebook

Simple Organizing Tips & Tricks

Ready to tidy? Check out these simple organizing tips & tricks!

Focus on Joy:

Learn how to Joy Check!

Closet Tips

  • Remove clothes from plastic! Mold and moths can be trapped inside plastic covering your clothes. I recommend reusable & washable cloth garment bags.
  • Create a beautiful closet with matching hangers: it’s a simple yet effective visual appeal when you open your closet daily

Simple Kitchen Organizing

  • Try to store everything out of sight, inside cabinets and drawers
  • Install a wall basket on the inside cabinet under the sink to store soap & sponges
  • Store less frequently used appliances in low, easy to reach cabinets
  • Toss less joyful items like disposable silverware and chopsticks
  • Store food in air tight containers to preserve quality and for a lovely visual
  • Store loose dry items in bins
    • Snack bin: popcorn, chips, nuts, crackers
    • Canned: soup, beans, chicken broth
    • Sauces: ketchup, soy sauce, hot sauce
    • Health foods: protein powder, supplements
    • Back stock: backup cereal, energy bars, coffee
  • Keep joyful tools and organizers: high level of function, easy to wash/clean, and aesthetically pleasing

Atmosphere

  • Dedicate a “to-do” area.
    • Place a “pending” box for all incoming mail you want to open
    • Hang a calendar for all chores, appointments, reminders
    • Designate a work area for projects you’re working on
  • Create a drop-zone: this is usually near the front door where you can leave a pair shoes, jacket, mask, and wallet. It’s important to only leave one or time items of each category to avoid visual clutter.
  • Areas for daily rituals need to be easy to access: drop-zone, coffee & tea station, pet zone, workout zone, and more!

Storage Tricks

  • BINS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND! Kitchen, Bathroom, Closet, Garage – no matter what space you are trying to organize try to CONTAIN all Like-items together!
  • Labels, labels, labels! Label’s help everyone in the home know where items belong and where to put them back.
  • Utilize all storage areas efficiently
    • Store large items first, place smaller items around
    • Install shelves on empty wall spaces
  • Store items of the same category together and label the shelf and/or box

What simple organizing tips & tricks do you want?

For more tips see Marie Kondo’s Website

Tell Nicole

Organize your space around your daily habits.

Organize Books

How to organize books successfully

The guide to success:

Always keep your ideal lifestyle in mind! As you prepare to organize books we need to refrain from reading. When we read books it distracts us from focusing on our emotions.

  • Rule 1: Take every book off the shelf
  • Rule 2: Do not open and read the books
  • Rule 3: Book trilogies can be held at the same time

Marie Kondo’s Tidy Order

  • General (books for pleasure)
  • Practical (instructional, cookbooks, etc.)
  • Visual (coffee table, photography etc.)
  • Magazines

How to Joy Check

  • Step 1: Pile all books in the entire home
  • Step 2: Pick a book that Sparks Joy – use this as an inspirational marker
  • Step 3: Pick up a book one at a time. Focus on the feeling it gives you. Think of its purpose. Ask yourself a few of the joy checking questions to make a decision.
  • Step 4: Place book in keep or donate pile
  • Step 5: Store books to keep on shelves temporarily

Joy Checking Questions

  • Do you want this information to stay by you and support you as your life changes?
  • Is the potential future use of the book equal to the value of the space it will take up?
  • Do you want this book in your ideal lifestyle environment?
  • What emotions and feelings will you enhance by having this book in your life?

Why is it hard to discard books?

  • “I might read it again.”
    • Ask yourself honestly, have you read your favorite books more than once?
  • Books are meant to be read. If you’ve read it, then the knowledge is inside of you.
  • We always have the best intentions. Have the courage to ask yourself honestly if you will read it or accept that this book has served its purpose in teaching you what you don’t like to read.
  • If you can’t commit to reading it today, most likely someday will not happen.
    • Let it go.
  • If you let go of a book and are still thinking about it, you learned that you’re passionate enough to buy another copy and read it.

What books Spark Joy for you?

Contact Nicole

“What I really wanted to keep was not the book but certain information or specific words contained.”

– The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo

The Best Marie Kondo Quotes

A compilation of all the best Marie Kondo quotes to inspire you!

“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.”

“When we ask ourselves, Does this spark joy? We reconnect with our inner self and discover what’s really important to us. The result is a lasting change in behavior that sets life on a positive track.”

“Always keep in mind that the true purpose is to find and keep the things you truly love, to display these proudly in your home, and to live a joyful life.”

“If it makes you happy then the right choice is to keep it confidently.”

“No matter how much stuff you may own, the amount is always finite. The more you do it, the closer you get to a house full of joy. Therefore, nothing could be more wasteful than to give up in the middle.”

“By handling each sentimental item and deciding what to discard, you process your past. If just stow these things away in a drawer or cardboard box, before you realize it, your past will become a weight that holds you back and keeps you from living in the here and now. To put things in order means to put your past in order.”

“The key is to make the change so sudden that you experience a complete change of heart.”

“What was the reason? What do you hope to gain through tidying? Visualize your ideal lifestyle that you dream of.”

“To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose.”

“Through the process of election only things that spark joy, you can identify precisely what you love and what you need.”

The best Marie Kondo Quotes continued…

“When we honestly confront the things we own, they evoke many emotions within us. Those feelings are real. It is these emotions that give us the energy to go on living. Believe what your heart tell you when you ask does this spark joy?”

“I want to help others who feel the way I once did, who lack self confidence and find it hard to open their hearts to others, to see how much support they receive from the space they live in and the things that surround them.”

“When we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future
Ask yourself – am I having trouble getting rid of this because of an attachment to the past or because of a fear for the future?”

“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life. Attachment and fears govern the way you select things you own but also represent the criteria by which you make choices in every aspect of your life, including relationships with people and your job.”

“There are three approaches we take toward our possessions: face them now, face them sometime, or avoid them until the day we die. If we acknowledge our attachment to the past and our fears for the future by honestly looking at our possessions, we will be able to see what is really important to us.”

“I can think of no greater happiness in life than to be surrounded by the things I love. How about you?”

“Often, it is only after tidying up that people realize what kind of environment sparks joy for them.”

“Tidying can help you get in touch with what you really want, show you what you need to change, and help you find joy in your environment.”

Resources

Find Marie’s books: https://shop.konmari.com/collections/books

Learn more about Marie Kondo: https://konmari.com/

What’s your favorite quote?

Tell Nicole
Citations

Kondo, Marie. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Ten Speed Press, 2014.

Kondo, Marie, and Barbara Lampe. Spark Joy. Lev., 2017.

Organize Clothing

How to organize clothing efficiently

Why is my Closet Clutttered?

  • The closet is too full
  • Most individuals don’t know how to organize clothes

Marie Kondo’s Tidy Order

  1. Tops (shirts, sweaters, etc.)
  2. Bottoms (pants, skirts, etc.)
  3. Clothes to be hung (jackets, coats, suits, etc.)
  4. Socks
  5. Underwear
  6. Clothing for special events (swimwear, uniforms, seasonal, etc.)
  7. Bags (handbags, clutches, totes, etc.)
  8. Accessories (scarves, belts, hats, etc.)
  9. Shoes

Organize Clothing Process

  • Step 1: Pile all clothes in a subcategory
  • Step 2: Double & triple check all clothes in the subcategory are in the pile
  • Step 3: Joy Check
  • Step 4: Fold and test if it stands up right
  • Step 5: Organize by color
  • Step 6: Place vertically in temporary storage

Clothes Tips

  • Remove all tags
  • Take clothes out of package
  • Fold most clothes, hang less
  • See how to fold here
  • Donate clothes at the end

Storage

Once we Joy Check all clothes we will find a forever home for each category.

Hanging Clothes

Every person has a preference for how to display clothes

  • Organize by category: suits, dresses, coats, dress shirts, etc.
  • Organize from dark (left) to light (right)
  • Organize by length: longest (left) to shortest (right)
  • Organize by rainbow

Folded Clothes

Lightest items at the top and heaviest items at the bottom.

  • Top drawers: undergarments, socks, & accessories
  • Middle drawers: shirts, pants
  • Lower drawers: sweaters, jackets, seasonal
  • Organize from dark to light or by color

Bags

  • Store bags inside bags
  • Handles should be visible to identify bags inside
  • Cloth bags can be folded and stored vertically
  • Store bags near clothes, perhaps on the top shelf

Shoes

Store shoes with the lightest items on top and heaviest items on bottom.

  • Top shelf: sandals, flip flops
  • Second shelf: heels
  • Third shelf: running shoes, walking shoes
  • Bottom shelf: boots, rain shoes

Find more inspiration from Marie Kondo

Organizing Book Recommendations

Leave a comment

Check out these book recommendations to help you start organizing!

Marie Kondo Book Recommendations

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up: This is such a great book to inspire you! After reading this I just knew I had to hire Marie to help my parents with their hoarder home. Soon after I signed up for her Organizing Consultant Program to start organizing on my own! This is where my professional organizing journey began. In this book she describes the deep impact of how organizing can enhance our lives. After all, don’t we all want to live our best lives?!

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up: Such an amazing detailed guide on how to organize in each category. Marie includes pictures of how to fold items with TONS of tips and tricks. Take your organizing game to the NEXT LEVEL with this book!

Joy at Work: Organizing Your Professional Life: What I love most about this book is how she explains how to organize your digital life. I swear before I read this I had soooo many old photos, documents spread all over my desktop, and absolutely no order to all my files. She also goes into detail about how to maintain a tidy workspace.

Organizing Book Recommendations

The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals: Clea and Joanna transform spaces to be practical and aesthetically beautiful. They tidy for clients instead of with clients. They love purchasing organizing containers to display everything beautifully and in rainbow color.

The Personal Organizing Workbook: Solutions for a Simpler, Easier Life: This in amazing guide that really helps clients organize and learn how to maintain organized spaces. I really enjoyed this one!

Real Life Organizing: (Clutterbug Book)

Martha Stewart’s Organizing: The Manual for Bringing Order to Your Life, Home & Routines

Need more suggestions?

Connect with Me

How to Fold Clothes & More

The basics of how to fold clothes & more

Folding Guidelines:

  1. Check out the storage space for each category of clothing
  2. Fold clothes into a rectangle or square of the same sizes
  3. Adjust folds so everything can stand up right, side by side horizontally
  4. Display & Store by category
  5. Display & Store by color from light to dark or in rainbow order
  6. Place most frequently used clothes at arms reach
  7. Less used clothes can go higher, lower or towards the back
  8. Switch out clothing every season if you limited closet space

How to Videos

Need more help? Don’t hesitate to contact me!

Connect with Me

Follow my YouTube Channel for more tips on organization!

How to Maintain AFTER Tidying!

Free Tips & Tricks about how to maintain a Tidy Lifestyle after Tidying!

Kitchen

Spices & Herbs

  • Always return seasonings back to their designated home
  • Preserve flavor and quality by storing all spices and herbs away from light and heat
  • Replace after six months
  • When you run out of a spice: discard container and write down the item on your shopping list

Pantry

  • Always place items where you found them
  • Keep a writing pad handy in the kitchen so you can write down foods to replace
  • Sort through the pantry every 2-3 months to do inventory, make adjustments, and discard expired foods
  • Place labels on shelves so every member of the household can put things back where they belong

Refrigerator & Freezer

  • Always return food back to its category
    • sauces on the door
    • cheese in the drawer
    • milk on the tallest shelf
    • proteins on the lowest shelf (typically coldest area of the fridge)
  • Try to sort through the fridge & freezer every 1-2 months, before going grocery shopping
    • Check what you have and need to buy
    • Toss spoiled and expired foods
    • Reorganize so you can see everything

Living Room

Photos

  • Go through old photos every year. If you haven’t gone through photos in years, be honest with yourself and ask if they are worth keeping? Perhaps, switch photos in frames out with those in albums or boxes.

Books

  • Joy Check books every year. When did you read each book? If you haven’t most of the books in the past year or more consider other options – Kindle, Ebooks, or go to the library. (Yes, I still go to the library! It’s a wonderful way to read new releases without having to wait or store more books at home.)

Children’s toys

  • Ensure bins are categorized and accessible to encourage the little kiddos to tidy up
  • Categories can be broken down by:
    • Balls
    • Legos/Duplos
    • Trains, Trucks, Small Toys
    • Play food, Cookware
    • Stuffed Animals
    • Arts/Crafts

Dining Room

  • Sort through the dining room sideboard once a year and donate items that haven’t been used in the past 12 months
  • Refrain from using the dining table as a resting place for paper and projects
  • Place fresh flowers in a vase or another centerpiece. This visual appeal reminds family members that this is a space to gather.
  • Dust and clean the table weekly – this can help from clutter building
  • Place frequently used items in the sideboard nearby
    • Coasters, trivets, and napkins in easy to access drawers

Home Bar

  • After a party, put glasses and liquors back where they belong
  • Inventory the liquid cabinet before holiday and event shopping. Add items to your shopping list.

Home Office

Mail

  • Recycle junk mail at the mailbox
  • Have a designated place to temporary hold mail if you can’t get to it immediately
  • Sort through mail daily and as soon as you can
  • Shred sensitive mail
  • Place bills and other important documents in a pending box
  • Replace old magazines with new ones, especially if you have a subscription

Papers

  • As you receive important documents be sure to file them away in their appropriate category within a file cabinet or file folder
  • Place must-do items in a pending box, typically located on top of the desk or in a drawer
  • It’s natural for papers to be left out: don’t stress! You’re human! File papers once a week or on a regular schedule so nothing builds up.
  • When you receive notices such as wedding invitations: add it to the calendar immediately and then toss the paper.
  • Clean out files every year.
    • Tax records have to be saved for 3 years in California
    • Dispose of any unused manuals
    • Shred old bills, receipts, checks, etc.

Digital

  • Every 4 months: Go through file folders and add documents left on the desktop or other places that are not categorized
    • Ensure all documents are in useful categories
      • Projects
      • Personal
      • Travel
      • Medical
      • Financial
      • Tax
      • Important
    • Trash old and irrelevant documents
  • Every 4 months: Sort photos and delete duplicates, screenshots, junk
    • Take this opportunity to increase phone storage, sync photos to the cloud and/or computer
    • Create a photo screensaver slideshow on the computer! Change the background photo on your phone! This is a great way to enjoy your photos and relive your memories each day!

Bedroom

Clothes

  • Always put clothes back where it belongs in a closet, dresser, or drawer
  • Sort through clothing storage spaces periodically, perhaps every 6 months
    • When seasons change, replace and store clothes with the appropriate season
    • Discard or donate unworn clothes.
    • *Every item we keep and discard teaches us a lesson*
  • Designate a lazy drawer: Have a safe space to hold the pajamas currently being used or other clothes you intend to wear again. This is also a great place to hold clothes when feeling too tired to fold.
  • Designate a laundry bag for dry cleaning
  • Utilize drawer organizers and dividers if your clothes feel cluttered and disorganized regularly
  • As soon as you empty the dryer, find a peaceful place to fold clothes and take some time for yourself. This can become a relaxing ritual. Don’t forget to involve family members or to place clothes in labeled baskets within their personal spaces for them to get to.
    • Don’t have time to fold? Set clothing basket aside, near your closet as a “pending” activity.

Nightstand

  • Make it a habit to return all books inside the nightstand
  • Always put medicine in the drawers of the nightstand
  • Have in-bed hobbies? Place contents in a bin stored under the bed
  • Keep a small dish on the nightstand for hairbands, rings, or earrings

Bathroom

  • Reorganize your bathroom every 6-12 months
    • It’s normal for clutter to build up on bathroom counters. Make it a point to clean counters regularly to avoid scum and dust build up. Take this opportunity to tidy up!

Medicine

  • Check the dates of your medication every 6 months
    • Over the counter medication typically expires every 6-12 months
  • Store medicine in a cabinet or designated bin with a lid, out of reach from kids

Garage & Utility Room

  • Label all bins and shelves to ensure you always put items back. This also helps encourage family members to put things back.
  • Clean and fix equipment, tools, and recreational items every season before storing

Do you need an improved maintenance strategy?

Connect with Me

For more detailed guidance I recommend reading The Home Organizing Workbook.