Kondo’s method of organising is known as the KonMari method, and consists of gathering together all of one’s belongings, one category at a time, and then keeping only those things that “spark joy” (Japanese language ときめく tokimeku, translated as equivalent to English “flutter, throb, palpitate”),[14] and choosing a place for everything from then on.[15][16] Kondo advises to start the process of tidying up by “quickly and completely” discarding whatever it is in the house that doesn’t spark joy. She advises to do this by category of items and not their location in the house. For example, all the clothes in the house should be piled up first, assessed for tokimeku, and discarded if not needed, followed by other categories such as books, papers, miscellany, and mementos.[17] Another crucial aspect of the KonMari method is to find a designated place for each item in the house and making sure it stays there.[17]
Kondo says that her method is partly inspired by the Shinto religion.[18] Cleaning and organising things properly can be a spiritual practice in Shintoism, which is concerned with the energy or divine spirit of things (kami) and the right way to live (kannagara):
“Treasuring what you have; treating the objects you own as not disposable, but valuable, no matter their actual monetary worth; and creating displays so you can value each individual object are all essentially Shinto ways of living.”[19]