Yuri Saito

I had plans for my maternity leave, but ultimately I ended up doing “nothing”. First by necessity and then intentionally, I lived by the rhythm of my little one. The fact that a newborn has no concept of time (they live in the present) or obligations (they expresse their needs without embarrassment) made me integrate many concepts which, I admit, were until now mainly in my mind.

I am convinced that there is a direct relationship between the quantity of objects we own and what we believe we need. I’m not a minimalist, but I’ve gotten rid of a lot of things thanks to the KonMari method. This process taught me that I didn’t really need that much, that it’s so liberating to declutter and lighten up. Since then, this approach has transformed how I travel too.

Most people outside of Japan know ikigai in the form of a Venn diagram that is filled in to define your life purpose. The four overlapping circles represent what you love / what the world needs / what you are good at / what you are paid to do. But this is a misinterpretation of the concept as we know it in Japan.

There are often meanings associated with the objects we give, but at its core, a gift is a message. It is used to convey an emotion — love, gratitude, esteem, etc. — from one person to another. Once the gift is received, the message is transmitted and it becomes an object like any other. So, if it inspires you with tokimeki, keep it and make a place for it in your home. Otherwise, let go it with gratitude for the mission it accomplished.

I’ve observed that this spiritual aspect is often dissimulated in Western media. Sometimes, you even get the impression that the KonMari method is just interior decoration — clean, white, minimalist…

While I understand this communication strategy — spirituality can make this foreign approach even more foreign — I find it unfortunate because it is the key element that makes this approach so different from others. The aim of Japanese-style tidying is to live in harmony with your belongings and home, transforming tidying from a practical act into one of kindness and love. Done with intention, this « chore » rises to an art form.

The is no shame in not knowing how to tidy. We are rarely taught how!

Say you want to master the piano. Firstly, no matter how much someone might push you, you can’t magically play a concerto if you never learned how. Once you decide to learn, you can read books, watch instructional videos, and follow inspirational pianists on social media to build your knowledge. But true proficiency only comes from hands-on experience.

The good news is that there are certified teachers who can guide you on your tidying journey.

To create a living space that both looks and feels good, it is important to understand the 5 key differences between cleaning and tidying:

1. The purpose: removing dirt v. allocating a place for each object
2. What you address: dirt v. clutter
3. The impact: external & short-term v. internal & long-term
4. Who can do it: anyone v. only you
5. How often you do it: frequently v. once

I intentionally speak of « tidying » rather than « organising », and refer to myself as a « tidying consultant » instead of « home organiser » or « professional organiser ». This is because my work embraces the sometimes arduous but ultimately rewarding, life-changing journey of 片づけ.

While some of the nuances may be lost in translation, the act of 片づけ goes beyond 整理 (organising), where the focus is on storage solutions.