This workshop in Lower Parel will help you declutter your home and office space

Clutter can be found at our homes, workplaces and even in our lives, sometimes overtly glaring us in the face, the other times, lurking around the corner till it becomes insurmountable. MUJI India, in collaboration with tidying coaches from Joy Factory Gayatri Gandhi and Neetika Pahwa, is hosting a workshop to help you in your quest to tidy your space, physically and mentally.

It has been proven time and again, even scientifically, that clutter at our home or workplace does not affect our mental being or induces anxiety alone but also has a direct correlation with our productivity. "We tend to pin the blame on others - bosses, co-workers, et al. Ultimately the environment that we create for ourselves in terms of the items that we've placed on our tables, the number of emails that are lying around unread in your mailbox - everything surmounts to the clutter that impedes you from giving your 100% at work," says Gandhi, founder, Joy Factory. Gandhi, a consultant in training, was coached by internationally acclaimed Japanese organising consultant and author, Marie Kondo and her team at a seminar in New York last year. Gandhi and Pahwa are both determined to familiarise the Indian audience with Konmari, an international phenomenon that has also warranted an 8-episode reality show on Netflix featuring Marie Kondo.

"The Konmari method talks about retaining only those items in your life that spark joy. Keeping only those things at your home or workplace that bring you happiness, to put it simply. More than a clearing method, it is a way of life," says Pahwa, co-founder, Joy Factory.

One of the key aspects of the Konmari method is to organise things category-wise. One often makes the mistake of de-cluttering one's home location wise - bedroom, living room, kitchen, and so on. The Konmari method is more about going through categories, starting from clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items and then moving to sentimental items. The order of the categories also helps you hone your decision-making ability and helps you immensely as you reach the apex, the most difficult items to discard. It is much like clearing a level to unlock the next one.

"Having clutter at home is nothing but a piece of dead energy, serving no purpose. It occupies the space that could possibly be occupied by something that makes you happy. Especially the clutter that you can see, take for instance, clothes pilled up on a chair, will do nothing but constantly send you a busy signal," says Gandhi. Discarding them by giving it away to the ones who need them more than you is one way to thank and honour the items that might have once sparked joy in you, she adds.

The Konmari method professes vertical storage over horizontal storage of items. Under this, each piece of clothing needs to be folded in a rectangular shape and in a way that it can be stood up upright on its own. It's a folding technique that not only makes every clothing item visible but also helps you save space and take them out with ease. This can be applied while packing for a vacation as well.

"It helps you save time, space and money as you don't end up buying more redundant items and everything has a home at the end of your decluttering session," says Pahwa. "It ultimately boils down to retaining and storing things that add to your happiness," she adds with a smile. MUJI India organizes worshops for its customers that aligns with its idea of minimalism and adds value to the customers' experience.

De-Cultter Guide
Home:
Use baskets or boxes that can be stacked on top of each other.
Make use of shoeboxes to store things in a compact manner.
Use cedar wood hangers to keep your clothes safe from pests.
To deal with important papers, divide them into three categories - Needs Attention (Bills), Save Contractual (House lease or similar papers that need renewing) and Save Others (The ones you seldom need - Birth certificate, Degrees, etc)

Kitchen:
Use glass items that can be stacked one on top of the other and always label them.
When re-using glass bottles, say a jam or Chyawanprash bottle, remember to take off the stickers to make the bottles easy on the eye.
Use rectangular containers over circular or cylindrical one to store things in the fridge to save space.

AT: MUJI, Palladium, 3rd Floor, High Street Phoenix, Lower Parel
ON: February 17, 4 pm - 5 pm
COST: Free
CALL: 24981911

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