Aki's Decluttering Guide - step by step towards a lighter and happier life:)

Alright, it's spring time! You're probably thinking, OK, let's clean the house. But don't you think cleaning can feel such a hassle? I totally get it. I used to be the ultimate lazy guy. This is what my room looked like before. Pretty crazy, hey? But because I wanted to change that messy lifestyle, I literally tried tons of Japanese decluttering methods. And eventually, I created my dream minimalist room, which made my life so much lighter and happier. I really wanted to share this amazing feeling with you, so I've packed all my decluttering knowledge and skills into this video. It's kind of Aki's method. I believe this method helps you with your final big declutter. Alright, let's get started. Mindset for decluttering, three simple secrets. If you're like, I don't need mindsets, I just want to clean. Then feel free to skip ahead. But seriously, mindset is key when it comes to big decluttering. First, decluttering equals a fresh start. Declutter is written as katazuke in Japanese, which can also mean to put an end something. It represents closing a chapter of your past and kicking off a fresh new life. Second, decluttering equals sculpting yourself. If I drew a picture of people surrounded many things, it would be like this. You're covered and buried in tons of stuff, unable to see who you truly are. Decluttering is simply removing everything you don't need, slowly revealing your authentic self. It's kind of polishing a rough diamond. Third, decluttering equals experiment. If you try to make decluttering perfect, you'll end up stuck. I used to be like that, but I shifted my mindset to decluttering as an experiment, which helps me a lot. If you made a mistake like, oops, I actually needed that. It's totally okay. Just learn from it. If you throw something away, it's not like you're gonna die. Every little mistake helps you better understand what's truly important to you. So relax, take it easy, and let it go. Aki's method for ultimate big declutter. When people talk about decluttering goals, they say things like, live with only stuff you love, let go of attachments, or make cleaning a habit. Those are cool, right? But here's my goal. To know what exactly you own and where everything belongs. This goal comes from the tea ceremony, which I love. Let me explain. In a tea room, there's always a specific theme. And the host carefully selects each item to perfectly match that theme. This means that the house knows exactly what they own. And during the tea ceremony, every item has its own decided spot. Because you know exactly what you own and where everything is, you can make matcha with simple, efficient movements. Nothing wasted. When I first learned this, I was shocked. Wow, this is it! If I could live my life like this, everything would be so much beautifully simple and easy. Because I know exactly what I have and where everything is, I don't keep collecting stuff I don't need. I can grab anything easily without stress. And I can actually appreciate and enjoy what I own. Isn't it amazing? So how do we actually create that kind of space at home? No worries, I'll walk you through it. Three points for Aki's decluttering method. There are three simple steps to get there. First, declutter by category. People often ask me, should I tidy by location or by category? If you're doing a major declutter, I totally recommend going by category. Why? Because it shows how much stuff you've actually got. Okay, if you tidy by location, you might think, wait, I thought I already tidied up pans. But here's another one. I found another rack of pans. At some point, you are like, hmm, what pans do I even have? How many? What kind of pans do I have? So do it thoroughly, category by category. That's the most important part. Second, keep only what truly lights you up. Sure, you can decide what to keep based on whether it's useful. But I don't really like that. Because my space end up feeling kind of soulless. You know what I mean? It's super simple, but I'd much rather be surrounded by things that make me feel good. In that case, I'm kind of like Konmari. So when you're deciding what to keep, this is the only rule you need. Does it light you up? It's like choosing your favorite Pokemon. I choose you. So what you do is pick it up, look at it. If it lights you up, I choose you. Keep it. And doesn't it light you up? Let it go. Super simple, right? If you do this, you'll end up being surrounded by only stuff that makes you genuinely happy. Your room literally become your personal power spot, like a Pokemon center. Third, deciding where things go. Now that you've decided what to keep, you're finally at the point where you know exactly what you own. And from here, the next step is to decide where each item goes. In the tea ceremony, this would be like deciding where to place the tea utensils. If you skip this part or rush through it, your space can end up messy again. But if you take time to do this properly, your daily life will feel so much simpler. So let's follow through till the end. What order should you declutter in? Here's the best sequence I recommend. First, clothes. Second, books. Third, papers. Four, komono, small items. Five, sentimental items. You can do everything all at once or you can split it over several days. Personally, when I do a big decluttering, I spread it over three days. Day 1, clothes and books. Day 2, papers and komono. Day 3, sentimental items. This way, you don't feel exhausted and you'll gradually get comfortable with letting things go. Let's take before photos. This is a small tip, but before you dive into cleaning, I really recommend this. Take a photo so that you can see your space objectively. Okay, the point is, when you're in the same room every day, you get yourself. And you can see exactly how messy your room is right now. But when you take a photo and see it, you might feel different. Wait, was the room always this messy? And also, a nice thing is, once you're done cleaning, you can compare the before and after, which gives you an amazing sense of accomplishment. So, take before photo first, okay? Decluttering clothes. First, gather every single piece of clothing you own in your house and pile them. Yeah, go ahead, I'll wait. Okay, ready? And you can sort your clothes following this order, or you can just pick up randomly, like I usually do. Now, we're gonna choose what stays and what goes. Do you remember the main rule? Keep only what truly lights you up. If you think, but Aki, it feels a bit tricky. In that case, ask yourself this simple yet powerful question. Would I want to wear this on a date? Think about it. If you'd wear it on a date, it probably lifts your mood and makes you feel great. Don't you think so? You definitely wouldn't pick up something old, dirty, or lame. So, if your answer is, I'm not sure, then that's a sign that clothes don't light you up. Move those items to your let-go pile. And here's the thing, even if it's something you use daily for whatever, if it doesn't make you feel great, put it in a let-go pile for now. Once you've done everything, you can take a second look from a practical point of view. If you find something you definitely need for work or specific occasions, move those into your keep zone. Point is, when you do that, try finding at least one nice thing, so it'll lift your mood a bit. I might use this someday, the 95% rule. You might already know this, but if you're thinking, I might use this someday, there's a 95% chance you'll never use it again. For example, this suit. I kept it during my last big cleaning, thinking I might wear it someday, but I never did. And yeah, and if you find yourself stuck thinking, hmm, I might use this someday, ask yourself this question, did I wear this at all in the past year? If your answer is no, trust me, you won't wear it in the future either. Alright, how did it go? I bet you managed to let go a lot already, right? But if you wanna go even simpler, here's two extra tips. First, pick up the color scheme. For example, I personally decided all my t-shirts are white. For bottoms, I stick to blue, navy, or black. And by that way, my underwear is always right. It boosts my energy. Having a set color scheme makes it easier to let go of stuff in other colors. Plus, it reduces stress when picking out outfit. Second, set a specific number of items. For example, I decided to keep just five t-shirts, and lately, just one pair of long pants, at least for now. Having a set number makes letting go so much easier. Alright, you did great! That's it for clothing. Are you ready for the next step? Let's go! Decluttering books. Alright, next up, books. I only have this many, but you probably have way more, right? It's the same with books. Ask yourself, does this truly light me up? In this way, you'll quickly know which books you definitely want to keep. For example, for me, it's these books. I don't remember what was written, but these definitely lift my spirits. Important tip is try not to open the books. Because if you start reading, your entire day might disappear. Really. I know you wanna read, but if you feel like reading it, I'm sure you're probably unsure about it. And that's where we usually get stuck. And here's how I deal with it. First, books you haven't read yet. When you find one, ask yourself, if I didn't have this, would I buy it again? If it's yes, keep it. Because it's something you wanna read now. If it's maybe, then let it go. Because you don't read it now. Books you've only read halfway through. Answer is simple. If you're still actively reading it, keep it. But if no, time to let it go. From my experience, books you've stopped reading halfway, usually, aren't really your thing. Because if it's your thing, you might finish reading it, right? So, just let it go, and you'll feel lighter. Third, books you've finished, but don't remember. I bet you have a lot of these. Because you might be afraid of losing valuable information. So you hold on to them. I know, I used to be exactly like that. But now, I handle it like this. And this time, I was able to let go of this many books. And what I do is, take notes and summarize. Yes, once you take notes, you'll easily let go of those books. Trust me. And here's exactly how I take notes. Feel free to take it out. Okay, when I read, I underline parts that grab my attention. Yeah, to be honest, I used to hate marking books. Because I wanted to sell them later. But one day, I realized that's not the goal. The goal is to make my life better, right? So now, I underline stuff and even doodle little ideas. It made reading way more fun, like chatting with the author. Then I voice record those highlights and ideas directly into ChatGPT. Finally, I let ChatGPT summarize it all. Whoa. Summarizing used to feel like such a chore. But now, it's super easy. A total game changer. Then I also quickly write three key insights that resonated with me, my personal thoughts on it, and how I use this knowledge in my life. Using this method, I've already read maybe about 20 books this year. So yeah, give it a try. Decluttering paper. Decluttering papers is pretty easy. Because you basically don't need most of them. Having said that, let me give you a few tips for help you out. Sort papers into three simple categories. It's keep, toss, digitize. Keep. Only the essentials, like passport, bank documents, or important certificates. Toss. Stuff like old receipts, warranties, or instruction manuals. I throw out all warranties, and honestly, I've never once regretted it. Instruction manuals? Same thing. Because YouTube videos explain stuff way better anyway. Digitize. Papers like business cards or anything you're unsure about. For example, I digitize all my business cards. And if I'm ever stuck deciding, I just digitize it. Remember, papers can pile up quickly and make a big mess. So keep only what's absolutely necessary and let go of the rest. Komono. Small items. Next up, komono, which basically means all those items. I recommend sorting kimono by category. Because otherwise, it's gonna be very messy. And it's easier if you start with the easy-to-let-go stuff. Like obvious trash. So this is something like expired food, medicine, CDs, or hobby supplies you haven't touched in forever. And damaged or dirty stuff. If it doesn't truly light you up or you don't have a plan to fix it, it's okay to let it go. Oh, plus this one too. Duplicate items. Keep only the best one. Your absolute favorite. Also, before I start, I want you to know two important notes. First, set aside sentimental items for later. You'll probably find sentimental items. Old toys, letters, and gifts from ex-ish. Put these aside for later. Because if you start dealing with this stuff, you'll get stuck and lose momentum. So keep moving and deal with memories at the end. Second, return borrow items quickly. Do you have anything you borrowed from your friends? These things are tricky because you can't just throw them away on your own, right? So I really recommend quickly checking with your friend. Return it if they want it back or toss it if they don't need it. Decluttering sentimental items. All right, we're in the toughest category of all. Sentimental items. All right, letting go of sentimental stuff sets you free from the past and helps you live a lighter and happier life. You can do it and let's do this. So before going to my tips, let me introduce four simple steps from my minimalist mentor. First, box it out. Put sentimental items that you find it hard to get rid of. Keep it for one year. Second, remember and thanks. If you open the box and find something you completely forgot about it, that's your cue to say thanks and let it go. Because it means you don't really need it. Third, snap a photo. If you're still feeling hesitant, just take a quick photo. Once you have a photo, it becomes way easier to say goodbye. Fourth, get excited for what's next. Say to yourself, letting go creates space for amazing new things to enter my life. I love this approach because it's really hard to let go of sentimental items right away. But giving yourself a one-year rule makes it so much easier. So give it a try if you want and here's my additional tips. First, items for family and ancestors. I totally get it. Family's items filled with so much memories and emotions. Yeah, when I let go of my grandpa's kimono, it was really hard. But I thought memories aren't in the object. They're in your heart. So even if you let go of the item, your memory stays with you. Also, I thought my grandpa would want me to move forward, not stay stuck in the past. So I let go of it with gratitude and I felt so much lighter. Second, past achievements. I know it can feel like you're throwing away your identity. But your values don't disappear even if you let them go. I used to keep a bunch of medals. But now I just keep this small one that I really love. I just told myself this one medal holds all the prize from my past. And with that, I could let the others go. Third, letters. With this, the answer is simple. Keep the letters that uplift and inspire you now. Not the ones that keep you stuck in the past. I understand wanting to hold onto letters from someone you once loved. But listen, if those letters keep pulling you back, you should let them go. Because daydreaming about the past takes away time from your present. So I know it's hard, but it's time to go. Let's focus on building a future where you'll be proud of your past self. Fourth, gifts. This is also a tricky one. It kind of feels wrong to throw a gift, doesn't it? But I think the real value of a gift is the feeling of gratitude when you receive it. And you've already received that, so it's okay to let it go. If it's still hard to let go, here's what I do. Wrap it gently in white paper. In Japan, this shows deep respect and appreciation. It's the way of saying thank you before letting go. This time, I did this for a gift I got while working as a matcha bartender in Canada. Yeah, after using it for seven years, I could finally say goodbye. Thank you. Great job decluttering! But now you're probably surrounded by the things that truly spark joy and lift you up. But wait, there's one more important step to completing. Yes, it's time to store everything properly. Aki's method of storing. All right, there are tons of storage hacks, but here are the only three I always care about. First, give everything a home. It's easy, giving every item you own a permanent home. Yeah, decided place. If everything has a designated spot, your room won't get messy. So to me, every night before bed, I just put everything back where it belongs. And guess what? My room stays clean at all time, and waking up to a tidy space feels amazing. Second, make it easy to grab and easy to return. Humans avoid anything that feels even a little bit inconvenient, right? So that's why where you keep stuff is really matters. If you want to clean often, keep your tools easy to grab. So when I feel like tidying up, I can start right away. If they were in another room, yeah, I'd probably never clean. So keep things easy to reach. That's the rule. Third, always leave extra space. This is a big one. Your closet or storage space should only be about 20 to 80% full. Why? Because you can give new items a home right away. You know, new things will always come into your life. And one of the biggest reasons why rooms get messy is there's no room for them. You put them everywhere and it gets messy. But if you have space for them, you can avoid future clutter. So let's leave 20 to 30% empty. If you follow these three tips, your space will feel as calm, beautiful, and simple as a tea room. And your life will feel way less stressful and way more joyful. All right, you did it great! I hope this video helps you even a little. And as a thank you, big thank you for sticking around until the end, I've got a surprise just for you. Starting this week, I'm beginning a brand new journey toward a freer, simpler, and happier life right from here. So stay tuned for what's coming next. I hope to see you in the next video. Bye-bye!