Bored Panda spoke to three certified tidying experts who follow in the footsteps of the renowned organizing guru Marie Kondo. The mantra for putting things in order like a pro sounds simple—things should spark joy and if they don’t, you’re better off without them. Helen Youn, a platinum level KonMari consultant, explains “the first step to start is to think about why you want to tidy and the life that will bring you the most joy. Often when people decide it’s time to change, they just want to have an organized and clutter-free space, but you need to also think about how that will actually impact your life, but you need to also think about how that will actually impact your life—would you read more as a result? Entertain more? Start working out? Think about all the things you enjoy doing that bring you joy. By choosing to keep only the things that bring you joy, you will create a home that supports your ideal life.”

Reality doesn’t always meet expectations, especially when it comes to cleaning on a tight budget. Lifestyle consultant Amanda Scanlan from Home Nurturing assures readers that “tidying doesn’t need to be an expensive undertaking. Use what you already have to organise your belongings. Shoe boxes or any media boxes from laptops, tablets or phones that you may have lying around are ideal for keeping like items together. For the kitchen, large glass jars or bottles can be reused and work really well for storing food, just remove the labels to reduce the visual clutter. Old or odd Tupperware containers that no longer 'spark joy' are also useful for keeping like items together.”

And now, we’re asking for a friend: it seems like everyone around me is having domestic makeovers except me. Why is that? Amanda Scanlan confirms it’s not all in your head: “I definitely think that more and more people are willing to make changes when it comes to tidiness. We have a greater understanding of health and wellbeing and the simple life choices we can make to improve it and reduce stress. Such as eating well, exercising more, spending time with loved ones, doing activities that we enjoy and find meaningful, and cultivating more positive feelings like joy and gratitude, etc. Moreover, we are getting better at understanding environmental issues and the impact that our daily choices can have towards this.”

In fact, “having a tidy home can unlock more time, energy, mental clarity and more, and I believe it is a really effective tool to reset your life and start living life how we want to in a way that is in alignment with our own values.” Trust us, your general practitioner would approve.