ORGANISING queen Marie Kondo became a household name after writing the 2011 international bestseller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, in which she proposed the organising principle that you should only keep things that 'spark joy'.

This year, her first Netflix show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo really shot her to stardom and made her a much bigger celebrity in the U.S. than in her home country of Japan.

Winchester's Sue Spencer has been on the KonMari training programme and is one of a just 18 Certified KonMari consultants in the UK. She now runs her own professional organising business, A Life More Organised to help busy couples/families, home movers and people who have lost a loved one declutter and organise their homes. Sometimes it’s difficult for people to find the time to get started or they don’t know quite where to start, but Sue says having an impartial third party, fresh pair of eyes and extra set of hands can ensure you stay on track and get the job done.

Sue is passionate about helping her clients declutter and become more organised so they can spend their time focusing on the things that are most important to them rather than being stressed and overwhelmed by their clutter.

She said: "This is a world away from anything I've done before. I was working in the corporate world in market research and consumer insight – letting companies know about their consumers, on everything from fish fingers to Kleenex. I thought to myself 'my family are growing up'. My eldest, now 19, was in his final year of A-levels and I twigged he's going to leave home soon and my youngest was 16. I thought 'I don't want them to think of Mum as just coming home, cooking tea and going back on her laptop', and I wanted to see my youngest through her GCSEs. I read the Marie Kondo book and had an 'ah ha moment'. I really believe in the method and I thought 'I have this opportunity to do something amazing and really make a difference to people's lives.'"

Sue recommends you start with organising your clothes and then work out different categories around the house, such as books, papers, toiletries, ornaments, etc.

"We have one category called 'sentimental' but it can take four or five sessions before you realise objects are just objects and you have your memories inside you. I say if it's something you love then you absolutely keep it. It's not about minimalism. You keep it with purpose."

You should start by concentrating on one area, like the hallway:"When you have kids you collect so much stuff like coats, shoes and bags. Bring similar items together and see the volume and duplication of what you've got. It's taking the time to stop . People's lives are so busy and we don't pause and think 'in my life do I need these and is it relevant?'

"You need to think about how you want the space around to look and feel, and think what do you do in your every day life and what are your aspirations. Look at your pile of shoes or clothing; if you think I haven't used that for five years it's highly unlikely you will use it again.

Tidy by category. The positive thing is you keep things you want to keep. There might be something you put on and love – something that if you are in a difficult meeting you'd wear to make you feel better. You have to be pragmatic and go through the process. Look at ornaments and books on the shelf – are they something you would go to again? Or, if they are a representation of who you are then keep them but if you have books you will never read again get rid of them because they are cluttering your home.

"We come from a time of great consumerism and are taught to keep hold of things 'just in case'. People's homes are bursting and we are forever looking for things and can't find them, and some people are uncomfortable and embarrassed about their homes and won't invite people in.

'Spark Joy' is about curating a home that reflects who you are now. I say if you are happy in how your home is, that's fine but if you start to notice clutter be aware as there's a link between clutter and the stress hormone cortisol. But clutter is in the eye of the beholder; if you see it then decluttering is good for your well-being. "

Sue always works with her clients to try and reduce the amount of discarded items that end up in landfill: "My approach is reuse, regift or recycle."

Clothing is a good place to start; it’s estimated most people only wear 20 percent of their clothes, so set aside some time as doing it properly takes a few hours.

1) Before starting, think about how you’d like your wardrobe and bedroom to look. Browsing through magazines and Pinterest can inspire you and keep you motivated.

2) Put all of your clothes in one place. Separate different types of garment in to piles. People are often shocked to see how many similar items they own and find clothes they’d forgotten.

3) Choose a pile to sort through – T shirts or jumpers are an easy place to start. Select your favourite three tops you really love wearing – think about why you like them, do they make you feel good, is it the colour you like or something else?

4) Put them in your ‘keep’ pile and work through the rest of the tops, one at a time, holding it in your hands to decide whether it’s something you love – if it’s not obvious compare it against your three top items. If you don’t love it put it in your discard pile.

Top Tips

Don’t keep things ‘just in case’ . The chances are if you haven’t worn it for years you’re unlikely to again.

Don’t keep things ‘for best’ – if you love it put it in your wardrobe and start wearing it, you’ll feel great every time you put it on!

When you’ve sorted the clothes, look at your storage space and decide how you want to organise the clothes you love. Not everything needs to be hung. Jumpers, t-shirts and jeans can all be folded and put in chests of drawers or baskets on shelves to maximise storage.

These simple steps can be applied across all areas of your home to create a tidy, simplified and organised lifestyle.

Think about how frequently you wear each item and make the things you wear frequently most accessible.

Store similar types of clothing together to help you choose an outfit each morning as you’ll know exactly where to look for everything.

Working in categories hang similar items together. Use the same type of hangers for all your clothes to prevent them from creasing.Hang longer garments to the left and shorter garments on the right.

For more information, visit alifemoreorganised.co.uk