Do you wish your home was more organized and could leave you feeling less anxious and more filled with joy?

If you are anything like most Americans, then you answered “Yes.” And if you’ve tuned into Netflix this year to see the widespread cultural phenomenon known as Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,then you know it’s possible!

Originally published in Japanese in 2014, the book of author and encourager of a more simplified life, Marie Kondo, was added to the New York Timesbestseller list and sold over 3 million copies as The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Clearly, the world was ready for The KonMari Method™ and to ask themselves the big question, “Does this spark joy?”

Here are five core tips from Marie Kondo that you can easily implement in your own home, regardless of its size, which can reduce the chaos and spark the joy you’ve been craving in your home andyour life!

#1 Take Inventory of Your Home

The things you surround yourself with will either add to the chaos of your life or add to the joy. Marie’s most helpful tip concerning them all is to pause and take inventory of your home. Secretly, she is also saying to take inventory of your life, but somehow, it’s a lot less daunting to think about the house instead, and start there. Look around your home from top to bottom and behind every door and drawer to see what truly takes up space and ask yourself “Does this spark joy?” and decide which items you answer “Yes” to.

#2 Donate or Toss

Nothing is off-limits when you’re sorting through what to keep and what to remove from your home. In fact, the first thing to remove is the guilt of getting rid of certain things. Gifts from loved ones you don’t use, books you never read, family keepsakes that collect dust—all of it can be on the chopping block!  First, decide what doesn’t spark joy. Second, decide whether the item’s new home should be the trash or donated for someone else to fall in love with.

#3 Start from Square One

As time-consuming and overwhelming as it might seem, give yourself a blank canvas and start from scratch when you are ready to put things in order. The items you discard essentially make room for the ones that bring youtruejoy; therefore, taking time to empty that pantry or clear out the closet will give you the fresh start you need to put your home together to serve you better. When you rush things, you actually miss out on the process of pouring yourself into your home and feeling thankful and proud of what you’ve accomplished.

#4 Create Easy Organization

There is so much on people’s plates nowadays—regardless of life stage—that often times, you can find yourself simply going through the motions. Think about the inventory of your home and the lifestyle you maintain to brainstorm ways you can organize things to suit both best. Marie often puts a focus on storing clothing and other items vertically in order to get the most out of your storage space and be able to see everything in plain sight. This allows you to have more options upfront and reduce “overwhelm.” Find baskets, containers, and Tupperware to serve as easy storage solutions to help things be more accessible and presentable at the same time.

#5 Practice Gratitude

Marie’s method of showing gratitude is not only put into action for the items in the home but for the home itself! When Marie enters a residence and begins the purging process, she thanks the home at the very start. Showing gratitude and acknowledging what you have to be thankful for can be a life-changer in your mind set. Saying goodbye to something, such as clutter or an ended relationship, and having a moment of thankfulness for what it brought you, can bring healing. Acknowledging the gratefulness for a career or a treasured friendship, can bring joy in itself and allow anxiety to lessen. Leading with gratitude and joy becomes so much easier to recognize in your home.