Marie Kondo’s Life-Changing Habit Is About to Become a Lot More Accessible

As a 20something living in a tiny New York City apartment, I know that it would do me good to get serious about decluttering and get rid of at least half my stuff. And yet...I don't know where to start. (Or more accurately, I don't really want to start.)

"My goal is to have as many people as possible who can get the job done in tidying up."

Luckily, the life-changing power of Marie Kondo is about to become a lot more personalized—and hard to ignore—thanks to her new app. Currently available for free to iOS users, KonMari features the same signature tidying-up methods of her book but with updated, user-friendly specs: from due dates and photo sharing capabilities to accessible crowdsourcing of tips and tricks.

"My goal is to have as many people as possible who can get the job done in tidying up," she explained at the SXSW tech conference this past weekend, according to Reuters. "To achieve that, I’m implementing various measures, one of which is the app to support decluttering."

To get an idea of how it works, I downloaded the app onto my phone to try to inspire me to clean up my act. (What better way to spend a snow day, after all?)

After logging in with a username and a few quick questions on the size of my apartment—small, cozy, one roommate—I browsed through the different pages. Classically broken up into Kondo's signature five categories of joy-igniting belongings—clothing, books, papers, komono (aka miscellaneous items from makeup to medicine), and sentimental items—the app allows you to log and clock in everything you own.

The idea? Partly to hold yourself accountable, but also to help you see how much stuff you actually have. Sure, it's more tedious to snap photos and log in every item you have, rather than simply throwing it all into a giant pile. But by doing so, you can get cheered on by fellow Kondo-ers, receive badges after completing a task, and even get tips from the tidying-up master's network of consultants, who will eventually be able to answer one-on-one questions and give feedback.

While I'm still on day one—gotta start somewhere, okay?—it's certainly the most I've ever been able to spark joy via decluttering, and it might even help me spring clean before the season starts. (For the first time ever...)

It's never too late to kick off your organization journey—see four Gwyneth Paltrow-approved ways to tidy up your home. Or if you're feeling overwhelmed, start small: find out which 5 items to get rid of in your home ASAP.