• Effective tidying involves only two essential actions: discarding and deciding where to store things.

• To summarise, the secret of success is to tidy in one shot, as quickly and completely as possible, and to start by discarding.

• ‘Does this spark joy?’ If it does, keep it. If not, throw it out. This is not only the simplest but also the most accurate yardstick by which to judge.

• In addition to the physical value of things, there are three additional factors that add value to our belongings: function, information and emotional attachment. When the element of rarity is added, the difficulty in choosing what to get rid of multiplies. People have trouble discarding things that they could still use (functional value), that contain helpful information (informational value) and that have sentimental ties (emotional value). When these things are hard to obtain or replace (rarity), they become even harder to throw away.

• MARATHON TIDYING PRODUCES a heap of rubbish. At this stage, the one disaster that can wreak more havoc than an earthquake is the entrance of that recycling expert who goes by the alias of ‘mother’.

• At times like this, my sister came in very handy. The ‘gift for my sister’ method seemed the perfect way to get rid of such items. When I say ‘gift’, I don’t mean that I wrapped it up like a present – far from it. With the unwanted outfit in my hand, I would barge into my sister’s room where she lay on her bed reading contentedly. Extracting the book from her hand, I would say, ‘You want this T-shirt? I’ll give it to you if you like.’ Seeing the puzzled look on her face, I would deal the final blow. ‘It’s brand new and really cute. But if you don’t need it, I’ll have to throw it away. Are you okay with that?’

• Start with clothes then move on to books, papers, miscellaneous items (komono) and finally things with sentimental value. If you reduce what you own in this order, your work will proceed with surprising ease. By starting with the easy things first and leaving the hardest till last, you can gradually hone your decision-making skills, so that by the end, it seems simple.

• I occasionally meet people who dress like this all the time, whether waking or sleeping. If sweat pants are your everyday attire, you’ll end up looking like you belong in them, which is not very attractive. What you wear in the house does impact on your self-image.