We’re no strangers to the intricacies of Marie Kondo’s world-renowned KonMari method of decluttering; and it’s safe to say it’s inspired a whole lot of discussion and even some tangible “but does it actually spark joy?” action here at Amodrn.
While you’re likely applying the method to your wardrobe, your pantry, your filing cabinet and your desk area—we’re willing to bet you’ve yet to organisationally blitz your social media feed. Yup, KonMari-ing your Instagram is totally a thing; here’s how to do it.
1. Spark joy or unfollow
Unsurprisingly, the principle of only keeping things that spark joy translates perfectly into the people you choose to follow on Instagram.
Here, you need to be super honest with yourself. Do the #fitspo girls you follow make you feel good? Does their content uplift you, spark positivity and joy? Does the girl you went to school with 15 years ago ignite happiness within you with continual pictures of her meals? If it’s a no, it’s time to delete. Be ruthless and intentional with who you follow from now on—Marie Kondo would be proud!
2. If you can’t unfollow, mute
The above might be easier said than done if your mother-in-law is a super active ‘grammer and will notice your unfollow. So instead of being brutal and unfollowing the people that you need to stay on good terms with, you can just mute their posts instead. A particularly great one for family members whose posts make you struggle on the joy front—get acquainted with that ‘mute’ button and put into practice!
3. Beyond the feed
While your feed is obviously the main point of Instagram, it’s worth addressing the peripheral functions while you’re at it, and decluttering the hell outta them, too.
Check your DM’s and delete ones that you no longer need (groups that no longer get used, event-specific message threads that ended three years ago, random one-off conversations that you don’t need to keep track of). While you’re at it, check what hashtags you’re following and make sure they still align with your interests and goals—if they don’t, unfollow. Simple.
4. Turn off notifications
With all of the research that has been carried into how social media is ruining our relationships, our sleep, our productivity, our mental health and well—just generally not sparking joy; it’s time to get serious about how much time you spend on your phone and how it impacts your day-to-day life.
Spending less time scrolling might be all you need to feel more fulfilled in your life. Turning off notifications is a great way of making sure you don’t instinctively reach for your phone every time someone tags you in a meme, or an aspiring blogger likes every single one of your photos in the hope you’ll check out their content and follow them. Easy!
