High schoolers and messy bedrooms:  Some would say it’s a stereotype, but all know it’s true. Almost all teenagers have a room that their parents say looks like a tornado blew in. 

Although some teenagers would say they don’t mind their chaotic living arrangements, it’s proven that having a dirty room can stress a person out. “My room is constantly in disarray,” claims Elkhart-East sophomore Lanie Wade. Whether she realizes it or not, organizing her room could bring even greater organization to her life–even if she does not appear to suffer from not doing so.

Having a messy room sends signals to the brain to clean it. But, when a teenager decides he or she would rather go out with friends or take a nap than to clean it, it can gradually lead to unexpected stress. Not only that, with students attending school online now, they dwell in their messy room all day long–which can make school work even harder to focus on.

Fortunately, a woman gaining popularity for her wizard-like organizing skills–Marie Kondo–could be the solution. Her KonMari Method of deep cleaning can be extreme, but very freeing. 

The Marie Kondo method is organized into 5 categories: clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous, and sentimental objects. The concept is pretty simple. For each category, pick up each object, and think, Does this spark joy? If not, Kondo says to thank the object and then either give it away or throw it out.

It may seem extreme, but using this method will lead to a physically less-cluttered environment and a more focused life for unorganized high schoolers.