How Marie Kondo’s Netflix Show Will Change Your Approach to Organization
Image via people.com
By: Grace McGowan
Netflix’s new show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo has introduced the KonMari method of tidying to a brand-new audience. Marie Kondo, an organizing consultant, received international acclaim after the 2011 publication of her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, in which she detailed her professional technique of decluttering.
Kondo’s method is unique because it centers around identifying and keeping only the items that bring value into one’s life, rather than focusing on getting rid of belongings just for the sake of creating space or being minimalistic. On Kondo’s Netflix show, she works one-on-one with clients to tidy their homes and to help them understand the concept of sparking joy. This phrase – “sparking joy” – embodies Kondo’s philosophy that tidying should be a positive experience rather than a stressful one.
Tidying Up with Marie Kondo highlights the positive effects of tidying, such as the calm that accompanies an organized, valued space. Everyone can understand the anxiety that can come from feeling disorganized, especially college students. Busy schedules, extracurriculars, and a stream of assignments often mean that clothes pile up on the floor with clutter that only grows with time. Kondo acknowledges that organizing such a space can feel like a chore, if the goal is only to get rid of as many items as possible. Through the KonMari method, Kondo seeks to replace that feeling with one of gratitude and reflection.
Kondo breaks tidying up into four categories – clothes, books, papers, and komono (or miscellaneous). For each category, she instructs her clients to review each of their items one by one to decide if it sparks joy. If it does, keep it. If not, thank it and then find a way to donate or otherwise pass that item along. Sparking joy removes the pressure to get rid of a certain quantity of items. If you like a certain piece of clothing, for example, Kondo would say to keep it, no questions asked. The goal, again, is not to be minimalistic, but to create a living space that only contains cherished, appreciated belongings.
The concepts of items being able to spark joy and of thanking one’s belongings might seem strange, but by watching Kondo and her clients on the show, it becomes apparent how bringing joy and gratitude into the process of organization creates an atmosphere of positivity. In the end, the homes felt both organized and at ease, and Kondo’s clients expressed a newfound appreciation for both the possessions they decided to keep and those that they did not.
If you’re looking to become more organized, if you want to learn more about Marie Kondo and the KonMari method, or if you simply want to watch the transformation of homes from messes into organizational bliss, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is the show for you. Kondo herself embodies optimism and peacefulness, and watching her help people tidy their homes will inspire you to find the things that spark joy in your life.
