If you don't know the name 'Marie Kondo' then you've clearly been living under a rock; or you're just waking from your New Year's Eve liquor coma because honey..... 2019 is all about Marie and how she is going to organize and cleanse our lives.
Netflix's 'Tidying Up' hosted by Marie Kondo is sweeping the nation. Marie is the mother of the KonMari method. What is that you ask? It is the method defining the act of taking all that you possess, materialistically, pulling it together and separating it into different categories. Then... you go one category at a time and begin a 'purge.' The idea is that you continue ownership of only the things that "spark joy!" Once you accept this merriment, you find a place for each item in your life. Whatever remains after i.e, all that is joyless, well that stuff is banished. Give it away, burn it, destroy it, who cares, just get it out of your sight.
Marie's methods have been met with some controversy and blowback for being a bit... extra, but for the most part we've all become obsessed. Mainly because in our heart of hearts we're all hoarders in some way and we are dying on the inside to find productive ideas to change that behavior. So let's learn a few things about Marie, because she is not going anywhere anytime soon. If Netflix is smart they've renewed her for a decade because she is basically on the path to be our Oprah for tidiness.
She didn't start all of a sudden....
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Marie is the author of several publications. Kondo has penned four books on organizing and has sold millions of copies in a myriad of languages. The book T"he Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" (2011) is her most successful to date and helped to land her on Time's 100 Most influential List for 2015.
She got a man too! And some kids...
Imagine having to live this method with the person who created it? She has a husband named Takumi Kawahara and two daughters. I'm sure they're a perfectly fun and happy family but you know nobody is sleeping in on the weekends because chores need to get done and bedsheets need cleaning. That's real joy right there! She has said at first he wasn't the tidiest of men but that has since changed with her inspiration.
Blessed be the Cleansed!
Her KonMari Method was inspired is some ways by the Japanese folk religion of "Shinto."
Apparently the followers of Shinto believe cleaning and organizing is a spiritually orgasmic experience that brings you nearer to the divine which is the most effective way to live your best life.
Obsessed Much?
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Back in her school days, Marie would efficiently spend her time by organizing bookshelves. Literally, this wasn't just what she did for fun, she saw it as a calling. She actually treated this as part of her education.
Being Saved!
One day while in the throes of shelf organizing she experienced what seemed like a breakdown and fainted, she probably got her blood boiling with organizational ecstasy. She was out cold for two hours and when she came to she says she heard a voice that showed her the true way.
She understood that she needed to do more than just organize and toss things out, she needed to embrace what could be kept and acknowledge the joy that was attached to all that is left behind. Hence sparking the method.
This Can be You Too!
Anyone of us can become certified to teach this method. Apparently we can give seminars and do home visits and be missionaries of Marie as long as we pass the class. To be a KonMari Consultant, one has to attend a seminar, audition by tidying with two clients, and of course there is a written exam. Oh and of course you must read her books and be a fan of the system. Simple enough. But not cheap. The path to being a KonMari consultant carries a price tag of $1,500.00
Bravo Audience!
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Thanks to Marie's intense process its being reported that Thrift stores are seeing an uptick in donations. That is a most definite plus as many American families are in need this winter. Goodwill has personally credited the show with their influx.
The Perfect Fit!
She stands a powerful 4 feet, 7 inches tall. Well that makes it easy to get to the hard to reach corners of any closet.
Spread the love....
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Newsweek reported that in an interview with 'The Japan Times' she discussed how her loved ones have been benefitting from her calling for quite some time.
"I used to clean my brother and sister's rooms, and I would go to friends' houses and clean their rooms, too."
Folding is Key....
Kondo has her own special and unique process of "vertical folding." Her technique is a surefire way to your keep on top of our closets by keeping their inhabitants in order. She almost makes clothing into an art form. She likens it to origami.
Pee You....
She adores the sense of smell. She adores it so much that it pains her when she is subjected to an abhorrent stench. In an interview she stated.... "If a room has some garbage, like stinky garbage, old food and stuff, yes it does bother me sometimes. But not because of the amount of clutter, it is just the smell."
Pants Off...
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She is a bit if a fashionista who likes to eep it old school. She has banished pants from he attire apparently. Kondo told the New Yorker that years ago pants, yes pants... stop bringing her joy.
Don't Look at Me...
She prefers to keep her personal life personal. She doesn't splatter her life across social media and hasn't given access of her own home. Though she has harmonized thousands of people's sanctuaries she refuses a peek at hers. Interesting... hiding something un-joylike Marie?
The Muses....
She actually appreciates clutter and uses it as a creative force. She told a Reddit fan... "because it is a good feeling for me to imagine how this person can declutter."
That's one way to get randy.
Delete, Delete, Delete....
She is not only coming for your closet. She has ways to clear up every aspect of our stress. When it comes to work and emails we all can fall severely behind. One Redditor asked her about what they should do and she had the answer, replying....
This is kind of a common question, even in Japan.
Well, I recommend to take the same method as you tidying up your house. For example, you should dedicate the whole day to tidying up your email inbox (or in one shot). In the same way, you move on to the next category of documents and files - for example, you just want to work on this specific folder today. But you want to get it ALL done. It is important to finish up this category in one shot.
I know your eyes get very tired! You can take a break while doing it.
The Power of 6!
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If you've not gotten onboard the Kondo train after hearing all this then review the following sic simple steps listed in 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' by Marie and if you feel it touches you, take a glance at 'Tidying Up' on Netflix...
- Commit yourself to tidying up.
- Imagine your ideal lifestyle.
- Finish discarding first.
- Tidy by category, not by location.
- Follow the right order.
- Ask yourself if it sparks joy.
Also, be sure to check out these Kondo-inspired tools for keeping a clean home.
But we should also be prepared and ready to ask the right questions to have a leg up on the competition.
"What is THE best question to ask on a job interview?"
A company's history or information about a past employee were suggested subjects appropriate for questioning.
Prior Knowledge
"When you were interviewing here, what would you have liked to know before you joined?"
"This worked for me. I asked my interviewer a question about how she had personally dealt with a company policy she had just explained. She bragged about her stellar adherence to the policy. I nodded my approval. I got the job."
A Previous Employee
"One that has always gone over well for me:"
"What were some qualities that the previous employee in this role brought to the job that you would like to see carried forward?"
"Another good thing to do is research the company you are interviewing with and you can ask things about what they may be involved in or you could drop that while reading about the company, you wondered this."
Hypothetical questions were suggested as helpful examples of inquiry.
Indicators Of How Companies Treat Employees
"A question that landed me a job once was: 'If I asked your direct reports about your management style, what do you think they'd tell me?' Stumped a hiring manager and he emailed me personally to tell me about it, no one ever asked him that question but got the job.
"In my current interviews I'm asking 'what did your company do for its employees during [the virus] to improve their day to day, work life balance, etc.' and I ask 'Is there anything your company adopted during [the virus] that they plan to keep post [the virus]?"
"These questions give a lot of insight into whether a company treated their employees well."
Past Performance & Adjustments
"If we were currently sitting in my 1 year review, what would I have done in this year for you to say I excelled in my role?"
"If I could snap my finger right now and change anything about your job or the company, what would it be and why?"
The following questions about a prospective company may not be answered from initial digging on their website.
Measure Of Success & Career Trajectories
"How is success measured in this role?"
"What are some possible career trajectories within the company that could stem from this position?"
Being A Solution
"Ask them what is the biggest problem you can solve for them in your first six months with the company. Similar to 'don't think of a purple hippo,' this forces them to imagine you succeeding in the position."
Simply The Best
"Who is your best employee and why is he/she the best?"
"You will then face 2 situations mostly:"
"panicking CEO who can't answer you 'Bob who works 17 hours a day for a slice of bread' so the fear in their faces must be a big nono for you"
"entusiast CEO who actually follow their business and can tell you who is an added value for the company and why."
– ThePiz91
My experiences with job interviews are different than others seeking work in office environments.
Having had a years-long career as a dancer, my "interview" was the dance audition, where hopefuls dance in small groups of people at a time after learning a routine and then awaiting their fate after the panel evaluates their performances.
The question I may or may not have asked in such a scenario earlier in my career was: "Did I make the cut?"
I did not make the cut. And I learned never to ask that again.
I remember the worst date I ever had. My biggest regret is that I stayed for the entire thing. I should've left as soon as I realized this was not going well, which was basically at hello. But he was paying so I drank, a lot. I'll keep names and dates to myself to protect the innocent.
0/10
Big Brother Reaction GIF by Big Brother After DarkGiphy"Went to brewery, date said I had hairy arms and that meant I was horny, said "you look really awful in this light" and then tried to dig out of that hole by saying in his native language that was a term of endearment long term couples said to each other. 0/10 did not date again."
Lucky 13?
"My wife wanted to plan our 13th wedding anniversary. I was excited because usually, I plan it. She bought us some new disc golf discs and after a quick supper, we went to play. We hadn't played in forever. We were laughing and I had a great time. She served me with divorce papers and told me that the date was a test to see if she still had feelings for me. I also learned that she was having an affair that started well before our anniversary."
- rmorlock
Two Hours from Home
"Not necessarily a date but a person I was dating invited me to his parent's house for the afternoon. He wanted to introduce me to them and show me the house he grew up in. I thought it was super sweet and had no problems going. He was also in the middle of moving and needed to pick up a few things, so it really didn't seem that unusual."
"Yeah, we got there and it was awful. His entire family was there. They traveled from hours away too. This was not just meeting the parents, it was meeting the ENTIRE family. Even worse? At some point, this idiot told his parents that he had proposed. We had been dating TWO months. I spent the entire afternoon dumbfounded and just playing along."
"We were two hours from home and I had no cell service, no way to leave at all. We ended up spending the afternoon brainstorming wedding ideas and planning an Alaskan honeymoon that his parents planned to gift us. His brother even called to say congratulations! We drove back to his apartment in silence. When we got there, I got in my car and left, didn't even bother grabbing my stuff. Weirdest experience ever. I have no idea how he broke it to his parents that we weren't getting married."
You're Cut Off!
"Got set up on a blind date once between mutual friends. She shows up to the restaurant already a little tipsy, orders multiple appetizers and only takes like one or two bites from each one. Then she proceeds to order 3 or 4 more drinks and is visibly drunk at this point. She gets up and says she's going to the bathroom and staggers off. About 15-20 minutes go by so I try to call her several times but no answer."
"Finally I decide to pay the check and just leave. About 2 hours later I'm sitting at home and I get a call from an unknown number. It's the police department. She was picked up on a DUI on her way home after she ditched me and gave the cops my number to see if I could go bail her out!"
- mox44ah
Sorry?
Bbc Three Idk GIF by BBCGiphy"Well, I gave this answer on a different topic, but it ties in with this. We were out on a date, we had been seeing each other for a while, close to a year maybe. She gets a phone call. Suddenly she looks destroyed. Her fiancé had just died in a motorcycle accident."
What in the world? I mean how can we ever expect to pair off with the dating pool being inundated with liars and nut jobs? I'm going to delete my apps.
Girl, Bye.
Sassy Beyonce GIFGiphy"Had a girl openly flirt with the bartender in front of me. She says she wasn't. But handing him her own phone and asking for his contact info in front of her date seems like it to me."
Crazy!
"Came out from a movie, late at night, and date's Camaro was stolen. Apparently, he called his WIFE (that I did not know he had) and let her know where he was and what happened. She showed up and realized he was on a date! She started chasing ME around the parking lot telling me she was going to kill me. Saved by the cops who showed up just in time to take the auto theft report."
Hey Mom
"Met a girl at a country bar one night in my 20s. We were both pretty drunk but hit it off pretty good. Ended up getting her number and we agreed we'd go on a real date. Fast forward to the date, she gets in my vehicle and... she looks almost identical to my mom. I was mortified. I was polite and we went for lunch where I found out she also had a boyfriend she "wasn't sure if she was into". Never talked to her again."
- SgtGo
Liars...
"When I was in college many years ago, before the advancement of cell phones and social media, I was chatting with a girl I met on a BBS who lived on Long Island, NY. I was 18 at the time, but lied and said I was 22 because she said she was 25. We spent a few weeks emailing each other, as well as calling each other."
"We even exchanged pics. When we finally met up, things blew up. Turns out we both lied about our ages: She was really 33, and lied because she thought she looked younger. She admitted she sent a college photo to me. We still had dinner together, but it was awkward as hell. We never spoke again."
Doubles
Kill Me Now Season 1 GIF by FriendsGiphy"It was a double date. She was more interested talking to the other girl throughout the whole thing. Found out later from the other guy that his girl cheated on him with my date."
Ummm... I think I'm just going to stay single. That is a handful of crazy. Why can't people just be honest? I swear the search for love warps people's brains. Be careful out there people.
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