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....
GiphyMarie 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?
GiphyBack 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!
GiphyThanks 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....
GiphyNewsweek 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...
GiphyShe 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!
GiphyIf 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 Marieand 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.
“'Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience'.” What's your best real life example of this?"
They Literally Won't be "Shut Down"
"When I tell people to just reboot your computer and it will fix all their problems and yet they won't because they said if you wait long enough it will shut down, when in reality it only goes to sleep."
"Then when I tell them they have to completely shut it down they look at me like I'm an idiot and say they did."
"I tell them it seems like it but it only went to sleep."
"They argue back."- niallaa
Some People Just Don't Get It...
"I used to argue a lot with my sister when we were kids."
"She would do this thing where she would say something, and then I would reference back to it literally a minute or two later to prove a point and she would say 'I never said that' or 'that’s not what I said'."
"Absolutely impossible to argue with someone who will just deny having said things that could hurt their argument."
"Also, trying to change the course of an argument if they feel like they are 'losing'."
"A coworker once called me an idiot for doing something 'incorrectly' when I was actually doing it the right way."
"When I politely explained to them that the way they suggested doing the task didn’t actually work, they started asking 'why are you getting so angry?? I was just trying to help' etc."
"So now we’re arguing about whether I’m angry or not instead of the right way to complete the task."- themightypianocat
Facts Are Facts...
"Arguing is pointless if you do not agree on a set of facts."- niallaa
Facts GIF by Judge JerryGiphyYou Can't Have It Both Ways...
"For a short while, I worked as a line cook at a Cracker Barrel, and there was a little saloon style door that led to the staff section (kitchen, bathroom, etc)."
"There was a staff only sign on the door, above the doors, and on the wall behind the doors at eye level."
"Usually if someone from the customer side comes in, they said, 'Coming in' before opening the door, so they didn't hit anyone, but of course customers didn't know that."
"So when this dude opened the door and hit a waitress carrying a ton of drinks, we were reasonably upset with him."
"He said, ;You should really put a sign up'."
"We showed him all the signs, and he goes, 'That seems a bit excessive'."- GreyFoxHound1
So Wrong.
"Had an employee sign an NDA about an upcoming art installation that had investors."
"He told everyone."
"He argued with me the NDA only meant he couldn’t disclose anything with the people in the company."- BosskHogg
He Knew What He Was Talking About
This was best said:
“'Never wrestle with pigs'."
"'You both get dirty and the pig likes it'.― George Bernard Shaw"- Zerowantuthri·
pigs GIFGiphySome Outdated Inventions Are Definitely Not Missed...
"I’m showing my age here but I used to work for an estate agency, and we had sales offices set up at the site of large new housing developments."
"Our primary method of communication was fax."
"One of the sales associates telephoned our office to say that the fax machine had run out of paper."
"No problem, I said, one of the guys is coming your way later for a house tour, I’ll give him a box of paper to give to you."
"We then had an almost 20 minute long argument when they kept insisting 'NO, YOU JUST SEND ME A BLANK FAX BECAUSE I NEED THE PAPER, IT WILL JUST COME OUT OF MY FAX MACHINE'.”
"It was like trying to nail jelly to a tree."
"Difficult, irritating, and it achieved nothing."- BettieKat
Very Few Hills Are Worth Dying On...
"I had a friend in university who was a world-class high school debater."
"Over meals, she liked to pick a ridiculous proposition and then talk circles around people until they had to concede to her point, no matter how absurd."
"When she tried it with me, I just stonewalled her."
"Met every point with a solid 'I don't think that's true'." or 'That doesn't make sense'."
"Eventually she gave up and never tried it with me again."
"It was the only time I've ever used the tactics of the stupid to win an argument."
"But, to be fair, if you're not arguing with me in good faith, I feel no obligation to respond in good faith."- kitskill
IS The Customer Always Right?...
"Working retail."
"Especially when I worked in the tech shop or a computer store."
" Trying to convince someone their $500 laptop is never going to be a gaming system no matter how many of the very few replaceable parts we throw at it can be exhausting."- MOS95B
happy episode 7 GIFGiphyEducation Only Matters If You Learned Something....
"Was arguing with this dude about something math-related."
"He didn’t know how to read a study that involved statistics. claimed he was in multiple AP math classes."
"Tried saying that I 'probably don’t even know basic integration'."
"Gave me a common integration problem."
"He wrote it but forgot the minus sign, making it unsolvable."
"I pointed it out and he edited the comment to make it correct."
"Told him that some people can see when you edit comments."
"He claimed that he just capitalized a letter. on and on and on."- SaturdayNightCity
Good Legal Counsel Might Be Worth The Splurge...
"I asked a representative from the Friend of the Court to explain something she said and she told me that I understood what she was saying."
"I replied that I wouldn't have asked her to explain if I had understood."
"She said if I was going to be difficult, she would hold me in contempt."
"My X chimed in that she didn't quite understand what she had said and was greeted with a smile and an explanation."
"From that point on I always disagreed with the Friend of the Court on EVERYTHING, so that I could be seen by the 'Actual Court' and a Judge."- PURPLEPEE
Season 4 Episode 21 GIF by The SimpsonsGiphySore Winners Are No More Attractive Than Sore Losers...
"Once worked with a guy who, by his own admission, got his rocks off by picking fights."
"He'd start an argument over the smallest thing."
"If you said it was white, he'd say it was black, just to try to start something."
"The one that always stood out for me was the weather app competition."
"One day he asked me what temperature it was, so I read it off my weather app."
"He got all offended, because his weather app said it was a couple degrees warmer."
"So he decides we're going to have a weather app competition."
"He was going to chart what our apps said the temperature was, and at the end of the week, whichever one was closest to that day's high would be the winner."
"And the loser would have to start using the winner's app."
"To which I said, "What is your f*cking problem?'"
"So, yeah."
"For the first few days, he'd make a big performance about marching into my office, recording the temperature off my app, jotting down some notes, and walking off."
"This started on a Monday."
"He gave up after Wednesday."
"Either because I was winning, or he was disappointed because, despite his best efforts, I just did not give a f*ck about weather apps."
"Or maybe the boss told him to stop because I filed a complaint that this was bordering on harassment."- originalchaosinabox
Im Always Right GIF by ZionGiphyIt should perhaps be said calling someone an idiot, or even thinking it, is not a particularly nice thing to do.
Even so, if you're tempted to do so when you're in the presence of a particular individual, probably best not to provoke them.
After all, if you're so determined to "win," does it really make you any better than them?