Photo Credit: Adam Rose/Netflix
Global organization icon and author Marie Kondo is back to help people transform their homes while transforming their lives in surprising and emotional ways in the new Netflix series, Sparking Joy, which premieres on August 31.Marie takes her life changing method a step further to help three deserving businesses organize their workplace along with an emotional tidy up of one employee’s life whether it’s in the home, work, personal life and/or relationships. Viewers will also step into Marie’s home to meet her family and get a glimpse into how she tidies up her daily life. Here, we spoke to the queen of organization about her show, her hopes for its future and the most important tricks she can offer viewers in order to tidy up their homes… and their lives.
Photo Credit: Kit Karzen/Netflix
Would you say KonMari is more of a movement and less of a business? Please explain.
KonMari is a method that became a movement. One of the first steps of the KonMari Method™ is envisioning the life that you want. This helps people take inventory and discard the things and the thoughts that are holding them back from making that life a reality. The KonMari business initiatives are part of our efforts to spread joy through tidying — whether training a new KonMari Consultant in how they can bring the method to others, or hand-selecting items for the Shop on konmari.com, or sharing ideas for things that bring me joy.
Through the process of asking others what sparks joy, what have you found on a personal level about what sparks joy for you?
The number one thing that will always spark joy for me is my family, particularly my three children. Seeing the world through their fresh eyes brings me hope. Motherhood has taught me to be patient and forgiving of myself, which has certainly sparked more joy for me as an individual. In terms of objects, I LOVE bath products and accessories that help facilitate my evening bath ritual for relaxation. The Goest Perfumes Bath & Body Oil is one of my favorite things that spark joy.
How did the Netflix series come to be?
Sparking Joy is actually a new series. We took what we learned from the previous show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, and pushed ourselves out of homes and into places of business and the community. When adopted, the KonMari Method™ can have an impact on your personal and professional relationships, businesses and communities. That was the goal of the new show — we wanted to share the method further to help spark joy in the lives of others and the communities that surround them.
Photo Credit: Adam Rose/Netflix
Will there be another season?
The people we met this season and the experience of bringing the KonMari Method™ to people’s lives outside their homes was such a growth experience for me. But, if one thing is certain, there is no certainty! I can tell you that we have a fantastic time working with the team at Netflix and hope the relationship continues to evolve. Stay tuned!
Would you say that you live a Zen life, or can, sometimes, clutter be soothing?
This brings up a great point and one that is often misconstrued. The KonMari Method™ isn’t about being a minimalist or throwing away things that are part of what soothes you. In fact, you should keep what continues to bring you joy. When evaluating things, it is about being honest with yourself. Is this something that reminds you of an experience? Does the object still serve you or is the experience itself that it reminds you enough to serve you in the future? For example, do you need the movie ticket stub to remember who you saw it with or how it made you feel? Maybe, but maybe, you can discard it and make room for the future.
How did the Shinto religion inspire your method?
The Shinto religion is not my direct inspiration; rather, it is from my own experience working with clients and helping them tidy their homes. I worked as a shrine maiden when I was in college, which is a fairly common part-time job in Japan. There are some similarities with my method, like keeping spaces clean and cherishing items that you own, which are common practice in the Shinto shrine.
Photo Credit: Adam Rose/Netflix
Have you received any feedback from helping others that has always stuck with you?
A: Every client that I have worked with has given me wonderful feedback that was so special and memorable. I introduce their stories in my books. If I was to pick one, I’d have to say that one of my clients who took my tidying lessons, tidied her entire life. Because of the life-changing magic she experienced for herself, she decided to leave her job and became one of my first protégés as a KonMari Consultant in Japan!
What are five of the most important tips you can offer those who are seeking to clean up their homes and their lives?
1. Take a Truthful Inventory. Give yourself the gift of honesty when you are evaluating if an object brings you joy. In the same way, be honest when evaluating your relationships and choices. Are the things and people you surround yourself with, and the decisions you are making, bring you closer to the future you envision for yourself?
2. Make Time for Yourself. Tidying is one way of demonstrating self-care. You deserve to live in a way that can bring you the life you envision. Give yourself the gift of time to take inventory, reflect, and tidy.
3. Find Joy in Other Places. Yes, things can bring you joy, and there are so many non-tangible joy vehicles. Focus on the relationships and experiences that bring you joy — it could be setting aside time to call an old friend more often, or taking a few hours off of work to volunteer at your children’s school.
4. Give Gratitude. As a busy mom, businesswoman, and human, by no means can I do it all alone. I have family, colleagues and team support along the way. Trying to be a superhero can be exhausting and it can take joy out of your life if you spread yourself too thin. Don’t be afraid to lean into your support system and be grateful for those who help you on your journey.
5. Imagine your ideal lifestyle. Think about what kind of life you want to live in your home. Describe it in detail, like specific routines you want to do in the morning, day or night. Write down how you want to spend time in your favorite room. When you do this, you are clarifying why you want to tidy your house. The tidying process represents a turning point – allocate some time to consider the ideal lifestyle to which you aspire.
What to you is the greatest luxury in life and why?
When I got a call from the publisher that sales for The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up exceeded 100,000 copies, I went to a high-end market in Tokyo and bought the most expensive eggs, soy sauce, rice and nori seaweed, and had eggs over rice. It’s Japanese comfort food but I made it with the best ingredients available to celebrate my book’s success, and that was the most luxurious thing I did for myself.
Photo Credit: Kit Karzen/Netflix
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