We all have plenty of things to do, but Japanese tidying expert Marie Kondo has more ambitious goals than most.
“My personal goal is to clean up the world,” he tells Sky News, “to take this away Japanese sensibility and, at least to a small extent, improve the world around us.”
Photo: KonMarie
She has been actively cleaning since the age of five, organizing things at home for her mother and in the classroom for other students, Kondo she founded her own organizational consulting company at the age of 19, while still a student.
Five years of working as a maid at a Shinto temple helped her refine her sorting skills.
She went on to write 11 books, and her first – The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up – sold over 14 million copies in over 40 countries around the world and gained worldwide popularity with her slogan “spark of joy”.
Soon the television came calling and two Netflix series appeared. So what, in her own words, is her approach to cleaning?
“The KonMari method is not about throwing away a lot of things, but about surrounding yourself with things that spark joy and things that you can cherish…
“It’s a huge, fundamental change in your mind and heart. It’s not just about cleaning and organizing your home.”
– Is it okay that I feel this way?
A year ago, Kondo admitted that her house had become more messy since the birth of her third child, much to the delight of many fans who felt she was letting the team down and perhaps not living the lifestyle she so enthusiastically encouraged others to follow. .
So does this weight of public opinion expectations – and the judgment that comes with it, especially in the case of a woman at the peak of her career – lead to self-doubt?
Kondo explains: “For someone who has been mainly based in Japan for most of my life, it’s really hard to imagine the impact I’ve had. Looking at what is happening around the world, sometimes I wonder: ‘Is this okay? for me to feel this way?
“It’s a bit of imposter syndrome. But ultimately I feel like it’s more than just me. There is a need for order in the world and people like this effect [the Mari Kondo method] has.
“I am almost a communicator or spokesperson for this idea and concept of cleaning, as opposed to feeling like an imposter. And that’s how I feel. I’ve almost come to terms with it.
“It’s the message I’m conveying, more than just that I’m an imposter of something bigger.”
“My audience is more male than you might think.”
At the University of Tokyo, Kondo wrote her master’s thesis on cleaning and gender. Does she think more men are joining the tidying up trend these days?
“I think the trend has changed recently with both genders working, men and women [and] so they are both responsible for certain aspects of the house. This new way of thinking has become more and more the norm. In this respect, there are more and more of them [men tidying]…
“I think cleaning has become an activity that is not just for women, but is gradually changing for both genders.
“Of course, if you look at the ratio of men and women in my counseling courses, the number of women is still greater. But if you look at the demographics of my audience, my readers, and my consumers, you can see that there is a much larger percentage of people identifying as male than you might think, especially given the feedback in the comments I receive online.”
Offering admirers of her techniques the chance to train as KonMari consultants since 2016, 16 men have so far completed the course and another 26 are in training.
Will giving up what we have lead to happiness?
Kondo first rose to fame in her native Japan before becoming a household name in the US and Europe around 2014, and the social climate has changed enormously over the past decade.
Now I’m juggling both the cost of living crisis and… climate changeIs throwing things away still as attractive to the public as it once was?
Yes, says Kondo, with a slight change of perspective.
“I know the initial focus was on what we had to give up in this method, but [doing that] it changes our perspective on the culture of consumerism.
“The act of tidying up really changes our attention and allows us to see more clearly what is important in our lives, what is most needed in our lives and what brings joy to our lives.”
Kondo continues: “Perhaps there was an era when buying anything brought happiness and that was the set of values through which we viewed the world. But even though we increased the number of items we own, satisfaction did not decline, following the same trend.
“We are now entering an era where the objects we surround ourselves with and the way we coexist and live with them are becoming more and more obvious and self-evident.”
“I have no problem with shopping”
Of course, Kondo also has its own online home goods store – selling everything from pajamas and candles to stacking boxes and stickers to decide what to sell, throw away or keep.
But is it a bit counterintuitive to sell people stuff to help them get rid of it?
“We have no problem and we do not deny the idea that certain items are a necessity and that certain things bring joy to people’s lives. So it’s not the act of shopping itself that’s the problem. It’s about making sure you’re aware of what you’re putting into your personal life.”
Selecting eco-friendly products in its store, many of them from Japan, Kondo’s sustainable brand message is reinforced by a sneaker collection that promises to plant two trees in the Atlantic Forest for every pair sold.
Kondo also encourages initiatives such as a day spent solely walking or swapping clothes with friends or neighbors.
So is it too far of a leap to ask whether Kondo’s rapid sorting can inform and improve global recycling?
“My method makes you kinder to the environment”
While her native Japan boasts impressive plastic recycling rates (around 80%), the situation in other categories is not so impressive (in 2020, the total recycling rate was just 20%).
Kondo says: “I think in Japan awareness is gradually increasing, people are reflecting on their lives and adopting more environmentally friendly consumer behavior.
“I’m certainly seeing a shift where people are trying not to introduce more new plastics or single-use plastics into their lives.
“And also with compost, if there are any food scraps that they may have from everyday life, figuring out how to turn them into food and put them back into the world.
“I think that thanks to the KonMari method and the cleaning process, people want to take actions that are kinder to the environment around them and the world at large. It’s really changing.”
While some may be cynical about the message that a grand old order can help the world deal with the problems of overconsumption and global waste, it is certainly true that small changes in thinking can yield big results.
Time will tell if Marie Kondo can save the world with her cleaning methods, but there’s no doubt she’ll bring joy when she tries it damn well.
Marie Kondo’s first stage course in five years will take place on April 5–7 in New York.