Have you seen the Marie Kondo series on netflix?

Have you read the book?

I bought two of her books this past summer but couldn’t read either so far. Case in point, The Audio (Books) Jump

(Picture courtesy @MarieKondo Twitter Handle)

With the arrival of the Netflix Original Series, I did a jig in my head (as I’m sure so many others must have).

So I shove my AirPods in my ears every night once bubba dozes off and try and catch up on my Netflix and Now, Books.

Sadly. With Netflix I usually end up conking off within less than an hour so I am now dragging my husband into watching it with me before we retire to the bedroom. He of course dozes off almost instantly (though Marie is preaching to the choir in his case. He can Konmari as good as her, any given day, my star!)

I’m almost done with it but it is SO joyful it opens your breathing spaces in a (great yet) funny way (or is that the remnants of the flu?)

Here are a few things I never realised I would learn but did.

1. Greeting inanimate objects isn’t nutty. It’s respectful and IMPORTANT

Marie Kondo greets the house when she first comes in, taps and wakes up books, thanks everything she decides to chuck. The age old belief of living and non living objects is just that. Aged and old. Everything has energy flowing through it, to it and from it. We need to align ourselves before we decide to turn a house into a home.

2. You can be short and frail but still very strong.

This cute little woman with a meek voice and the sweetest of smiles jumps in the middle of chaos and helps turn houses over. She is chock full of power and yet still have power over towering buffed up boys. It is the courage and belief in self and your abilities what makes you excel. Size (read: appearances) doesn’t always matter. Women. Step up and hone your power.

3. Pride in language

Her English isn’t fantastic. Her vocabulary severely limited. Yet a world class broadcasting facility chose to give her subtitles instead of drowning her voice out behind an inconsistent voice over. That alone speaks volumes about lack of identity crisis.

4. Joy in life is pivotal

The Kon Mari method is based on only keeping objects that spark joy when you hold them close. Sprig. Clean your life using that principle towards EVERYTHING. Your life needs to be an epitome of joy for you. Let the sparks fly wild everywhere leaving no space for fizzles.

5. There’s no magic

There’s logic. There’s process. There’s education. But there’s no magic. Whatever you wish to achieve you need to be committed and willing to work towards it. An expert can help steer you in the right direction but you need to bring the most valuable ingredient. Willingness.

6. Nobody’s perfect.

Marie Kondo’s daughters sometimes unfold clothes as she folds them, they get scolded for it but that means she has a difficult time because she has toddlers. Which is normal. Even Marie gets tired of cleaning up and admits to going to sleep if she ever needs to. There’s beauty and relatability in her imperfection. Also what’s hidden in there is a promise that if she is as regular a person as we are, we can also achieve what she has.

7. The process of tidying isn’t about throwing things away.

When we think minimalistic approach, discarding what doesn’t spark joy, discard discard discard is all we hear. However Konmari is HARDLY about that, infact quite the contrary. Tidying is more about what amongst your belongings is actually important for you and essential for your joy and its retention. It’s actually about realising what you love and holding on to just that for the right reasons.

8. Boxes are key

A considerable part of Konmari is also about using the appropriate storage solutions once you do have what you want to keep. Whether it’s a chest of drawers, boxes, containers or any possible storage boxes.

9. Folding

Folding the right way not only engages you more with your clothes, it also ensures you get to see everything you own in one glance and choose from the entire range you own.

10. If you do it right, ANYTHING will take you to the top.

It’s cleaning. It’s tidying your space. She did it right. She developed her idea and formed steps that were adaptable and she has bestseller books under that belt and now a TV show. There’s clearly no such thing as a “non-career building pathway”. Be fantastic at whatever you do and there’s always a place at the top for you. Solitary and all yours to keep.

After all there are no park statues dedicated to teams. Only to individuals.