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Netflix series ‘Tidying up with Marie Kondo’ teaches more than folding clothes

Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo, author of the best-selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, has helped many people to reorganize their homes.

Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, January 12, 2019

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Netflix series ‘Tidying up with Marie Kondo’ teaches more than folding clothes Marie Kondo's latest show on Netflix helps one to get rid of the clutter in their lives. (Shutterstock.com/sitthiphong )

“I love mess!” says Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo repeatedly in the Netflix original series Tidying up with Marie Kondo.

Since cleaning is not everyone's cup of tea, many consider Marie to be a life-saver. The author of best-selling book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing has helped many people to reorganize their homes.  

In the series, Marie assists her clients in reorganizing their houses and helps them move forward in life. In each episode, viewers can learn several techniques, such as how to fold clothes upright, store kitchen utensils by size, categorize photographs and, one of the least enjoyable things to do, sort through papers.

Marie does not own a magic wand, but she has a simple message to help everyone in decluttering their homes, “Keep items that spark joy”.

Reactions to her techniques have made the rounds on social media, with some finding her methods effective.

Read also: Five Netflix shows to kick-start 2019

Others have poked fun at her techniques.

After spending several days watching the series, here are some of my takeaways from the show.

Set goals and a timeline

In the series, viewers can see that Marie’s clients actually take several weeks to finish organizing their homes.

Decluttering a house can be stressful and one might want to stop in the middle of the process. Since you may not have Marie to keep you on track, it’s important to set goals and a timeline.

As long as you’re committed, everything is doable and you might find yourself happily rolling your carpets when all is said and done.

Drawers are key

Many assume that clothes hangers are the best tools when it comes to keeping your clothes organized. But Marie shows us that drawers and boxes are a viable alternative.

In the series, Marie suggests using drawers to store your clothes, cables or even kitchen utensils.

Once you master her techniques of folding, you can basically store everything in drawers. If you don’t have drawers, fret not, as Marie shows that you can also use shoe boxes.

Everyone has their own kryptonite

Tidying up with Marie Kondo features people from different backgrounds. Each has their own soft spot; one loves Christmas decorations, others find it hard to organize their books and papers.

It does not matter what your kryptonite is, so long as you repeat the mantra, "Keep items that spark joy”. (wng)

 

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