I have to admit that until a few weeks
ago, I had never heard of Marie Kondo. So
if you haven’t heard of her, don’t worry.
She isn’t a popular singer or actress. She
is even bigger than that. She is the queen
of tidiness.
To be precise, the 34-year-old Japanese woman is
an organizing consultant. She helps people organize
and tidy up their homes. She has written four books
on organizing, but like many people, I came to know
her through her Netflix show: Marie Kondo Throws Your
Things Away.
Actually, the show is called Tidying up with Marie
Kondo, and in each episode, Kondo visits an American
family and helps them declutter their homes. She has
a unique method that seems to appeal to many people.
I’ve been so taken by her approach that whenever my
doorbell rings, I keep hoping it’s Marie Kondo.
Our home isn’t particularly messy, but we could
certainly dispose of a lot of things and not miss them
at all. Clothing is at the top of this list and, not coincidentally,
it’s what Kondo tackles first when she helps
people organize their homes. She gets them to put all
their clothes in a single pile. Then, as they take one
garment in their hands at a time, she makes them ask
this question: “Does this spark joy?” If a shirt or dress
does not spark any joy, it gets donated or discarded. If
it sparks joy, it gets to stay in the home, even if it hasn’t
been worn since 1984.
I haven’t yet put myself through this task, but if
I did, I’d probably be left with just a pair of socks. My
younger daughter bought me warm, comfortable socks
for Christmas and I love wearing them. They certainly
spark joy in me. So much joy that I feel like walking
outside wearing nothing but socks. But then I’d get
arrested—and that would not spark any joy at all.
My wife, Malathi, owns about three times more
clothes than I do. I don’t think she has ever put her
clothes in a single pile, but if she ever did, it would
spark immense joy in me. I’d take photos and share
them online. But then I’d have to find a new place to
live—and that would not spark any joy at all.
After helping people discard
many of their clothes, Kondo shows
them how to fold the rest into small
rectangles, so they can be arranged
neatly in drawers and other spaces.
It seems like a great idea, but to do it
consistently takes a lot of discipline
and effort. I’d probably give up after
a week or two, unless Kondo plans
to show up randomly at people’s
homes, handing out gold medals for
perfectly folded clothes.
The second types of possessions that Kondo focuses
on are books. Many people accumulate books almost
as fast as James Patterson writes them. My wife owns
a thousand books or so. She is an avid reader, but if she
plans to read them all in her lifetime, she will definitely
set a Guinness World Record for oldest living person.
Kondo apparently recommends not owning more than
30 books. But I don’t think even Kondo can get Malathi
to downsize her book collection, not without the
danger of having War and Peace flung at her.
The hardest items for people to discard are the
sentimental ones—items that spark warm memories, if
not joy. Photographs, report cards, wedding invitations,
and expired ID cards are among the many items we
hold onto. They tell the stories of our lives and tossing
them away is like tossing away one of our children, but
without the benefit of a lower food bill. (No, I didn’t just
read Hansel and Gretel to my kids.)
Kondo forces people to assess each sentimental
item and decide if it still brings them joy. Do we
need to keep 100 photographs from our wedding, even
the one of the drunken uncle who kept winking at
the bartender?
In the end, it’s important for us to realize that if
something does not bring us joy, it’s not worth keeping.
Better to donate it, sell it, or discard it, hoping that it
will bring joy to another being, even if it’s just a worm
in the landfill.
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? We would love to hear from you about Chai Time. If you have contributions, please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]