If you haven’t heard, Marie Kondo has a new Netflix show. It’s called “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.” The show is based on her wildly popular book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. KonMari, what she calls it, is simple – having a tidy, organized life, filled with only things that spark joy, will transform your life. At work that means more happiness to work peacefully, well and efficiently. Can you imagine being more joyful there? Is there a magical art of sparking joy at work?
Marie Kondo’s KonMari way of organization and ruthless decluttering was and still is a global pop phenomena. Her first book sold millions and was looking like it was fading nicely into history, but now with her new show, KonMari has gone through the roof.
It also reignited a number of heated responses against her ways. Did she really tell us to limit our book piles? And true, we wouldn’t have this trend if we didn’t have such overwhelming excess. And what if it’s hard to find that joy somewhere, like at work?
Is there anything more than organized papers that we can take away from this Marie Kondo craze?
Sit down, watch it. As you watch this kind, adorably petite, cartoon of a woman coach families through cluttered homes and relationships, you can’t help but root for their success. One of the most striking moments in each episode is when Marie takes a moment to silently kneel on the floor, eyes closed, to greet and thank their home. She touches the floor with both hands, giving it a slow, deliberate pat, like one you give an old dog as you tell it how good and pleased you are with it. Another point is when participants choose to pass an item along, Marie encourages you to touch it and thank it for all that it has done for you, even if it’s an old broken pen. You take the time to see its value, even in the broken, and be grateful.
Practicing gratitude and seeing wealth of inherent value around us, sparks joy.
Acknowledging the value of something or someone, and honoring and thanking it, transforms our perspective. At work, that tedious protocol, an endless conference call, that finicky network printer, that great review and that flop project, even that coworker you try to avoid. Everything and everybody, and every experience has value and something that you can be thankful for.
That’s where we can better understand what is so compelling about this Marie Kondo series. It goes beyond the actual act of tidying up. Practicing kindness, gratitude and seeing the wealth of inherent value around us, sparks joy. It is indeed transformative, it’s down right magical.