Top 10 Fun Facts You Didn't Know About Marie Kondo
#10: The Basic KonMari Method
Before we start talking about Marie Kondo herself, it’s probably best to give you all a little refresher on the thing that made her famous: the KonMari Method. She describes this organizational philosophy for getting your life in order in her best-selling book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”. There are six rules for tidying, according to Kondo. They are: commit yourself to tidying up, imagine your ideal lifestyle, finish discarding first, tidy by category, not by location, follow the right order, and finally, ask yourself if it sparks joy. Though there’s a lot more to it, the simplicity of her process has attracted and helped many a cluttered person!
#9: She Has Loved Organizing Since She Was a Kid
If you’ve seen her show, it will probably come as no surprise to learn that Kondo has been a lifelong organizer. In fact, she says that even as a child she was interested in tidying, leafing through home and lifestyle magazines. In school, she even organized bookshelves while the other kids were playing and dreamt of being the official bookshelf organizer. She also says that any child over the age of three can participate in the KonMari method, because by that age they should be able to understand the concept of a spark of joy, and also grouping like with like.
#8: She Was an Organizing Consultant (When She Was 19!)
When she was still a teenager, Kondo put her skillset to good use and started her own organizational consultant business. At the time, she was a student studying sociology at Tokyo Woman's Christian University, but her business took off quickly. Seeing her now, it’s easy to understand why people wanted her help: she’s clearly an expert at what she does. Now, on her Netflix show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”, she basically gets to do the same thing, just in front of a much bigger audience! Marie, can you please come help at our house too?
#7: Tidying Was the Topic of Her College Thesis
In 2016, Marie Kondo gave a talk at the Japan Society in New York, and InStyle was there to take notes on her speech. One of the things she mentioned was that her college thesis was actually about tidying! So if you had any doubt about her credentials, you can trust in the fact that she’s truly an authority on the topic. She said during that talk, "Basically I've always been a crazy tidying fanatic”. And we definitely don’t have a hard time believing her. Who knew you could even write a thesis on tidying?
#6: Her Husband Works with Her
Marie Kondo is married to Takumi Kawahara, and the couple has two adorable little girls together, named Satsuki and Miko. She sometimes talks on “Tidying Up” about parenting, and we can only imagine how well behaved her daughters are. Since her brand has become so successful, her husband paired up with her as her manager as well as acting as the CEO of KonMari Media, Inc. He also has a role in the creation of her Netflix show, acting as an executive producer. Working with your spouse isn’t always easy, but we’re assuming these two make it work!
#5: She Wrote Her Book Because of Her Massive Waiting List
Marie Kondo’s organizing business was so successful at one point that she had a huge waiting list to get her services - with no repeat clients, mind you. One of her potential clients said that she should write a book so that even the people who weren’t able to get one of the coveted appointments could benefit from her teachings. And that’s how “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” was born! Now, she has written four books which have been translated into a multitude of languages and also speaks at conferences to share her method with as many people as possible.
#4: Her Home Is a Reporter- Free Zone
Even if you’ve watched every episode of “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo”, you may have noticed that while Kondo helps plenty of other families organize their homes, we never actually get to visit hers. That’s because she’s notoriously private and has actually never let any reporters or camera crews into her own house! She made the move to California recently, and you’d better be sure that we would pay big bucks to see how she actually organizes all of her own possessions. Maybe it’s something we can look forward to if “Tidying Up” gets a season 2?
#3: There’s a Loophole to the “Sparking Joy” Concept
One of the most talked about aspects of the KonMari method is the concept that an item must spark joy if it’s going to stay in your life. There’s an obvious skepticism about this, since not all of the products we need to get by are going to make us happy. Our mop? Our can opener? Not exactly bringing us to our happy place. But what Kondo explains is that if an item is essential, you should change your attitude towards it and begin to appreciate it for the vital role it plays in your life.
#2: She Was Influenced by the Shinto Religion
Before she made it big as a pop culture personality, Marie Kondo actually spend several years working in a Shinto shrine as an attendant maiden. She says that some of the ideas ingrained in the Shinto religion actually led her to her methods, like how she greets homes, and taps objects to “wake them up.” Cleaning can actually be a meditative or even spiritual practice, with more mindfulness about our objects and considering their value. The Shinto concept of kannagara is all about finding the right way to live, and when you read about it, you can quickly see how it would have colored Kondo’s work.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
• Pants Don't Bring Her Joy
• She Loves Wearing White Because It’s Associated with Cleanliness
• She Was Born in Japan but Now Lives in LA
#1: She Had a Spiritual Experience
As we’ve mentioned, tidying has been a lifelong passion for Marie Kondo, but there was one particular incident that helped her see the light when it came to her future career path. One day, she was resolute to throw everything in her room away, and the stress that built up reached a breaking point, leading to Kondo having a nervous breakdown and fainting. When she regained consciousness, she heard a voice telling her to look at her things more closely. She realized that rather than focusing on what to get rid of, she should be looking at the situation with a more positive lens and deciding what should be kept. “Identifying the things that make you happy,” she said, “that is the work of tidying.”
