If your New Year's resolution was to make your bedroom look less like the bottom of a hamper of dirty clothes, you're in luck! On New Year's Day, Netflix premiered "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo"—a reality show in which the world-famous Japanese organization consultant helps people transform their lives through the simple act of tidying up.
Kondo first introduced Americans to the joys of decluttering with her bestseller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which was published in the U.S. in 2014. Her mantra is simple: look at your belongings and think, "Does this bring me joy?"
If the answer is yes, you keep them. If the answer is no, then off to the Salvation Army they go. The idea was to do more than just get rid of unnecessary stuff and make it easier to make your home look like it belonged in the pages of House Beautiful. The thing that really turned her vision into an international sensation is the belief that by decluttering your house, you can also declutter your life and imbue it with a renewed sense of calm and happiness.
The eight-episode show only just dropped, but by all accounts it seems to be the first binge-worthy hit of 2019.
I'm 2 episodes into Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and all the clothes I own are already on my bed 🙄
— Maggie May 🥀👻 (@Flannel_Planet) January 2, 2019
People are sorting their closets like there's no tomorrow.
Just reorganized my T-shirt drawer. Oh yeah. Who wants to touch me? #MarieKondo
— Dan Beasley-Harling (@DBeasleyHarling) January 2, 2019
Apparently, you don't need to have Kondo physically come to your house in order for her Mary Poppins-like magic to take effect.
I watched 2 episodes of Marie Kondo's Tidying Up on Netflix today. I then cleaned out & organized my pantry, six kitchen drawers, our home office & three closets. Every human in the house has been notified that if they mess w/ my spark they shall face my wrath.
— Esmeralda Bermudez 🦅 (@LATbermudez) January 2, 2019
Just get yourself a few large garbage bags and go to town.
Inspired by Netflix and Tidying up with Marie Kondo, I have two bags of clothes ready to donate today. More to come for sure. #clothes #tidyingupwithmariekondo
— Karen Foreman-Brown (@serenity22) January 2, 2019
After all, what better time than New Year's to totally transform your life?
Just went out cruising the clothing bins to drop them off and seems everyone else has been doing the same! Drove to four separate locations and they were all chokka.
— Karen Foreman-Brown (@serenity22) January 2, 2019
In addition to inspiring some hardcore resolutions, the new show seems to be acting as a soothing antidote to the winter blues. Kondo is known for being patient and soft-spoken, and for dispensing advice judgement-free no matter how much of a hot mess her clients are.
I already find Marie Kondo incredibly soothing and highly relatable.
— Ju Li K (@Juleshortstuff) January 2, 2019
"When folding it's important to convey love to your clothes from the palms of your hands," she tells one harried couple in the show. Who else could make folding feel like such a spiritual act?
Also, I CANNOT WAIT TO REFOLD EVERY ITEM OF CLOTHING IN MY HOUSE. 🤣🤣🤣🤣#SoExcited#NewYearNewMe
— Jennifer Goodridge (@JennGoodridge) January 1, 2019
So if you're looking for one realistic goal to set for yourself today, just turn on Netflix and join the latest craze. Just don't go too far. Remember: some things may not bring you joy, but they're still necessary!
Am KonMari-ing, and I decided that closet doors DO NOT spark joy so guess who just removed their closet doors
— 🥤libba kidd🥤 (@libbuh) January 1, 2019
And if you're looking for another organizing trend to try, read about the magic of "Swedish Death Cleaning" (don't worry, it's not as scary as it sounds).
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Diana Bruk Diana is a senior editor who writes about sex and relationships, modern dating trends, and health and wellness.Read moreFiled UnderCleaning • New YearsRead This Next10 Things You Didn't Know about Justin Trudeau
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