Marie Kondo
Netflix recently released "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo" to great acclaim. According to CNN, the show's release coincided with a huge upswing in donations to thrift stores as Americans began dumping out their closets. Marie Kondo is the inventor of the KonMari Method, a system of organizing one's home to bring joy to it. Her books on the KonMari Method have had sold millions of copies in the past few years.
Kondo cites a revelation from grade school as the inspiration for her methods. Kondo spent five years working at a Shinto shrine before earning a degree from Tokyo Woman's Christian University. A little understanding of the Shinto religion explains much about Marie Kondo and the KonMari method. Shinto is an ancient Japanese religion that has been described as more of a ritualistic aspect of Japanese life with some spiritual components rather than what we may consider a traditional religion. A part of Shinto is to appreciate objects for their utility to the home. A fork isn't just a thing with prongs, it's an object that aids you on a regular basis to nourish the body. As such, you respect the fork and should therefore treat the fork appropriately. You should wash it, put it away in the right place, and so on. It should be mentioned that this is an outsiders view of Shinto.
5 Tips from KonMari
- Do all of the tidying at once!
- Keep those objects that bring joy.
- Discard those things that do not bring joy before cleaning up.
- Tidy in the right order (clothes, books, papers, and then Komono).
- Work towards a visualized end.
Maintenance
Keeping tidy can be arduous and seemingly never-ending process. If the work is too great a stress, you may need some assistance to keep the home clean and orderly. By working with a professional cleaning service, you can alleviate that need and free yourself from the majority of the cleaning. This is particularly true for weekly clients. Professional cleaning clients do not need to worry about the nanny tax, liabilities, and managing of the house cleaners. Don't bring such clutter of mind into your home! Whether you hire You've Got Maids or not, we sincerely recommend that you hire an insured and professional service.
