The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Marie Kondō is a Japanese organizing consultant and author. She is best known for developing the KonMari Method, a decluttering system centered on the principle of keeping only those items that “spark joy.” Born in Tokyo in 1984, Kondō displayed a fascination with creating domestic order from a young age. The author’s accounts of spending her childhood reading homemaking magazines, experimenting with storage techniques, and organizing household items suggest that tidying is her vocation rather than simply a profession. The anecdotes Kondō provides, drawn from her consultancy business, illustrate her extensive practical experience and the gradual refinement of her process. Her career grounds her philosophy in applied practice, as she describes successfully testing her method with diverse clients who initially struggled to maintain order.

Kondō’s ideas are influenced by her Japanese cultural context, particularly Shintoism, a belief system that imbues objects with a human-like spirit. Shinto-based rituals inform the author’s emphasis on gratitude and respect for possessions, and tidying is approached as a holistic, mindful practice. This perspective differentiates Kondō’s work from Western minimalism, which often stresses practicality, efficiency, or aesthetics. The unique aspects of Kondō’s approach also reflect its limits when applied universally. Her emphasis on spirituality and intuition may not resonate in cultures less attuned to animistic or embodied ways of valuing objects. Kondō’s focus on Japanese domestic spaces, which typically feature limited floorspace and large built-in cupboards, may be less applicable to international readers. Her philosophy also assumes individuals have the time, privacy, and autonomy to conduct large-scale tidying sessions—conditions not available to everyone. Ultimately, Kondō’s personal passion, cultural heritage, and professional practice give her strong authority on tidying. Yet her method reflects a particular worldview that, while highly influential, may not fully account for the complexities of all households and lifestyles.