The phrase 'sparking joy' bugged the crap out of me when her book first became a sensation. That and the whole thanking items for their service before getting rid of them. It's just not the way I think about physical objects, but I understand the general idea of it.

I always liked the William Morris quote: "If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful." Of course, you can't have everything you find beautiful, or the mass of them won't be beautiful anymore.

I haven't seen the show yet, but isn't it about two years too late?

The NYTimes has several best seller lists, and one is apparently called Advice, How To and Miscellaneous. Marie Kondo’s book has been on it for 147 weeks. That is nearly 3 years!

I’ve enjoyed watching the show.
She appears to be completely non-judgemental which seems like good therapy.
If my only rule was does this spark joy I’d only have shoes left in my closet lol

LOL, BrieN.

I haven't read the books nor seen the show. I was a bit of a pack rat as a kid (kept all my school notebooks, Highlights periodicals, etc.) but after a stint in boarding school (which I LOVED BTW) and lived in a room the size of a bathroom cubicle, I had a conversion experience and became what might be called a 'minimalist' today. I've never had, nor wanted a LOT of stuff.

HOWEVER, I do not live alone, nor do I live in a vacuum. DH likes stuff, and we currently have a multigenerational household, since our twenty-something sons live at home while they build up their war chests. I'm probably surrounded by more physical stuff than I really want in my life, but it's not all mine. Interestingly, our new home has 'better' storage than our old home, but not as much. Our old home had basement and attic spaces where things could go, and we didn't have to deal with them. This place has functional storage for everything you need for the activities of daily living, but no dead zones.

As far as things sparking joy, well, I don't want to wax poetic about potatoe peelers, but a good tool is a thing of joy! I keep my fabric scissors in my jewelery drawer (after catching DH using them to cut tin foil.) They are a pleasure to use when I'm sewing. If the house was on fire, I would leave with my racing bike and sewing machine (once humans were safe of course). My bike sparks joy, and actually, so does my potatoe peeler, and my personal coffee mug.

On the news today they said bikers have a relationship with their bikes similar to their relationship with their child.

Using my good scissors to cut metal, plastic, paper, etc. is justifiable homicide..

In response to the “can a mundane useful object spark joy” argument, I like how Marie Kondo says in a couple of episodes that another way of thinking about it is to ask whether that thing is something you want to carry into your future life. That question works on a couple of levels and helps put things into a practical perspective as well as an emotional one.

Just ran across McSweeney's take:
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/art.....ari-method

That’s hilarious, Laura!

Our local Goodwill is reporting a recent increase in donations ;-).

I read an article that was concerned with something discussed recently on the forum, the joy sparked by something new, and then the article voiced concern that always wanting your items to spark joy could lead to even more wardrobe churn.

Laurinda, there has been a documented significant increase in donations since the show started.

I read her books but haven’t seen the show. I thought her folding methods sounded ridiculous until my mom said she liked them. Now my underwear is folded into a shoebox inside my drawer so that I can instantly see the pair I want. They don’t stand on their own. And my socks are folded in half and lay lengthwise in two rows.

BrieN, I had a similar reaction to yours. I use serene. Interestingly, I realized recently that clothing that didn’t necessarily spark joy on their own made me smile when I saw them in my outfit photos.

I haven't really gotten into the show, but I just did some of her shirt folding method, and displaying of items in a drawer, and I think I'm very addicted. I will never be able to keep my husband's drawers neat because he refuses to cooperate and just throws his stuff in, but it gives me complete joy to open a drawer and be able to see every single item folded neatly and lined up side by side, instead of stacked. Great method.

I love the folding techniques too. When I figured out the underwear and T shirt folds, I got carried away and did M. Labeille's as well. He really likes it too.

I have not got into the getting rid of things (not my strong suit) although once I start watching the show I might get inspired. I did, however, sort my pantyhose last weekend (which I hardly EVER wear), and when I came across some high-end, unopened control top pantyhose, I had NO PROBLEM concluding that they did NOT spark joy, so off they went.

I volunteer at a thrift store. We’re actually a non profit, and the proceeds go towards various programs we run: food pantry for low income seniors, school clothes for needy children, etc. This morning at our monthly meeting, the chair of the thrift store held up a copy of Marie Kondo’s book and discussed how we have been overrun with donations, primarily clothes. So while Marie Kondo may not have taken the country by storm, she seems to have done just that in our town!