Marie Kondo: Who is the Netflix tidying expert and what is the KonMari Method?

The first season of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is available on Netflix

Now that the new year has arrived, many people will have undoubtedly begun thinking about decluttering their homes in an effort to feel rejuvenated and ready for 2019.

As anyone who’s ever hoarded possessions will know, choosing what to throw away can be a difficult task. Enter: Marie Kondo.

Kondo is a Japanese organisation expert and consultant who’s made a name for herself on an international scale with her innovative approach to tidying.

Her unique tidying technique, the KonMari Method, has received such widespread acclaim that she’s now collaborated with Netflix on a brand new series, Tidying up with Marie Kondo.

So how did Kondo’s career start and how does the KonMari Method work? Here’s everything you need to know:

How did Marie Kondo’s career begin?

Having always enjoyed keeping her things neat and organised as a child, Kondo launched a tidying consultant business at the age of 19 while studying at university in Tokyo.

She’s since become a worldwide phenomenon, writing several books about the positive impact that tidying up can have on your life.

Her instructional book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, first published in 2011, reached number one on the New York Times bestselling books list.

It’s since sold more than six million copies worldwide.

Kondo has also accumulated a huge online following, amassing 778,000 followers on Instagram, 319,000 likes on Facebook and more than 58,000 followers on Twitter.

In 2015, the organisational expert was included in Time’s list of ‘100 most influential people’ of the year.

Actor Jamie Lee Curtis wrote the tribute for Kondo in Time, in which she expressed her admiration for the effectiveness of Kondo’s KonMari Method.

“What I love most about her method is the respect she suggests we show our soon-to-be-departed possessions.,” Curtis wrote.

“If they don’t ‘spark joy’ in our hearts, as she puts it, then we should pause to acknowledge our memories together and let them spark joy for someone else.”

What is the KonMari Method?

The KonMari Method is a tidying technique coined by Kondo.

The details of the method are outlined in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which has been translated into multiple languages including Spanish, Korean and German.

The key to the KonMari Method when organising your things is to place your possessions in certain categories.

Once you’ve done this, the next step is to figure out which of your possessions ”spark joy” in your home, a phrase that Kondo famously uses.

Determining which of your possessions don’t “spark joy” is a seemingly efficient way to declutter your home with ease.

As Kondo explains in the trailer for her new Netflix show Tidying up with Marie Kondo, her “mission is to spark joy in the world through tidying”.

The series is available to watch on Netflix now.