Sparking Joy Beyond the Home
with Marie Kondo
Marie Kondo’s new show Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo has officially debuted on Netflix. Sparking joy beyond the home with Marie Kondo brings transformations to each cast member in the 3 episode series focused on relationships and communities. In this blog I share an in depth review.
The show embarks on a journey of highlighting the KonMari method outside the boundaries of the home and how the principles are relevant to other areas of our lives.
We also get a delightful glimpse into Marie’s personal home and family.
Sparking Joy Beyond the Home with Marie Kondo: Strengthening family bonds
In the first episode, audiences are introduced to a father and son duo and co-owners of Logan’s garden. While tidying up the garden, we see that there are emotions and feelings buried beneath the surface that come to light through tidying up. Combing through boxes of gardening supplies reveals pictures and books that jog up memories for Jimmy and son Logan.
The episode gives viewers a glimpse of how our things hold memories and when touched during the tidying process, those memories are almost lifted out of our past and laid out before us in our present.
This is where reconciliation with the past takes place. In order to move forward with tidying up and live our lives in the present, our deep-rooted attachments to the past must be addressed. In the case for Logan and Jimmy, the family unit experienced lows when divorce split the family apart separating them for several years.
During the process of tidying up as the garden resurfaces from under the clutter, the important relational connections reveal themselves and we see how Logan wants to live his life; more connected and present with his father and sister.
Workspace Tidying Tips from Marie Kondo
Within the episode Marie shared several tips on organization with pop graphics. When tidying up the workspace, she offered the following tips:
- Keep useful items that raise motivation
- Find simple and practical containers
- Store items vertically to see everything
- Decorate with items that lift your spirits
Tips to Organize Your Day with Joy
Joy is a central theme with the Marie Kondo organizing method. It is woven into many areas of the KonMari Method including how to organize and be productive in your day. Marie shared the following tips for adding joy in our daily schedules:
- List out the day’s activities
- Schedule accordingly
- Set aside time for things that spark joy
- Secure time for yourself that sparks joy
Sparking Joy Beyond the Home with Marie Kondo: Work Life Balance
The glimpse into coffee shop owner, Joanna, we see that the disorganization at the coffee shop is extended into Joanna’s personal home office. Suffering from the ADHD disorder Joanna faces unique challenges with organization. The disorganization she faces in her business also carries over into her personal life with husband, , and son Julian.
This episode shares how the entrepreneur life often takes the owner away from focusing on family. Wearing multiple hats as an entrepreneur can stretch the individual so much that there is little time for themselves or for their loved ones. We see this in Joanna’s life as she splits her time, unequally between her completing priorities.
As Joanna clears the clutter from her home office it’s revealed to her how important connecting with her family is. The clutter prevents her from seeing the true problems at hand, which is the frayed connections in her relationship. When we tidy up and the clutter is gone, we are left with the true problems in our lives. Clutter is a distraction and from the episode, we see how overwhelming the clutter feels for someone with a neurodiverse brain.
Joanna’s reconciliation with her past identifies her former free-spirited life full of spontaneity. Adulting after welcoming her child, Julian, and the start of her coffee shop business shifted her life to structure and repetition. The tidying process brought to the fore front the loss of the former life to be replaced with the new entrepreneurial life. By letting go of her past life she is able to welcome the new experiences of being a shop owner which she loves.
Tips on Creating Your Own Power Spot
Joanna’s personal power spot is her coffee shop. This is where she recharges and draws her energy. Marie shares her tips on how to create a power spot. Read here for my recent blog on creating a personal power spot.
- Find a place that renews energy and recharges you
- A power spot can be a side table, a chair, or even an entire room
- There is one rule to follow: bring in items that spark joy!
Sparking Joy Beyond the Home with Marie Kondo: Learning to Love Oneself
In the third and final episode we are introduced to church volunteer, Lorri. As a cancer survivor and single mom of three she has experienced a myriad of challenges, which she coped with by immersing herself into a life of serving others. Through her medical challenges and the risks to her immune system she left her role in education which led to Lorri’s identity crisis.
Her tidying journey shifted the focus from her work in service of others to putting the spotlight back on herself. By taking care of others, Lorri effectively took little care for herself. Lorri’s personal space has been cluttered for quite some time as she did not declutter in her move from Texas to Burbank. She fell trap to what many experience, a mindset of “just in case” where we hold on to items simply on the basis of needing the item sometime in the future.
We justify holding on to an item on the premise for future need rather than the current and present need.
The church where Lorri volunteers is also given a tidying makeover. The shared space at the center of the church’s homeless ministry became a dumping ground of odds and ends. To support the organization system, Marie has wall to wall shelving installed to make room for future donations to the ministry.
The church’s role in community outreach is amplified by tidying the shared space. Through organization and creating systems, the work of the X church can extend into the communities at large which is both an inspiring and beautiful thing.
Tips to Create a System of Organization
Shared spaces are especially challenging to organize because multiple people are using the space for multiple purposes as is the case in the church’s community center. Marie offers a few tips on how to get organized.
In every single one of the three-part episode series, the cast shed tears throughout their journey to tidy up. This is no surprise to me as the tidying journey can be very emotional as one confronts their past to live as they want in the present. Letting go has more to do with the thoughts and feelings we hold on to rather than the actual object in question.
These journeys of tidying up with Marie Kondo has the ability to transform relationships, careers and join bridges in families. Watching the magic unfold in this heartwarming series is a reminder of how important it is to live a life of joy in our homes, businesses and communities.
Peeking into the personal home of Marie Kondo was delightful as we see her in her natural element surrounded by husband and children.
Have you watched the series? Share your thoughts with me!
Southern California based Professional Organizer, Sandy Park, owner and founder of Tidy with SPARK shares her joy of organization with her clients that she serves in Orange County as well as the hundreds of thousands of followers on her combined social media platforms. Connect with Sandy through her website or by connecting through her social channels.