EZ Book Pick: SPARK JOY by Marie Kondo

Tara Losinski | April 14th, 2016

Everything in its place…

Think about how good it feels or – let’s be honest, how good it would feel – to clean out your junk drawer – no judgment if there is more than one. Perhaps it’s the sense of accomplishment or desire to simplify our lives or both that has made Marie Kondo a global phenom.

It was her 2011 bestseller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing that made the Japanese cleaning consultant a star. Her classes are full. Her clients wait as much as three months to be decluttered. She was included as one of Times’ 100 most influential people in 2015. And, yes, there’s already been a TV movie.

Rather than looking for superfluous belongings to abandon, the purging prodigy’s unique approach involves looking through your possessions for the things you want to keep, keeping only those that “spark joy.” Devotees achieve that sought-after order only after choosing the items that make them happy.

On the subject, Kondo has released a companion book, Spark Joy, to her fans’, followers’ and no doubt her publisher’s delight. It’s a more manual, less emotionally-guided makeover.

In it, she includes instruction and illustration on everything from her now famous folding techniques to managing electrical komono (accessories), which have “a sort of pungent, tingling odour,” which Kondo offered as helpful for sniffing them out when it comes time for their “spark joy” test. Here’s hoping your cellphone charger qualifies.