Joyful ways of working at home... yes, really
Tidying guru’s tips to clear up your clutter
Have you found yourself running the gauntlet of laptop power cords and phone chargers snaking beneath your feet on the way to the kitchen?
Are you being distracted from Eastenders by a pile of unfinished paperwork on the coffee table, sorry, workstation? Is your co- worker in need of a motivational pep talk, a baffled-looking family cat?
Fear not, Marie Kondo is here to help.
The tidying guru is releasing her new book, which aims to help people declutter their workspaces – whether it’s an office or a front room.
Not only that but Marie, whose Netflix series Tidying Up With Marie Kondo became a global hit last year, says her advice can help you enjoy work – and even further your career.
She says: “Quite a few people don’t believe they can find joy in their job. ‘I’m stuck in useless meetings all day long. Tidying’s never going to change that,’ they insist. ‘Besides, too many things are out of my hands. There’s no way work can be joyful.’ In fact, however, it’s tidying up properly that makes it possible to spark joy at work.
“For example, clients have told us the Konmari Method has boosted their sales performance by as much as 20%, increased efficiency to the point where they were able to leave work two hours earlier, and helped them to reassess the meaning of their job, rekindling their passion for it.”
The Japanese guru is known for going into homes and instructing owners how to create orderly spaces, usually by emptying the rooms and filling the bins.
And, when it comes to Working From Home, it was her experiences in offices that led her to the Konmari Method.
“Most people see me as a specialist in tidying homes, not as someone with expertise in tidying workspaces, let alone in career development,” said 35-year-old Marie.
“While working for a Japanese company, however, I spent most of my spare time teaching company executives how to tidy their offices.
It was because I became so busy with these lessons that I finally decided to quit my job and launch my career as an independent consultant.
“TheKo nm ari Method arose from my experiences of teaching people how to tidy up. My approach has two distinct features: it’s simple but effective, ensuring you’ll never revert to clutter, and it uses a unique selection criterion – choosing what sparks joy.
“When we ask ourselves, ‘ Does this spark joy?’ we reconnect with our inner self and discover what’s really important to us.”
Marie says there are three
‘ Tidying up makes it possible to spark joy at work
ways your things can spark joy but if they don’t? In the bin.
“The first category is things that directly allow us to feel joy. The second is functional joy, things that you use frequently that make your daily work easier. And the third is future joy, things that will contribute to your future plan for your career. For example, invoices themselves may not spark joy for you, but it is what allows you to get payment in the future, so in that sense it sparks joy.
“If a particular item can be categorized into any of those three, I’d choose to keep them.”