It seems like everyone is obsessed with superstar organizing consultant Marie Kondo (us included). Google her and you’ll find article after article touting her hyper minimalist decluttering and organizing method, coined “KonMari,” in which she encourages you to discard everything that doesn’t “spark joy.”
It might sound odd at first, but the result of accurately following the KonMari method is a permanently organized and spacious home in which you’re surrounded by only happiness.
“Surrounded by happiness.” Sounds nice.
“The Beyoncé of Organization” also has some fascinating idiosyncrasies — not the least of which is that she actually loves clutter. Here are 15 surprising facts about the most organized person on the planet.
1. Marie Kondo is influenced by Shintoism.
In The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Kondo states that the goal of tidying up is to transform your home into “a sacred space, a power spot filled with pure energy.” She also recommends that you set up a mini shrine in your home that displays your sacred objects.
As it turns out, Kondo worked part time at a Shinto shrine when she was 18 years old and sold lucky charms at a kiosk. “It [Shintoism] influences me, but not as strongly as you might think,” Kondo said in her Reddit AMA.
2. You can keep items that don’t spark joy, but only under one condition.
A fan on Reddit asked “What do you recommend to your clients when something does not bring joy, but is necessary and can’t simply be discarded? For example, a winter coat if you live in a cold climate, or a set of dishes.”Kondo replied, “Those things are helping you every single day. So you should appreciate how they are contributing to your life. Change the relationship with those items, by appreciating their contributions to your life.”
3. Marie Kondo’s last name is a verb.
How do you know when to call mom and dad to tell them that you’ve made it big?
When your name becomes a verb. And your work, a social media phenomenon.
4. Marie Kondo adjusts her tidying advice based on the culture of her Konvert, err, client.
“Japan has more limited space, maybe some people in America might not have that space issue, so maybe they need a different way of thinking to de-clutter the space,” wrote Kondo on Reddit.
She also told Fast Company “Children in the U.S. have more toys, and that makes it harder for my American clients to tidy up.”
(Pssst … there are some toy storage solutions to help with that.)
5. Marie Kondo is married. She and her husband have a daughter.
Marie Kondo is married to Takumi Kawahara, and she announced in this blog post on July 17, 2015 that she gave birth to a baby girl (check out People Magazine for more photos).
How soon will she teach her child the ways of KonMari?
When her child is 3 years old, apparently.
“[Once] children are over 3 years old, they have some ability to figure out if it [an item] sparks joy or not,” wrote Kondo on Reddit. Although we’re pretty sure that we found joy in things before we were three, such as chewing on everything we could find.
6. Marie Kondo doesn’t like pants.
While shopping at Anthropologie’s flagship location in Rockefeller Center, Kondo told The New Yorker that she doesn’t wear pants because “several years ago they stopped bringing her joy.”
7. Marie Kondo chills with Emma Watson and Twitter.
8. Marie Kondo always wears white. Always.
Search “Marie Kondo” on Google Images and you’ll see that she’s ALWAYS wearing white. Why?
Because it’s associated with cleanliness. “It is part of my brand,” she told The New Yorker. We imagine that she of all people wouldn’t have a hard time keeping her wardrobe clean.
9. Marie Kondo (secretly) loves clutter.
Contrary to what you’d expect from “The most organized woman in the world,” clutter gets Kondo excited “because it is a good feeling for me to imagine how this person can declutter,” she told one Redditor who asked how much it bothers her to see a cluttered and messy house.
Kondo is a true testament to following your passion in life.
10. Marie Kondo loathes a certain type of mess.
Bad smells. AKA the mess of the nose. AKA scent mess.
“If a room has some garbage, like stinky garbage, old food and stuff, yes it does bother me sometimes. But not because of the amount of clutter, it is just the smell,” she admitted.
11. Marie Kondo likes to keep a low profile.
Even through all the fame and attention she’s received from her philosophy of tidying, Kondo maintains a very low profile. Despite the hundreds of homes that this professional organizer has worked in, Kondo has never invited a reporter into her own home.
12. Marie Kondo can organize anything, including your messy underwear drawer.
Take notes and study the master at work.
13. Marie Kondo released two new books.
Just when you thought Marie Kondo changed your life, the world-famous organizing consultant and best-selling author is about to do it all over again with not one, but two new books:
Life-Changing Magic: A Journal, which was released on December 29, 2015 and Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up, which was released on January 5, 2016.
14. Marie Kondo is releasing an app.
Tidying up? There’s an app for that.
Using the KonMari app, you’ll be able to:
* Track and photograph your progress tidying each of the KonMari method’s five categories — clothing, books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and sentimental items.
* Set due dates and reminders.
* Follow and motivate other Konverts, and get feedback from them.
* Stalk Stay up to date on everyone’s tidying action through your dashboard and community feed.
15. Marie Kondo owns a media company.
As you declutter thanks to Marie Kondo, consider MakeSpace for any items you can’t part with but don’t want around anymore.
