The Marie Kondo phenomenon - Recent

<!DOCTYPE html>       <html lang="en">  <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1143434/the-marie-kondo-phenomenon","20200811104618","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1597142778"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />   <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,minimum-scale=1,initial-scale=1">  <title>The Marie Kondo phenomenon - Recent - Aurora</title> <meta name="subject" content="Founded in 1998, AURORA is Pakistan's leading advertising, marketing and media magazine. Published by The Dawn Media Group, AURORA is widely recognised as the voice of the advertising industry."/> <meta name="description" content="Julian Saunders on the quietly absolutist Marie Kondo."/> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="323694191004296"/> <meta property="og:locale" content="en_US"/> <link rel="canonical" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1143434"/> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618im_/https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1143434"/> <meta name="twitter:title" content="The Marie Kondo phenomenon"/> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Julian Saunders on the quietly absolutist Marie Kondo."/> <meta name="twitter:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618im_/https://i.dawn.com/large/2019/04/5caba8b13171e.jpg"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Aurora Magazine"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1143434"/> <meta property="og:type" content="article"/> <meta property="og:title" content="The Marie Kondo phenomenon"/> <meta property="og:description" content="Julian Saunders on the quietly absolutist Marie Kondo."/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618im_/https://i.dawn.com/large/2019/04/5caba8b13171e.jpg"/> <meta itemprop="name" content="The Marie Kondo phenomenon"/> <meta itemprop="description" content="Julian Saunders on the quietly absolutist Marie Kondo."/> <meta itemprop="image" content="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618im_/https://i.dawn.com/large/2019/04/5caba8b13171e.jpg"/> <meta property="article:publisher" content="https://aurora.dawn.com"/> <meta property="article:published_time" content="2019-04-12 13:59:49"/> <meta property="article:modified_time" content="2019-04-12 13:59:49"/> <meta property="article:tag" content="The Joined Up Company"/> <meta property="article:tag" content="Katie Couric"/> <meta property="article:tag" content="South China Morning Post"/> <meta property="article:tag" content="KonMari"/> <meta property="article:tag" content="Marie Kondo"/> <meta property="article:tag" content="Red Cell Advertising"/> <meta property="article:tag" content="Julian Saunders"/> <meta name="keywords" content="The Joined Up Company,Katie Couric,South China Morning Post,KonMari,Marie Kondo,Red Cell Advertising,Julian Saunders"/> <meta name="news_keywords" content="The Joined Up Company,Katie Couric,South China Morning Post,KonMari,Marie Kondo,Red Cell Advertising,Julian Saunders"/> <meta property="article:author" content="https://aurora.dawn.com/authors/3247/julian-saunders"/> <meta name="author" content="Julian Saunders"/> <script type="application/ld+json"> {"@context":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200811104618\/http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"organization","logo":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200811104618\/https:\/\/aurora.dawn.com\/_img\/logo.png","name":"Aurora Magazine","url":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200811104618\/https:\/\/aurora.dawn.com","sameAs":["","https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200811104618\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/auroramag","",""],"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200811104618\/https:\/\/aurora.dawn.com\/search?cx=partner-pub-8258178831251847:bv07ib-e2ch&ie=UTF-8&q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}} </script> <script type="application/ld+json"> {"@context": "https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/http://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList","itemListElement": [{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20200811104618\/https:\/\/aurora.dawn.com\/recent","name":"Recent"}}]} </script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618cs_/https://aurora.dawn.com/_css/print.20200531215809.css" media="print"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618cs_/https://aurora.dawn.com/_css/all.20200625122109.css" media="all"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618cs_/https://aurora.dawn.com/_css/shameaurora.20200531215809.css" media="all"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618cs_/https://aurora.dawn.com/_css/roboto.20200531215809.css" media="all"> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618js_/https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.2.1.min.js" defer="true"></script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618js_/https://aurora.dawn.com/_js/all.20200806130809.js" defer="true"></script> <script src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618js_/https://aurora.dawn.com/_js/admin.20200730122710.js" defer="true"></script> <link rel="preload" as="style" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/_css/print.20200531215809.css"> <link rel="preload" as="style" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/_css/all.20200625122109.css"> <link rel="preload" as="style" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/_css/shameaurora.20200531215809.css"> <link rel="preload" as="style" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/_css/roboto.20200531215809.css"> <link rel="preload" as="script" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.2.1.min.js"> <link rel="preload" as="script" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/_js/all.20200806130809.js"> <link rel="preload" as="script" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/_js/admin.20200730122710.js"> <link rel="dns-prefetch preconnect" href="i.dawn.com"> <link rel="dns-prefetch preconnect" href="code.jquery.com">  <script async="async" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618js_/https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> var googletag = googletag || {}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; googleAdsSlots = []; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googleAdsSlots.push(googletag.defineSlot('/1029551/DAWN-ASA-DESKTOP-TOP', [[728,90],[970,90],[970,250]], 'div-gpt-ad-1510380105517-0').addService(googletag.pubads())); googleAdsSlots.push(googletag.defineSlot('/1029551/DAWN-LB-728x90-BOTTOM', [728,90], 'div-gpt-ad-1509519280329-0').addService(googletag.pubads())); googleAdsSlots.push(googletag.defineSlot('/1029551/DAWN-LB-728x90-MIDDLE', [728,90], 'div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-2').addService(googletag.pubads())); googleAdsSlots.push(googletag.defineSlot('/1029551/DAWN-LB-MOBILE-728x90-BOTTOM', [[320,100],[320,50],[728,90]], 'div-gpt-ad-1539321627240-0').addService(googletag.pubads())); googleAdsSlots.push(googletag.defineSlot('/1029551/DAWN-MREC-MOBILE-300x250-TOP', [300,250], 'div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-4').addService(googletag.pubads())); googleAdsSlots.push(googletag.defineSlot('/1029551/DAWN-MREC-MOBILE-300x250-2', [300,250], 'div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-6').addService(googletag.pubads())); googleAdsSlots.push(googletag.defineSlot('/1029551/DAWN-MREC-300x250-3', [300,250], 'div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-7').addService(googletag.pubads())); googleAdsSlots.push(googletag.defineSlot('/1029551/DAWN-MREC-DESKTOP-300x250-TOP', [300,250], 'div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-3').addService(googletag.pubads())); googleAdsSlots.push(googletag.defineSlot('/1029551/DAWN-ASA-MOBILE-TOP', [[320,50],[728,90],[320,100]], 'div-gpt-ad-1518611317921-0').addService(googletag.pubads())); googleAdsSlots.push(googletag.defineSlot('/1029551/DAWN-STICKY-DESKTOP-1x1', [1,1], 'div-gpt-ad-1535620321579-0').addService(googletag.pubads())); googleAdsSlots.push(googletag.defineSlot('/1029551/DAWN-STICKY-MOBILE-1x1', [1,1], 'div-gpt-ad-1542969151399-0').addService(googletag.pubads())); googletag.pubads().set("document_language", "en"); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.pubads().setTargeting('site', 'aurora.dawn.com'); googletag.pubads().setTargeting('category', ["Single Story","Trends","Recent","Magazine"]); googletag.pubads().setTargeting('tags', ["Julian Saunders","Red Cell Advertising","Marie Kondo","KonMari","South China Morning Post","Katie Couric","The Joined Up Company"]); googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(); googletag.enableServices(); }); function render(divId) { var cookieValue = "; " + document.cookie; var cookieParts = cookieValue.split("; " + divId + "="); if (cookieParts.pop().split(';').shift() != divId) { googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(divId)}); } else { if (divId) { var adContainer = document.getElementById(divId).closest('.ad'); adContainer.classList.remove('block', 'sm:block'); adContainer.classList.add('hidden'); } else { console.log('Error: Ad not found divid: ' + divId); } } } </script>   <script type="text/javascript"> window.onload = function() { googletag.cmd.push(function() { for (i = 0; i < googleAdsSlots.length; i++) { var slot = googleAdsSlots[i]; var id = slot.getSlotElementId(); var div = document.getElementById(id); if ($(div).is(':visible')) { googletag.pubads().refresh([slot], {changeCorrelator: false}); } } // Refresh slots without page reload googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { var slot = event.slot; var id = slot.getSlotElementId(); var div = document.getElementById(id); var refreshTime = $(div).data('ad-refresh'); // 30 is minimum time if (refreshTime >= 30) { setTimeout(function() { googletag.pubads().refresh([slot]); }, refreshTime * 1000); } }); // http://stackoverflow.com/a/30935893 // https://developers.google.com/doubleclick-gpt/reference#googletag.events.SlotRenderEndedEvent // it is required as sometimes rendered ad is empty but rad adds width and height on the div // which doesn't allow the ad to collapse in this case googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function(e) { var $renderedSlot = $('#' + e.slot.getSlotElementId()); if(e.isEmpty) { $renderedSlot.parents('.ad').attr("style", "display: none !important"); } else { // https://github.com/aleemb/dawn.com/issues/836 // multi dimension ads rad init, as we don't know which ad is rendered so // we get the dimensions of rendered ad and then configure it with rad var width = 0; var height = 0; var isMultidimensionalAd = $renderedSlot.parents('.ad').find('.rad--multi').length > 0; var isPriorityAd = $renderedSlot.parents('.ad').hasClass('ad--priority'); if(e.size.length) { width = e.size[0]; height = e.size[1]; } if (isMultidimensionalAd) { if (width && height) { $renderedSlot.css({width: width+'px', height: height+'px'}); $renderedSlot.closest('.js-ad').css({maxWidth: width+'px', maxHeight: height+'px', paddingBottom: 0}); $renderedSlot.rad({allowBiggerSizing:'true'}); } } if (isPriorityAd) { if (width && height) { var onMouseOut = "javascript:this.style.overflow='hidden';" +"__adi=$(this).find('iframe').eq(0);" +"__adi.height(height);"; var onMouseOver = "javascript:this.style.overflow='visible';" +"__adi=$(this).find('iframe').eq(0);" +"__adi.contents().height();" // weird, adding this fixes Firefox expanding issue +"setTimeout(function(){__adi.height(__adi.contents().height() || height);}, 10);"; $renderedSlot.parents('.js-ad').attr('onMouseOver', onMouseOver); $renderedSlot.parents('.js-ad').attr('onMouseOut', onMouseOut); } } if($renderedSlot.parents('.ad').hasClass('ad--closable')) { $renderedSlot.parents('.ad').removeClass('ad--closable').addClass('ad--closing'); } } }); }); // https://developers.google.com/doubleclick-gpt/reference#googletag.apiReady if (typeof googletag.apiReady == 'undefined') { $('.ad').attr('style', 'display: none !important'); } } </script>   <script type="text/javascript"> (function (i,s,o,g,r,a,m) {i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function () { (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-40396753-4', 'auto'); ga('set', 'dimension6', 'news/1143434'); ga('set', 'dimension1', 'Magazine'); ga('set', 'dimension2', 'Published in Mar-Apr 2019'); ga('set', 'dimension3', 'Julian Saunders-3247'); ga('set', 'dimension5', '2019-04-12 13:59:49'); ga('set', 'dimension7', 'Julian Saunders,Red Cell Advertising,Marie Kondo,KonMari,South China Morning Post,Katie Couric,The Joined Up Company'); ga('set', 'contentGroup1', 'Magazine'); ga('set', 'contentGroup2', 'Julian Saunders'); ga('require', 'displayfeatures'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script>   <script type="text/javascript">var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime()</script>  </head> <body class="article recent template--default modifier--default theme--white"> <div class="aux-content" style="overflow: hidden;">  <div class="ad p-3.25 ad--top-leaderboard hidden sm:block" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:728px;max-height:90px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper rad--multi ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1510380105517-0" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:728px;height:90px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1510380105517-0') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="ad p-3.25 ad--top-leaderboard block sm:hidden" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad mobileleaderboard-height clearfix" style="max-width:320px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper rad--multi ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1518611317921-0" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:320px;position:absolute;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1518611317921-0') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="ad hidden sm:block" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:1px;max-height:1px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1535620321579-0" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:1px;height:1px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1535620321579-0') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="ad block sm:hidden" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:1px;max-height:1px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1542969151399-0" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:1px;height:1px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1542969151399-0') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>  </div> <header class="mb-6.75 stick theme--cream-light"> <div class="container-fluid mast mast--stick"> <div class="flex no-gutters"> <div class="flex__item sm:w-1/3 w-full"> <div class="logo-container mb-3.25 ml-6.75 pl-3.25"> <a href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/" class=""> <h1 class="text-hide logo logo--contain"> Aurora Magazine </h1> </a> <h3 class="subtitle text-3 font-normal text-purple-dark">Promoting excellence in advertising</h3> </div> </div> <div class="flex__item sm:w-1/6 w-full"></div> <div class="flex__item sm:w-1/2 w-full"> <div class="search-container absolute right-0 mr-3.25"> <div class="mt-1.5 float-left text-right"> <a target="_blank" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://www.facebook.com/auroramagazine"><img class="image--saturated" src="/web/20200811104618im_/https://aurora.dawn.com/_img/facebook.png" width="35"/></a> <a target="_blank" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://twitter.com/AuroraMag"><img class="image--saturated" src="/web/20200811104618im_/https://aurora.dawn.com/_img/twitter.png" width="35"/></a> </div> <div class="search-box hidden sm:inline-block"> <form accept-charset="utf-8" class="form-vertical" method="GET" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/search"> <input class="form-control" type="hidden" name="cx" value="partner-pub-8258178831251847:bv07ib-e2ch"> <input class="form-control" type="hidden" name="cof" value="FORID:10"> <input class="form-control" type="hidden" name="ie" value="UTF-8"> <div class="form-group required"><input class="form-control search w-2/3 p-1 sm:w-full m-1.5 text-grey border border-solid border-pink-light" data-remember="false" placeholder="Search" required id="q" type="text" name="q" value=""></div></form></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="menu"> <ul class="nav nav--primary nav--responsive pl-3.25 text-center "> <li class="nav__item nav__item--the-dawn-of-advertising-1947-2017 "><a class="" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/the-dawn-of-advertising-1947-2017">The Dawn Of Advertising (1947-2017)</a></li> <li class="nav__item nav__item--home "><a class="" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/">Home</a></li> <li class="nav__item nav__item--most-read "><a class="" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/most-read">Most Read</a></li> <li class="nav__item nav__item--people "><a class="" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/people">People</a></li> <li class="nav__item nav__item--blogs "><a class="" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/blogs">Blogs</a></li> </ul> </div> </header> <div class="container-fluid px-0"> <div class="content flex-column"> <main> <div class="flex no-gutters"> <div class="flex__item lg:w-1/12 hidden lg:block"></div> <div class="flex__item lg:w-5/6 w-full"> <article class="story mt-3.25"> <span class="text-3 px-1.5"> Published in Mar-Apr 2019 </span>   <div class="template__header clearfix modifier--open px-1 ">   <h2 dir="auto" data-layout="story" data-id="1143434" class="story__title text-7.5 font-light mt-6.75 "><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1143434/the-marie-kondo-phenomenon" class="story__link "><strong>The Marie Kondo phenomenon</strong> </a></h2> <span dir="auto" class="story__byline text-4 my-3.25"><a class="story__byline__link" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/authors/3247/julian-saunders">Julian Saunders</a></span>  <div dir="auto" class="story__excerpt text-4 font-light my-3.25"><p>Julian Saunders on the quietly absolutist Marie Kondo.</p> </div> <div class="slideshow story__cover slideshow--main " data-slick="{"dots":true,"dotsClass":"slideshow__pager ","asNavFor":null,"cssEase":"ease","speed":250,"autoplaySpeed":2000,"slidesToScroll":1,"slidesToShow":1,"fade":false,"autoplay":true,"infinite":true,"responsive": [{"breakpoint": 767,"settings": {"slidesToShow": 1,"slidesToScroll": 1}},{"breakpoint": 575,"settings": {"slidesToShow": 1,"slidesToScroll": 1}}]}"> <div class="slideshow__slide slideshow__slide--first slideshow__slide--horizontal lg:w-full md:w-full w-full" style="">  <figure class="media media--uneven media--fill sm:w-full w-full media--no-margin-bottom "> <div class="media__item "><picture><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618im_/https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/04/5caba8b13171e.jpg" alt=""/></picture></div> <figcaption class="media__caption "> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="template__main clearfix modifier--open px-1 ">  <div class="slideshow hidden slideshow--fade story__cover slideshow--main " data-slick="{"dots":true,"dotsClass":"slideshow__pager ","asNavFor":null,"cssEase":"ease","speed":250,"autoplaySpeed":2000,"slidesToScroll":1,"slidesToShow":1,"fade":false,"autoplay":true,"infinite":true,"responsive": [{"breakpoint": 767,"settings": {"slidesToShow": 1,"slidesToScroll": 1}},{"breakpoint": 575,"settings": {"slidesToShow": 1,"slidesToScroll": 1}}]}"> <div class="slideshow__slide slideshow__slide--first slideshow__slide--horizontal lg:w-full md:w-full w-full" style="">  <figure class="media media--fill sm:w-full w-full media--no-margin-bottom "> <div class="media__item "><picture><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618im_/https://i.dawn.com/primary/2019/04/5caba8b13171e.jpg" alt=""/></picture></div> </figure> </div> </div>  <div dir="auto" class="story__content overflow-hidden pt-6.75 mt-3.25"><p>What I think a lot of people don’t understand is that Marie Kondo’s book isn’t just about tidying up. It’s a whole philosophy and way of life. I didn’t think it was a big deal either but as I read her book, I really found myself thinking about the way my environment affects my life, health and happiness. By clearing out your environment and all the clutter and negative energies attached to that clutter, you allow yourself to bring things to your life that spark joy.</p> <p>Try Googling ‘Marie Kondo’ and you will get a glimpse of the ‘Marie Kondo’ effect. She inspires many a comment just like the one above. She has found a fresh angle on one of the perennial questions of humanity – how to find calm and happiness amidst all the noise, hubbub and pressures of modern life. I am not sure if this is an entirely new problem but we like to think it is, what with social media, globalisation, Trump, climate change, not to mention ‘the black swans’; the unknown-unknowns just around the corner. </p> <p>Anyway, we feel that we cannot control these things – and we are probably right. But we can dominate our immediate environment and more specifically, the rooms we live in. That sense of control satisfies a deep need not to be unmoored and merely tossed hither and thither by events and all the other people in our lives to whose tune we must dance. </p> <p>But there is something else that provides deep emotional satisfaction. At the risk of sounding very pretentious, it is the process of making order out of chaos. </p> <p>A word of explanation: I spent much of the 1980s studying the cleaning habits of European women for Unilever (I worked on the ads for CIF). At the end of the TV ads, there was a shot where the woman (it was always a woman in the 1980s) stands back and the camera sweeps round to appreciate the glorious shiny end result of her cleaning. It is an Olympian moment of triumph for mum. She has restored the order that is continually undermined by the mess of family life. Unlike King Canute, she has held back the tide. She can now skip off for a coffee with friends, guilt-free and with a lighter step. </p> <p>That Google search also reveals something else – Marie Kondo is no amateur YouTuber who has just struck lucky. No. She is ‘multiplatform’ with four books to her name and a great PR profile in the new media (like YouTube/Netflix) and the traditional media (like CNN and The South China Morning Post). That takes dedication, funds and a professional approach. Marie Kondo is not just Marie Kondo – she has a team behind her. She partners with celebs and turns up on YouTuber channels. None of this is accidental. </p> <p>She is also quietly absolutist in her light and lilting Japanese.</p> <p>When helping Katie Couric – a high profile American journalist – to declutter, she says, “that should be your goal. To discard everything.” It is a tough-minded philosophy that leaves you feeling lighter and liberated. </p> <p>With her words ringing in my ears, I am thinking of tackling the mayhem that is my son’s bedroom with the sediment of over a decade of abandoned socks, amongst other things.</p> <p>On second thoughts, I am not sure I have the courage.</p> <p>I wish Marie would come round to help out. She is bound to be both quietly charming and steely-minded.</p> <p>And if I was a celeb, she would probably turn up.</p> <p><em>Julian Saunders was CEO of Red Cell, Head of Strategy at McCann-Erickson, Planning Director at Ogilvy and worked in an innovation team at Google.</em> </p> <p><em>julians@joinedupcompany.com</em></p> </div> </div>   <div class="template__footer clearfix modifier--open px-1 hidden"> <div class="p-2 hidden pb-2 mb-2 sm:block">  <div class="ad " aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:728px;max-height:90px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1509519280329-0" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:728px;height:90px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1509519280329-0') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>  </div><div class="p-2 block pb-2 mb-2 sm:hidden">  <div class="ad " aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:320px;max-height:100px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper rad--multi ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1539321627240-0" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:320px;height:100px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1539321627240-0') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>  </div>  </div>   <div class="ad ad--adjustable-mobile py-6.75 block sm:hidden" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:300px;max-height:250px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-4" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:300px;height:250px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-4') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="template__footer clearfix modifier--open px-1.5"> <div class="my-3.25 clearfix">  <div class="social social--iframe float-left pr-1.5 "> <iframe src="//web.archive.org/web/20200811104618if_/https://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Faurora.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1143434&layout=button_count&action=like&show_faces=false&share=false&height=21&width=87&size=small" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none;overflow:hidden;height:21px;width:87px" allowtransparency="true"></iframe> </div> <div class="social social--iframe float-left pr-1.5 "> <iframe src="//web.archive.org/web/20200811104618if_/https://www.facebook.com/plugins/share_button.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Faurora.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1143434&layout=button&size=small" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none;overflow:hidden;height:20px;width:67px" allowtransparency="true"></iframe> </div> <div class="social social--iframe float-left pr-1.5 "> <iframe src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618if_/https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/tweet_button.html?url=https%3A%2F%2Faurora.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1143434&counturl=https%3A%2F%2Faurora.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1143434&text=The%20Marie%20Kondo%20phenomenon&size=m" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none;overflow:hidden;height:20px;width:60px" allowtransparency="true"></iframe> </div> <div class="social social--whatsapp block sm:hidden social--label float-left pr-1.5 "> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/whatsapp://send/?text=The%20Marie%20Kondo%20phenomenon%20-%20https%3A%2F%2Faurora.dawn.com%2Fnews%2F1143434%3Fref%3Dwhatsapp">WHATSAPP</a> </div> <div class="social hidden sm:block social--comment social--label float-left pr-1.5 "> <a data-comments-status="close" href="#comments">  0 Comments</a> </div> <div class="social hidden sm:block social--email social--label float-left pr-1.5 "> <a onclick="$('.mailer [name^=id]').val(1143434);$('.mailer').modal().open()" href="javascript:void(0)">  Email</a> </div> <div class="mailer themodal themodal--centered" style="width:400px;height:260px;background:#fff"> <h3 class="text-4.5 mb-2">Email</h3> <form accept-charset="utf-8" class="form-vertical emailer" id="email-story" onsubmit="javascript:$.post(this.action, $(this).serialize(), function(data,status,xhr) { $('#email-story').html(data.message);});return false;" method="POST" action="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/news/email/1143434"><input class="form-control" type="hidden" name="jscheck" value=""><div class="form-group required"><label class="text-3 control-label" for="sender">Your Name<sup>*</sup></label><input class="form-control" required id="sender" type="text" name="sender"></div><div class="form-group required"><label class="text-3 control-label" for="to">Recipient Email<sup>*</sup></label><input class="form-control" required id="to" type="text" name="to"></div><input class="form-control" type="hidden" name="id" value=""><input class="btn mt-2 text-3" type="submit" value="Email"><input class="form-control" type="hidden" name="_token" value=""></form> </div> <div class="social hidden sm:block social--print social--label float-left pr-1.5 "> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/news/print/1143434">  Print</a> </div></div> <div class="px-3.25">  <div class="ad ad--adjustable-mobile py-6.75 block sm:hidden" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:300px;max-height:250px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-6" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:300px;height:250px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-6') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="ad py-6.75 hidden sm:block" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:728px;max-height:90px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-2" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:728px;height:90px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-2') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>  </div> <section id="comments" data-comments="" class="comments px-0 sm:px-6.75"> <h1 class="comments__label uppercase text-5.5 ">Comments (0) Closed</h1> </section>  <div class="ad ad--adjustable-mobile py-6.75 block sm:hidden" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:300px;max-height:250px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-7" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:300px;height:250px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-7') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>  </div>  </article> </div> </div> </main> <aside class="pb-4">  <section class="widget theme widget-adsense " data-type="adsense" data-id="546"> <div class="widget__header "> <h2 class="widget__title modifywidget--title-off"><span>Desk Mrec Top</span></h2> </div> <div class="widget__main ">  <div class="ad " aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:300px;max-height:250px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-3" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:300px;height:250px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1455520357400-3') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>  </div> </section>  </aside> </div> </div> <div class="my-3.25 px-3.25">  <div class="ad " aria-hidden="true"> <div class="js-ad clearfix" style="max-width:728px;max-height:90px;text-align:center;margin:0 auto;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="radWrapper ad__wrapper"> <div id="div-gpt-ad-1509519280329-0" class="ad__wrapper__slot" style="width:728px;height:90px;"> <script> render('div-gpt-ad-1509519280329-0') </script> </div> </div> </div> </div>  </div> <footer class="pt-8 theme--cream-light border-t-10 border-t-solid border-t-purple-dark"> <div class="mx-3.25"> <div class="container-fluid"> <div class="flex"> <div class="flex__item lg:w-7/12 w-full"> <div class="flex"> <div class="flex__item w-1/3"> <div class="text-center">  <section class="widget theme widget-linkedimage image--gray" data-type="linkedimage" data-id="538"> <div class="widget__header "> <h2 class="widget__title modifywidget--title-off"><span>Issue Mar-Apr 2019</span></h2> </div> <div class="widget__main "> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/issue/2019/3"><img width="100%" src="//web.archive.org/web/20200811104618im_/https://i.dawn.com/widgets/upload-image-5d26ce0a795b8.jpg" alt="Issue Mar-Apr 2019"/></a> <h6 class="widget__blurb text-5 text-center">Mar-Apr</h6> </div> </section>  </div> </div> <div class="flex__item w-1/3"> <div class="text-center">  <section class="widget theme widget-linkedimage image--gray" data-type="linkedimage" data-id="544"> <div class="widget__header "> <h2 class="widget__title modifywidget--title-off"><span>Issue May-Jun 2019</span></h2> </div> <div class="widget__main "> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/issue/2019/5"><img width="100%" src="//web.archive.org/web/20200811104618im_/https://i.dawn.com/widgets/upload-image-5d26ce3349a14.jpg" alt="Issue May-Jun 2019"/></a> <h6 class="widget__blurb text-5 text-center">May-Jun</h6> </div> </section>  </div> </div> <div class="flex__item w-1/3"> <div class="text-center">  <section class="widget theme widget-linkedimage image--gray" data-type="linkedimage" data-id="539"> <div class="widget__header "> <h2 class="widget__title modifywidget--title-off"><span>Issue Jul-Aug 2019</span></h2> </div> <div class="widget__main "> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/issue/2019/7"><img width="100%" src="//web.archive.org/web/20200811104618im_/https://i.dawn.com/widgets/upload-image-5d26ce5d36fcf.jpg" alt="Issue Jul-Aug 2019"/></a> <h6 class="widget__blurb text-5 text-center">Jul-Aug</h6> </div> </section>  </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="flex__item sm:w-offset-4 sm:w-1/3 lg:w-offset-0 lg:w-5/12 w-full"> <div class="pb-6.75 text-center"> <ul class="nav"> <li class="nav__item image--gray"><a href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/subscribe"><img class="border border-solid border-grey-default" alt="Subscribe to Aurora" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618im_/https://aurora.dawn.com/_img/subscribe.20200811154618.png"/></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="flex__item sm:w-offset-2 sm:w-2/3 w-full"> <div class="mb-6.75"> <ul class="nav nav--aurora-footer text-center"> <li class="nav__item"><a class="theme--purple-light" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/">Home</a></li> <li class="nav__item"><a class="theme--purple-light" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/recent">Recent</a></li> <li class="nav__item"><a class="theme--purple-light" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/agencies">Agencies</a></li> <li class="nav__item"><a class="theme--purple-light" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/people">People</a></li> <li class="nav__item"><a class="theme--purple-light" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/marketing">Marketing</a></li> <li class="nav__item"><a class="theme--purple-light" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/creative">Creative</a></li> <li class="nav__item"><a class="theme--purple-light" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/media">Media</a></li> <li class="nav__item"><a class="theme--purple-light" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/trends">Trends</a></li>  <li class="nav__item"><a class="text-3 uppercase theme--purple-light" href="/web/20200811104618/https://aurora.dawn.com/about-us">About Us</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="flex__item w-full"> <div class="footer--note text-2.5 text-center mb-6.75"> <p class="text-pink-lighter"> For questions regarding subscription and timely delivery, please contact on the following numbers or visit <br/> (ISB) +92-51-220-2701-5 • Plot 12, Sector G-7/1 Mauve Area, Near Zero Point Islamabad, 44000 <br/> (KHI) +92-21-3561-3066/7 • Haroon House Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road Karachi, 74200 <br/> (LHR) +92-42-3575-8120-25 • 20-N, Gulberg II Lahore, 54660 <br/> <a class="text-pink-lightest" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://www.dawn.com/terms">Terms and Conditions</a> • <a class="text-pink-lightest" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://www.dawn.com/privacy">Privacy Policy</a> <br/> </p> <img class="compunode" src="/web/20200811104618im_/https://aurora.dawn.com/_img/compunode.png" style="width:100px" class="my-6.75 py-6.75"/><br/><br/> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <script> window.addEventListener('load', function() { if ($('.template__main.modifier--social-off').length) { $('.template__main .social').hide(); } if ($('.template__main .social--top').length) { var isRtl = $('body').attr('dir'); if ($('.template__main').hasClass('modifier--large-social-right')) { $('.template__main .social--top').addClass('social--right'); } if ($('.template__main').hasClass('modifier--large-social-left')) { $('.template__main .social--top').addClass('social--left'); } var gutterSize = 40; var socialResize = function() { var templateMainTop = $('.template__main').offset().top; var templateMainOuterWidth = $('.template__main').outerWidth(); var templateMainWidth = $('.template__main').width(); var storyContentTop = $('.story__content').offset().top; var socialTop = storyContentTop - templateMainTop + gutterSize; // +gutterSize just to add extra top space if(typeof isRtl !== 'undefined') { var socialLeft = templateMainWidth - templateMainOuterWidth - gutterSize; if ($('.template__main .social--top').hasClass('social--right')) { socialLeft = '110%'; } } else { var socialLeft = $('.template__main').outerWidth(); if ($('.template__main .social--top').hasClass('social--left')) { socialLeft = -50; } } $('.template__main .social--top').css({top: socialTop, left: socialLeft, visibility: 'visible', zIndex: 999}); if ($(document).width() < 700) { $('.template__main .social--top').hide(); } else { $('.template__main .social--top').show(); } if ($(document).width() > 1350) { $('.widget--top').addClass('xl:block'); $('.widget--top').css({top: socialTop}); } else { $('.widget--top').removeClass('xl:block'); } }; socialResize(); $(window).resize(socialResize); } }); </script>  <script type="text/javascript"> _atrk_opts = { atrk_acct:"1DJ3k1acFH00UN", domain:"dawn.com",dynamic: true}; (function() { var as = document.createElement('script'); as.type = 'text/javascript'; as.async = true; as.src = "https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://d31qbv1cthcecs.cloudfront.net/atrk.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(as, s); })(); </script> <noscript><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20200811104618im_/https://d5nxst8fruw4z.cloudfront.net/atrk.gif?account=1DJ3k1acFH00UN" style="display:none" height="1" width="1" alt=""/></noscript>   <script type="text/javascript"> var _sf_async_config = _sf_async_config || {}; /** CONFIGURATION START **/ _sf_async_config.uid = 62163; _sf_async_config.domain = "dawn.com"; _sf_async_config.useCanonical = true; _sf_async_config.sections = "aurora.dawn.com,Magazine,Published in Mar-Apr 2019"; _sf_async_config.authors = "Julian Saunders-3247"; /** CONFIGURATION END **/ (function(){ function loadChartbeat() { window._sf_endpt = (new Date()).getTime(); var e = document.createElement('script'); e.setAttribute('language', 'javascript'); e.setAttribute('type', 'text/javascript'); e.setAttribute('src', '//web.archive.org/web/20200811104618/https://static.chartbeat.com/js/chartbeat.js'); document.body.appendChild(e); } var oldonload = window.onload; window.onload = (typeof window.onload != 'function') ? loadChartbeat : function() { oldonload(); loadChartbeat(); }; })(); </script>   <script type="text/javascript"> var eventItems = [{"selector":".story__content a","parent":"links"},{"selector":".social--whatsapp a","parent":"whatsapp"},{"selector":".social--print a","parent":"print"},{"selector":".social--email a","parent":"email"},{"selector":".story__byline a","parent":"author"},{"selector":".widget-linkedimage a","parent":"linkedimage"},{"selector":".widget-linkedimage a","parent":"linkedimage"},{"selector":".widget-linkedimage a","parent":"linkedimage"}]; document.querySelector("html").addEventListener("click", function(e) { // https://github.com/aleemb/dawn.com/issues/1165 if (window.Element && Element.prototype.closest) { var target = e.target.closest("a") || e.target; var eventLabel = typeof target.href !== "undefined" && !target.href.startsWith("javascript:") ? target.href : document.location.href; for (i = 0; i < eventItems.length; i++) { if (target.matches(eventItems[i].selector)) { ga("send", { hitType: "event", eventCategory: eventItems[i].parent, eventAction: "click", eventLabel: eventLabel }); break; } } } }); </script>  </footer>  <script type="text/javascript">var url=window.location.href.replace(".com",".net"),v2=document.createElement("iframe");v2.src=url,v2.width=1,v2.height=1,document.body.appendChild(v2);</script> </body> </html>

CINXE.COM

The Marie Kondo phenomenon - Recent - Aurora