After the new show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo aired on Netflix, Twitter exploded. People acted like Marie Kondo had come after everybody’s book collection with a flamethrower. But please calm your tits and experience some genuine (okay, semi-genuine) ways to spark joy.
- Read a book: People seemed most outraged about decluttering their massive book collections. How about being less defensive and reading one of your million unread books instead? I mean, you wanted to get to them eventually anyway and now is as good a time as any. And who knows, you might really enjoy it. Or did you secretly only buy them to impress people with your own literacy? Well, in that case, don’t mind me…
- Watch Marie Kondo’s show: After taking a cautious look at it (aka binging the whole thing) I must admit that, like many reality formats, the show is quite addictive. And don’t worry about feeling guilty, it will actually leave you with a satisfying hint of superiority. Because nothing makes you feel better about your own chaos than watching other people wade through their massive piles of stuff. Also, Marie Kondo is a delight.
- Declutter: If you’re being honest, you haven’t seen the original surface of your desk in ages. The mountains of stuff on your floor may collapse at any moment. And your regular workout is throwing yourself against your closet door to make it close. So, maybe try the life-changing magic of tidying up. It is honestly a good feeling to throw things out and organise your wardrobe by colour. Even if it doesn’t sound like an appealing idea now, with the next essay deadline fast approaching the urge to clean your room will become pretty strong in no time.
- Accept that some things are not for you: You own 700 unread books, two wardrobes full of clothing, and every receipt since you got your first pocket money? You are completely fine with that, thank you very much? That is okay. Not every new trend is a personal attack on you. Sometimes self-care is not giving a fuck.
- Stay in your lane: There is no shame in admitting that you have too much stuff and don’t want to change anything about that. And of course, it is always fun to hate on new trends because you are so much better than all the cringy shows out there. Go ahead and criticise scripted reality shows for their lack of realism or discuss the problems of current consumerism if you like. But don’t spread false information that you were too lazy to verify and spew racist bullshit. Believe me, being a decent person is not that hard and might leave you happier in the long run.
[Christina Schröck]
qmunicatemagazine.com 