"When Japanese Marie Kondo introduced her KonMari method a few years ago, which aims to bring system and order into homes, she caused a small revolution in the world. She built a successful KonMari brand and is creating her own network of consultants within it. Marie Kondo is not the first to come up with the topic of order, but she brought something new to these systematic and sorting methods. She advises people to keep only the things that make them happy in their lives. That is the main mission of her method, which she built on six basic rules.

You need to imagine your ideal home and commit to the process of organizing, that you are going for it and that you are going to do it comprehensively and properly, i.e. not just one closet. That takes time and effort. And most importantly, you have to reduce the amount of things you have, that is, reduce, minimize and throw away. You proceed according to individual categories, not according to rooms and in a precisely defined order. There are five categories in total: clothes, books, documents, "komono", which includes all other things in the household, from food to tools, and finally there are sentimental items. In the end, it's just about how beautifully you store these things and enjoy the daily good feeling and life without cleaning. Because every thing has its place."

One of the certified KonMari consultants is Zuzana Mrázová alias SIMPLIST and you can find her work on IG @simplist.sk . After years spent in corporations, she decided to make a change and today helps Slovaks organize their homes. She answered a few questions that interest us immensely about the KonMari method and order.

What was it like to meet Marie Kondo in person? What was your reaction or impression of the experience?

"If I have to describe the inner experience of that meeting, I have to paint the whole picture. The training I attended took place in New York, at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, in early November. We sat in a glass room with floor-to-ceiling windows, lit by the warm sun, overlooking the colorful trees, meadow, and lake. The room was set up like a big party. Round tables with flowers and polished glasses, where you felt comfortable and wanted to linger. No gloomy, dark hall with artificial lighting, rows of chairs, and stale air.

You expect and sense that someone important is coming. And here comes a subtle creature, a woman, delicate, refined, quiet. She bows deeply to you in greeting and says a prayer in Japanese. You don't need to understand, because the universal language says it's something beautiful.

Marie Kondo speaks to everyone and really only to you. She speaks in her native Japanese (interpreted into English). She talks about how important it is to her that you are here and that you want to continue what she started and what she dedicated her whole life to. The whole thing was believable, beautiful, human and very real. It's not like meeting a celebrity on the street, taking a selfie and posting it on Instagram. It was like meeting an idol that you want to follow.”

How does the KonMari method work for you, given your own personality and lifestyle? Are there any aspects that you have had to personally cope with or adapt to?

"The KonMari method is amazing in that it is universal. You can bring your own characteristics and your own essence into it. You can supplement it with rituals, communication, psychology and counseling. Many consultants work, for example, with autistic people or hoarders, who require a special approach."

At the same time, the method does not require any special qualities, skills, courses, or education from the consultant. You can use it in addition to what you already know. This can easily differentiate you from the competition, since you put yourself into it. This method suits me completely. For me personally, it is clear, clean, simple, systematic, and has a beginning and an end. That's exactly who I am. So I didn't have to adapt, but I set it all up to my strengths and weaknesses and adapted it to my skills. Every client is individual and different for me, I'm always learning something new, which enriches me and my way of working.”

What was the biggest change for you when you started applying the KonMari method to your life?

"Personally, this method helped me understand what owning things does to us in life. How things can weigh us down, annoy us on a daily basis, burden us mentally, take away our time and space for creativity and interpersonal relationships. I understood what it means for us at home to have just enough. How important it is to let things go from our lives, not to get overwhelmed, not to cling to unnecessary things."

When I went through my entire household with this method, I understood where I was making mistakes in my shopping behavior, how I thought about my own things, and how powerful consumerism and marketing are today. I am much better at choosing what I buy and bring into my household. I understood what it means to be happy with your things and take proper care of them.”

What are the biggest benefits of applying the KonMari method in your life?

"You can understand the benefits, for example, when comparing the work of an independent professional organizer and working with a KonMari consultant. A professional organizer will come to you, take your things that you want to organize and store them in a designated space (closet, kitchen, garage, etc.) in neat systems, boxes, and bins that he or she designs. It is then up to you to maintain the established system, otherwise it will all fall apart again and chaos will arise. This method is static and much simpler. If you add more things, you probably no longer have a place to store them.

On the contrary, the KonMari method TEACHES you to be able to do it yourself and maintain order in the long term, without external help. So that you decide which things you want to keep, take them into your own hands, create your own system that matches your taste and lifestyle, family conditions, your daily routine and personality. They looked at their household comprehensively and repeatedly returned and simplified what could be simplified. And they did not forget about the secret corners of the household, the mess of drawers and the sealed boxes in the attic.

What is the impact of the environment we live in on our productivity and overall well-being?

"Essential. Today's environment offers us everything we want. Everything is at our fingertips. We can get overwhelmed incredibly quickly. Overall productivity immediately goes down because instead of doing one thing, I'm dealing with 100 other things at once."

For example, when my grandmother cooked, she cooked. She didn't look up online recipes, didn't reply to messages, didn't use complicated food processors, and didn't buy spices and ingredients whose names you can't even pronounce. At most, she sang to herself while she did it. She did things simply and with joy. And that's something we often forget or don't have time for today.

Maybe you don't need another vacuum cleaner because you already have a classic, robotic, stick and manual one, maybe you just need the help of someone to vacuum. Prosperity will not solve our problems through more things. It will only add to our lack. What is important is to marry abundance and contentment. The need to BE, instead of HAVE, is the secret of a good life.”

How can the KonMari method help us achieve order in our minds?

"They say, 'Order in the house, order in the head.' Often we have so many unfulfilled tasks and tasks at home that the very idea of ​​getting started is overwhelming. Naturally, we start procrastinating. We don't do anything properly and yet we constantly "have" to do something. A vicious circle. However, the only thing our brain craves is order and a system so that we can fully concentrate on what is really important."

What specific tips would you recommend so that everyone can start applying the KonMari method in their daily lives?

"Have a clear idea of ​​your household and stick to it. Reduce the amount of things constantly, go deeper, be honest with yourself. Stop putting things away "maybe I'll need them someday" and instead move them to where they're still needed. If anyone is interested in learning more about this, I highly recommend Marie Kondo's book "The Magic of Tidying Up". Because this method is not just about folding your T-shirt on its edge and smoothing your socks. There is much more behind it that can change your life for the better."

What challenges do you often encounter when guiding clients through the KonMari method?

"The challenges can be very big. Time. Space. Laziness. Sentiments. Overwhelming. We live in warehouses of our things that have long ceased to serve us, to the detriment of our quality of life. Sometimes the hardest thing is to admit that I have a lot and that those things do not bring me benefit or joy in my life. And then decide what to do with them. The remorse of conscience, the environmental aspects of consumption, all this does not help us in deciding to get rid of unwanted things. And so we just keep them indefinitely."

How can the KonMari method be applied not only to organizing things, but also to other aspects of life, such as the work environment or relationships?

"For many of us, the work environment is our second home. We spend a third of our lives there. Here too, any system is better than none. If we create our own work environment (home office), we need to be able to navigate easily and well. The well-known saying "intelligent people manage chaos" no longer applies. Chaos is too low energy, which pushes us down and we don't have time to constantly look for something, hold it in our heads, and recreate piles. We don't want to look at piles of papers, boxes, or surf between files.

For example, many corporations have a simple “clean desk policy” system in place. This means that your desk must remain empty after you leave work. It has several levels. First, the cleaning lady can thoroughly clean and wipe down all surfaces. Second, nothing is lost, misplaced, or misused. Third, in the morning you return to an empty desk, you can start “with a clean slate”. Fourth, you have to clean up or file away the daily pile of papers, cups of coffee, Post-it notes, and notes. Fifth, you don’t have to look at personal items, knick-knacks, calendars, and displays of colleagues that irritate you immensely. The design of the workplace is preserved, whether it’s an office, clinic, gym, or store. For some, it’s unnecessary bullying, but in my opinion, it’s an excellent system that works.

Relationships, um, if I'm always doing something, I don't have time for people. We're constantly distancing ourselves from each other, but also from the environment we live in. We don't have time to listen, communicate, be present. Or we're forced to communicate with the wrong people. If we overdo it, yes, we can also clean up the people around us. I'll only keep those who bring joy to my life and I'll let go of all the toxic and annoying ones. But that's another "song."