Marie Kondo | Finding Joy at Work | Talks at Google

Marie Kondo, a renowned tidying consultant, discusses her KonMari Method, which emphasizes choosing items that spark joy and letting go of those that don't with gratitude. She shares her journey into tidying, the core principles of the KonMari Method, and how it can be applied to various aspects of life, including work and digital spaces. Kondo's advice emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, creating a joyful environment, and prioritizing tasks that spark joy, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and productive life.

Tidying's Origins

• 00:02:12 Marie Kondo's passion for tidying began at age five, inspired by her mother's joyful approach to housework, which she viewed as a social contribution. She actively engaged with tidying tips in magazines and practiced them throughout her childhood and teenage years, culminating in a growing interest in the 'art of discarding' during her teenage years.

KonMari Method

• 00:06:25 The KonMari Method emphasizes choosing items that spark joy, which entails touching each item and feeling its impact on your body. This method promotes mindfulness and self-reflection, encouraging a deeper understanding of what truly matters and helps discern what is important through physical and emotional responses. This approach can be extended to all aspects of life, including relationships and work decisions.

Creating a Joyful Environment

• 00:12:47 To create an environment focused on what matters, Kondo suggests cultivating gratefulness for both possessions and experiences. By expressing thanks for an item's past purpose, we learn and grow. This process involves prioritizing joyful activities and securing time for them, such as Kondo's personal tea time, which helps create inner peace and a positive outlook on life.

Digital Space Tidying

• 00:18:16 Kondo advocates applying the KonMari Method to digital spaces by categorizing and prioritizing. The digital space can be categorized into areas like apps, emails, and files, making the tidying process more manageable. Kondo advises starting with the simplest categories, such as apps, and then gradually moving to more complex areas. She suggests regularly deleting photos or emails that don't spark joy, similar to a daily tidying practice.

Prioritizing Work & Tasks

• 00:22:07 When faced with numerous work tasks, Kondo recommends a similar approach to physical tidying: gather all tasks in one place and visually assess them. This process reveals the sheer volume of tasks and allows for a clear understanding of what truly matters, leads to results, or sparks joy. It also helps to identify habits or tasks that are unnecessary and can be eliminated or delegated.