Marie Kondo's KonMari Method fails to tidy up CBC Calgary traffic desk
Danielle Nerman | CBC News | Posted: January 6, 2016 8:25 PM | Last Updated: January 7, 2016
Angela Knight unable to purge because too many of her belongings 'spark joy'
If your New Year's resolution is to declutter your life, chances are you've already rolled several shirts into rectangles and asked yourself if your 15-year-old prom dress still sparks joy.
Those are just a few of the techniques used by professional Japanese organizer and bestselling authour Marie Kondo.
Kondo's 2014 self-help book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, has sold more than five million copies worldwide and she's just released an illustrated version.
Her KonMari Method balances on one, simple question: Does this frying pan "spark joy?"
"If it does, keep it," she writes. "If not, dispose of it."
You must continue to ask yourself that question as you go through every single one of your possessions.
Only then, will you reach tidying Nirvana.
- MORE CALGARY NEWS | 'Is your name Gary?' Woman takes out classified ad to find long-lost Calgary father
- MORE CALGARY NEWS | Alberta climate website lets you compare temperature, weather changes since 1950
CBC Calgary fails to tidy up
We decided to test the KonMari Method on the CBC Calgary traffic desk.
"Mine can't be possibly be the worst desk that you've ever seen," said Calgary Eyeopener traffic reporter Angela Knight to Karen Allbright with Calm Order in Calgary.
Allbright said it was a contender; however, there are many desks overflowing with weird things, such as My Little Ponies, around the office.
"It's really an emotional process for a lot of people. Especially when things have nostalgia attached to it," said the professional organizer.
Once you're ready to part with an item, Kondo writes that you should "thank it for the joy it gave you" — then let it go.
"I am not going to thank the things that I have before I get rid of them. I just want to be clear about that. That's just too far for me. Sorry KonMari," said Knight.
"Too many of my belongings spark joy," she said. "Is it reasonable for me to take two years to clean this?"
"No," said Allbright. "It should take a day."
But several hours into the KonMari Method and Knight had barely made a dent. Lucky for her, the CBC Calgary is not moving offices for another 18 months.
"I've got loads of time," she said.