Marie Kondo's decluttering empire grows with global consultants
Your home may be cluttered with Christmas gifts, but one Japanese woman is building up a team to declutter the world. Marie Kondo earned a following of enthusiastic organizers with her book, "The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up," which has sold 6.8 million copies in over 40 countries. Her organizing technique became a global phenomenon, encouraging people to get rid of items in their homes that don't "spark joy."
"How would you want to use this space and experience this space if you could wave a magic wand?" Patty Morrissey asked.
She might not have a wand, but Morrissey, a decluttering consultant, is a magician to her clients. Sara Intonato is counting on Morrissey to help get her home in order. The process requires a piece by piece review of each possession, reports CBS News correspondent Reena Ninan.
They begin by creating a mountain of clothes.
"Pause, take it in. What's your reaction to the pile?" Morrissey asked.
"It feels good to see it. I think in a strange way, it feels less scattered because then now I feel like I know what I'm working with," Intonato said.
Whether an item stays or goes depends on one question: does it "spark joy"? Items that do not are thanked for their service – gratitude is central to Kondo's method – and given away.
"This does not spark joy. It feels like its purpose has been fulfilled. And I am thankful for that," Intonato said, holding a piece of clothing.
The simple, revealing process pioneered by Marie Kondo contains a powerful message that resonates: less clutter means more room for the things that bring joy to your life.
"What is it about getting rid of items that makes you reevaluate and examine your own life?" Ninan asked.
"The process of cleaning is to bring a fresh eye to each and every thing you own. Why did I buy this? Does it make me happy now?" Kondo replied in Japanese. "You have a conversation with yourself via your stuff. By cleaning, you can do a status check."
She is now leading a worldwide movement, training an army of consultants to bring her method to homes across the globe. Each consultant runs an independent business but pays annual fees to Kondo's company.
Kondo's method has its skeptics. Jeff Wilser, one of Morrissey's early clients, was one of them.
"The idea of going through your sock drawer and finding truths about your soul seemed a little far-fetched," Wilser said.
But months after completing his own Kondo clean-out, Wilser decided to pare down his belongings to a couple of suitcases so that he could travel the world. We caught up with him in California days before he left.
"So I was like, 'No joy, no joy, no joy,' and then I go to my hiking boots. And yeah, actually, there is some joy there. I really enjoy hiking. I really love traveling," Wilser said. "The decision to do a more dramatic departure did not happen until months later. But I do think that it subconsciously, in a subtle way, helps clarify or even suggest some values."
