Watching others confront their mess is disturbingly compulsive.
Four episodes into Netflix’s Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, something snapped. At nine o’clock at night I found myself reorganising the top shelf of our inconveniently narrow linen cupboard so that the tablecloths stood to attention in neat rectangles. I could now remove one without the lot falling on my head. This shelf, tidied in the “KonMari” manner made famous by the tiny Japanese declutter queen, now “sparked joy”, as she would say. I had drunk the Kondo Kool-Aid and it was good.
Kondo’s improbable bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, and now the television series have sparked both inspiration and derision. She has clearly plugged into something primal. Fear of entropy, possibly: the gradual, inexorable decline into chaos that may one day destroy the universe and, meanwhile, is busy making my study into a no-go zone.
Denne historien er fra January 26 - February 1, 2019-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
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Denne historien er fra January 26 - February 1, 2019-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
