spark joy

My Kondo-lences and sincere Kon-gratulations!

By Hazel Thornton | January 18, 2019 |

My Kondo-lences to those who are as Kondo-ed out as I am — no offense to the media darling herself — and sincere Kon-gratulations to Marie and everyone who has found inspiration in her new Netflix series — Tidying Up with Marie Kondo – which premiered on January 1st. My news feed has been saturated…

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Those Magic Little Words (that help you get organized)

By Hazel Thornton | May 14, 2018 |

A friend recently shared a tip with me that she read in an organizing book. I don’t even know which one it was. It was a technique for detaching emotionally from objects in order to be able to part with them. It said (I’m paraphrasing, and so was she): This item belongs in your past.…

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10 Silly Things Organizers Argue About

By Hazel Thornton | June 10, 2016 |

When professional organizers argue, it’s often just a matter of semantics. And when I say argue….well, that’s just semantics too. Disagree and misunderstand might be more accurate terms. We are, mostly, a congenial and supportive bunch! Sometimes we don’t even truly disagree, but we’re playing devil’s advocate; or exploring a new twist on an old…

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Things That Don’t Spark Joy, But You’d Better Keep Anyway

By Hazel Thornton | March 19, 2016 |

What do a toilet plunger and old tax returns have in common? They’re both things that don’t exactly spark joy, but you’d better keep anyway. If you’ve heard of Marie Kondo, the Japanese bestselling author, you will probably recall her #1 criterion for keeping things: Does it spark joy? I think this is a lovely…

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The Five Stages of Marie Kondo & The Life-Changing Magic of Doing What Works for YOU

By Hazel Thornton | January 21, 2016 |

Last year was a very long one for professional organizers. Some have jumped on the bandwagon, some have been openly critical, and others are just trying hard to stay above the fray. Not a day goes by but what I don’t see an article about, or at least mentioning, Marie Kondo, or someone asks me…

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