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Joy at Work
A review of

Joy at Work

Organizing Your Professional Life


Spirituality and Common Sense

by David Meyer

World-renowned tidying-up specialist Marie Kondo offers advice for transforming your office and, as always, your life.

In 2019, Marie Kondo, best-selling author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, stared in Netflix’s popular TV series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. In this follow-up – adapted by Netflix as Sparking Joy – Kondo turns her attention from personal spaces to cluttered professional environments. Famously, Kondo regards tidying up as a powerful tool for self-reflection and discovery. She offers guidance for changing your work space into a sanctuary that, she promises, will spark joy.

It’s difficult to argue with or be cynical about Marie Kondo. First, the insane scale of her success makes it clear that millions of people value her insights. Second, even if you don’t fully buy into her ideas about caressing every object and reading its vibe, and follow only the basics of her advice, you will organize your work space and attitude toward work in ways that maximize your comfort and productivity. Will you experience joy? Possibly. Kondo’s true believers certainly claim to feel it.