Q & A

Pile all of your possessions onto your bed. One by one, hold each item you own in your hands. Does it spark joy? No? Then in the bin it goes.

This is the radical tidying method of Marie Kondo, a Japanese organising consultant who has sold 11 million books worldwide.

Her new Netflix series Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, in which she helps disorganised families throw out their junk, has launched a craze and generated headlines around the world.

The "KonMari" method focuses on identifying the objects that truly make you happy - whether they are clothes, books or keepsakes - and getting rid of everything else. She takes inspiration from the Japanese ShintoA traditional Japanese religion that focuses on links between the present and the ancient past. There is a special emphasis on honouring ancestors and the natural world. religion, which says that all things contain a spiritual energy.

"When you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order, too," she says. "Tidying is just a tool, not the final destination. The true goal should be to establish the lifestyle you want most once your house has been put in order."

And our culture tends to agree, valuing tidiness as superior while looking down on those who make a mess. "Cleanliness is next to godliness," goes the old saying.

But being too tidy can cause stress, says Tim Harford, the author of Messy: The Power of Disorder to Transform Our Lives.

He argues that mess can act like as a physical reminder of your to-do list. A half-read book, a discarded letter: these things will trigger your memory. Without them, you are less likely to remember your tasks and be left with a constant, creeping feeling of anxiety.

Besides, a bit of chaos can be productive.

"Orderly environments promote convention and healthy choices," says Kathleen D. Vohs from the University of Minnesota. "Disorderly environments seem to inspire breaking free of tradition, which can produce fresh insights."

When we are surrounded by random clutter, our brains can make unexpected connections to create fresh ideas. There are lots of famous examples: Mark TwainThe pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a 19th Century writer known as "the father of American literature". and Albert Einstein had chaotic desks, while Francis BaconAn English philosopher, writer, scientist, lawyer, and politician (1561-1626).'s studio in Dublin is an avalanche of paint, papers and mess.

Kondo encourages clients to throw out objects that have served their purpose in our lives, even ones we keep for sentimental value. Is it a good idea to invest objects with emotional significance? How important are your possessions to your identity?

As teenagers, "tidy your room!" is a refrain heard all too often. It is drummed into us that to be untidy is to be irresponsible, slobbish and disrespectful. Can tidiness really be morally superior to messiness? Perhaps a messy room can be just as organised as a tidy room, in its own way.

What do we know? Japanese organising consultant Marie Kondo is known as "the queen of tidying". Her new Netflix series, Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, is wildly popular and has sparked a lot of discussion. She encourages people to throw out any possession that does not "spark joy" in order to live a tidy life. Her books have sold 11 million copies worldwide.

What do we not know? Whether it is really better to be tidy or messy. Multiple studies have linked being in a messy environment with stress, but others have found that messiness is good for creativity and breaking boundaries.