7 Life Lessons We Learned from Marie Kondo’s Newest Netflix Series

If there’s a show that will inspire you to hit pause on a Netflix sesh and do something productive with your night, it’s definitely Netflix’s new series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Marie Kondo, creator of the KonMari method and author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, has inspired countless people all over the world to clear the clutter and part ways with items that don’t bring a spark of joy to their lives. It’s the happiest way to get organized and *stay* organized. So if you’re ready to press play and practice the KonMari method in your own home, read up on what we’ve learned from the show to help make 2019 your tidiest year yet.

1. It’s about quality, not quantity. You don’t have to get rid of things just because they don’t get used often. The KonMari method isn’t a minimalist challenge; it’s about keeping things in your home that you truly treasure.

2. Organize by category. Instead of tidying up each room one-by-one, Kondo recommends splitting the organization up between five categories: clothing, books, paper, Komono (miscellaneous items), and sentimental pieces. Yes, sifting through a giant pile of clothes from all over your home may seem a little overwhelming, but it’s meant to feel that way so you don’t fall back into your semi-hoarding lifestyle.

3. Don’t skip over categories. Even if you don’t think you own too many items in one category, follow the order because it will sharpen your decision-making skills. By the time you’ve gone through all of your clothing and papers, you’ll be able to make easier snap decisions about the tougher sentimental pieces.

4. Display the keepers. This method isn’t about downsizing to only the everyday essentials. If it truly sparks joy, keep it! But make sure to find a way to display it in your home instead of tucked away in a drawer so you can really maximize its purpose (which is to put a smile on your face).

5. When you’re stuck on an item, ask yourself if it has fulfilled its role in your life. That gift you’ve never used, a shirt you scored on sale years ago that still has the tags attached, a sweet note from your ex… if these do not spark joy but you feel guilty about tossing, reassess the item’s purpose. If their time has truly come and gone, thank the item and let it go.

6. It’s all about the KonMari fold. While it may initially make more sense to hang most of your clothes, Kondo’s vertical fold technique ensures that everything is on display, and more importantly, easier to keep tidy. And trust, you’ll be shocked at how much more you can fit in your drawers with this method.

7. Wait until you’re finished before running to the Container Store. Wait until you’ve completely KonMari’d each category to see if you need any bins, boxes, or organizational tools. Since we almost always have way more stuff than we need, you will most likely be left with a lot more space to store your things. Kondo is a huge fan of using whatever is already around the house too, like empty shoe boxes and tins.

Have you tried the KonMari method of de-cluttering? Let us know @BritAndCo.

(Photo via Netflix)

Over the past several years, climate change has become an increasingly prevalent and unavoidable issuein our everyday lives. As a growing number of people take the threat of global disaster seriously, we're turning to written reports, expert opinions, and heavily researched documentaries to not only help make sense of where we stand, but also to learn how we can help change course. In honor of Earth Day, here are a few of the most eye-opening environmental documentaries you can stream right now.

Environmental Documentaries To Watch For Earth Day 2024

Image via PBS Digital Studios

Animal IQ (2021): Featuring elephants, foxes, otters, and more, this new series from PBS Digital Studios and Nature takes a look at the intelligence of Earth's animals with a new episode every three weeks. In each installment, Trace Dominguez and Natalia Borrego talk to experts and conduct research to determine how and if animals can actually think.

Image via Gisle Sverdrup/Silverback/Netflix

Our Planet(2019): Unlike the BBC's beloved Planet Earth and Blue Planet series, Our Planet focuses directly on how each ecosystem featured is currently being threatened by climate change. One scene in particular has caused an appropriately dramatic reaction: a group of Russian walruses falling down a steep rock cliff to their deaths. Narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that receding ice levels have left fewer places for the animals to gather, highlighting just how devastating the warming of the planet has already become.

Image via Netflix

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014): Made by the same team who brought us 2017's controversial What the Health documentary,Cowspiracy is, on its surface, a look at the damaging environmental effects of the livestock industry. Like What the Health, much of the information is presented from a very pro-vegan perspective, and not a lot of balanced reporting is offered. Still, it can serve as a starting point to learn about how meat production uses more resources and contributes more to global greenhouse gas emissions than, say, a plant-based diet, and that may help us make more informed food choices.

Image via Netflix

Chasing Coral (2017): Coral reefs not only serve as a nurturing and essential environment to all ocean life, but also help protect coastlines from flooding during extreme weather events. Unfortunately, due to warming sea temperatures, overfishing, pollution, and other human activities, their vivid, beautiful ecosystems are facing rapid decline. Chasing Coral attempts to document this "coral bleaching" and the devastating economic and environmental effects it could have — as well as the wider problems it may represent. (photo via Netflix)

Image via Tiberius Film/Sunfilm Entertainment

The Milk System(2017): Milk has always represented health, nutrients, and strong bones but The Milk System dives into how the system in question really operates. Speaking with farmers, dairy owners, scientists, and more, this Earth Day documentary examines the profits, responsibilities, and costs of this billion dollar industry.

Image via Pastic Oceans

A Plastic Ocean(2016): In the face of realizing its irreversible environmental effects, the world is slowly moving toward banning many single-use plastics. A Plastic Ocean starts out as a documentary on blue whales but quickly turns into a study on the devastating effects that plastic pollution has had in the lives of ocean animals, from the whales, to dolphins, to seals, and more. It's an eye-opening look at what our plastic use is doing to these creatures, and to the state of much of our own food supplies.

Image via Netflix

Kiss the Ground (2020): This full-length documentary, narrated by Woody Harrelson, looks at the way regenerative agriculture (which focuses on topsoil regeneration) has the potential to feed the world, replenish water supplies, and even balance our climate. Activists, scientists, farmers and politicians take part in this move towards saving the planet's topsoil.

What Earth Day environmental documentaries are you streaming this month? Tag us on Instagram and check out our Earth Day page for more inspo!

Lead image via Gisle Sverdrup/Silverback/Netflix

This post has been updated.

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s relationship has stood the test of time. They married just a year after meeting for the first time, and their story has bloomed ever since. They’re one of our favoritecelebrity couples, and we simply love to see them happy. Read on for their full relationship timeline!

How long have Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban been together?

Michael Loccisano / Getty Images for BMI

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have been together 19 years. They started dating in 2005 and got married in 2006.

Were Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise together?

Terry Wyatt / Getty Images for CMT

Yes, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were married for 11 years before divorcing in 2001.

Why did Nicole and Tom split?

Vince Bucci / Getty Images

Neither Nicole nor Tom have explicitly confirmed why they divorced. Nicole explained in a 2013 Vanity Fair interview that she and Tom were “so young” when they got married, and that could be why they didn’t work out. Other news outlets have claimed that Tom’s involvement with the Church of Scientology may have led to the split.

Nicole Kidman + Keith Urban's Relationship Timeline

Sergio Dionisio / Getty Images

January 2005: First meeting

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban first met at the G'Day USA gala in Los Angeles. They exchanged phone numbers at the event, though Nicolerevealed Keith didn’t reach out until several months after their initial meeting.

“I had such a crush on him and he wasn’t interested in me. It’s true!” the actress told Ellen DeGeneres on air. “He didn’t call me for four months.”

Brendon Thorne / Getty Images

June 2005: Sparks fly

The couple had been living in New York City when Nicole realized Keith was the one for her. He had sweetly brought flowers right to her apartment for her 38th birthday, and that’s when she really knew.

"That is when I went, 'This is the man I hope I get to marry,'" she toldPeople in 2019. "I believed by that point he was the love of my life."

Christopher Polk / Getty Images

May 2006: Nicole and Keith get engaged

The actress and the musician got engaged on May 15, 2006. Nicole ended up announcing the news at the 30th Anniversary gala for the United Nations Development Fund for Women.

Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images

June 2006: Nicole and Keith get married

Nicole and Keith celebrated their wedding in Sydney, Australia on June 25, 2006. Nicole’s kids – Isabella Jane and Connor Antony (whom she shares with her ex, Tom Cruise) – both played a part in the big day.

The couple later jetted off to French Polynesia for their honeymoon.

Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images for 20th Century Fox

October 2006: Keith checks into rehab

Later that year, Nicole had staged an intervention for Keith, who struggled with alcohol abuse. He was released the following January, and Nicole was there to support him after the fact.

Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Karl Lagerfeld

November 2007: The pair moves to Nashville

As a country singer, Keith had always loved Nashville, Tennessee. He and Nicole purchased a farm on the outskirts of the city to call home when they weren't working or traveling.

Larry Busacca / Getty Images

July 2008: Nicole and Keith welcome their first child

Nicole gave birth to a daughter, named Sunday Rose, on July 7, 2008 in Nashville.

Keith shared the news on his website, saying: "We want to thank everybody that has kept us in their thoughts and prayers. We feel very blessed and grateful that we can share this joy with all of you today."

Jeff Spicer / Getty Images

December 2010: Nicole and Keith welcome their second child

The couple’s second baby, Faith Margaret, was born via surrogate on December 28, 2010. Nicole and Keith had kept this second pregnancy considerably private.

"Our family is truly blessed, and just so thankful, to have been given the gift of baby Faith Margaret," the pair said in a statement. "No words can adequately convey the incredible gratitude that we feel for everyone who was so supportive throughout this process, in particular our gestational carrier."

Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images

July 2017: Nicole says Keith supported her after filming intense Big Little Lies scenes

Nicole starred in HBO’s Big Little Lies as Celeste, a character who dealt with domestic violence. Though she won an Emmy for her work in the series, she admitted it was emotionally draining. Luckily, Keith was there to support her throughout the filming process when times got tough.

"Luckily I have a partner who is artistic, so he understands what it takes to support that," she toldEntertainment Tonight in 2017. "I came home to loving arms, someone that would hold me, and I was really upset at times. Really damaged, really upset, and physically and emotionally drained and in pain."

Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images

February 2021: Nicole and Keith’s daughters appear at the Golden Globes

Nicole and Keith’s two daughters, Sunday and Faith, were spotted alongside their parents on a live video broadcast during the 2021 Golden Globes, where Nicole was nominated for her role in The Undoing.

Rick Diamond / Getty Images

March 2022: The couple steps out at the Academy Awards

Keith supported Nicole at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, where she was nominated for Best Actress for her role in Being the Ricardos.

Arturo Holmes / Getty Images

March 2023: Nicole and Keith turn heads at the Oscars

The couple pulled up to the 2023 Oscars in some super sleek, matching all-black outfits. Nicole and Keith didn’t shy away from any PDA on the red carpet as they had their picture taken.

Mark Kolbe / Getty Images

June 2023: Keith honors Nicole’s birthday

Keith made a very sweetInstagram postfor Nicole’s 56th birthday – a photo of her in nature, with the caption reading:

"To my gorgeous, sexy, adventurous, curious, nature loving, owl spotting, artist, wife: happy birthday baby !!!!!! xxxxxx.”

Jon Kopaloff / Getty Images for AFI

April 2024: Nicole and Keith’s daughters hit the red carpet

Their family attended the 49th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala to honor Nicole’s Life Achievement Award. The pair’s daughters, Sunday (15) and Faith (13) stunned in red dresses, as Nicole wore a glowing gold gown.

Subscribe to our newsletter for more updates on your fave celebrity couples!

Whenever our kitchens are a mess — it tends to feel like a metaphor for our life also being somewhat of a mess. You know the scene: When there are baking dishes and leftovers all over the place, mismatched Tupperware pieces spilling out of your cabinets, restocked pantry goods haphazardly stuffed into the wrong spots... It can be hard to deal when our kitchens are out of sorts.

If you're looking to declutter your kitchen, then you've come to the right place because we rounded up some of the coolest kitchen cabinet organizers and organization inspiration for your own kitchen in 2023. These babies save space without sacrificing style, which will make whipping up those one pot spring dinners way more fun. Keep reading for everything you need to know about how to organize kitchen cabinets.

How To Organize Kitchen Cabinets

Photo by RDNE Stock project

The most important thing to focus on when organizing your kitchen cabinets is maximizing space. That just means making the most of the space that you have, because no matter how big your cabinets are, if they're filled to the brim with items that don't have a dedicated spot, it's going to feel cluttered.

Focus on keeping similar items together, using up vertical space by stacking where you're able (like with bowls or glasses) and making sure that every object has a dedicated space.

Kitchen Cabinet Organization Ideas

Brit + Co

Use your cabinets to hold more than just kitchenware — display books and plants to bring some personality into your kitchen. You don't have to save all the fun for your bedroom and living room!

Image via Beazy/Unsplash.

If you live in a small apartment, or just don't have cabinets, you can still take part in the fun. Use the space above your sink or your countertop to add your own shelves. This is a great option because when you're doing it yourself, you can customize the storage to your needs.

PMQ For Two

If you don't want to stack your plates (or you don't have the room for all the designs to have their own stacks), set them upright instead with a DIY plate rack. (via PMQ For Two)

Brit + Co

Okay, so this one isn't technically cabinet organization, but it will definitely save you room in your cabinets. DIY this wine rack that will move your wine bottles from your cabinets onto the wall and add color to your room at the same time.

The Home Edit's organization tips are totally inspiring thanks to their efficiency and their color. Grabbing bins from somewhere like The Container Store or Target can help you contain your products so they don't end up spread across your shelf, and they also make it easier to stack your items since they won't fall over.

Don't underestimate the power of labels. When you buy your bins, tubs, and other organizers, write what you intend to store inside on all the containers and make sure that the corresponding product is always inside. That way, you'll have one bin of flour instead of multiple half-empty bags. Plus, it just looks prettier!

Image via roam in color/Unsplash.

For a quick update on the system you already have, stack your plates so that like plates are together, with the biggest plates are on the bottom — this will ensure they sit together in a way that takes up the least amount of room.

Make sure all the rims of your glasses are touching when storing them in your cabinets, and when you're organizing mugs, face the handles toward each other so there's less empty space and more room for new mugs. Because let's be honest, we can always buy new mugs.

A Beautiful Mess

Don't forget to use up the space on top of your cabinets too! Grab some baskets to organize new bottles of olive oil, bags of coffee, or cleaning supplies that you get from the store. (via A Beautiful Mess)

Kitchen Cabinet Organizers

If you love to stay hydrated (ie: you have nine water bottles in your cabinet), then you should grab a product like this YouCopia UpSpace Bottle Organizer ($25+). It'll keep all your water bottle snug together so that you have more room for all your mugs. Speaking of...

The great thing about these Better Houseware Undershelf Cup & Mug Hooks ($10 for two) is that since they hook around the top of a shelf, they don't take up any room at the base.

One way to make sure you save room is to use up vertical space instead of horizontal space. That's why we love the Chrome Roll-Out Bakeware Organizer ($66), which stacks all your muffin tins and cookie sheets on their end. Trust us: this will save you tons of room.

Your fruit deserves a comfy spot to hang out in, so grab a Macrame Fruit Hammock ($30) that will keep fruit off the counter. Cute!

The great thing about a container like the Everything Organ Cabinet Depth Pantry Bin ($101+) is that it's clear because you know what you have at all times. You won't have to pull out the bins to see what's inside!

Use an Expandable Countertop Organizer ($38) in your cabinets — or use it on your counter to clear out your cabinets). We love that this pick's expandable because that means you can move it around to different areas, no matter how big the area is.

A pot organizer like this one from MUDEELA ($22) will keep all your pots and pans together, and you won't have to put up with the noise of when they're stacked on top of each other.

You can't forget about the spices! A rack like this Spice Rack($25) will keep all your spices together and make accessing them a whole lot easier.

Some mDesign Metal Pull-Out Baskets ($21) will create organization within your cabinet the way that cubes do. It's like a two-in-one storage space!

Check out our email newsletter for more kitchen cabinet organization ideas, and more cleaning tips and tricks.

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

Challengers is honestly just one giant tennis match. While we watch Zendaya's Tashi, Mike Faist's Art, and Josh O'Connor's Patrick play the game in a literal sense, we also see their personal relationship spiral, ricocheting back and forth as each character plays a different role every couple of years. And the crazy Challengers ending is a culmination of this intense emotional journey because it solidifies Patrick, Tashi, and Art's relationship — both to one another, but also to tennis itself.

What did the ending of The Challengers mean?

Image via Niko Tavernise/Amazon MGM Studios

There is a lot of tension between Tashi, Art, and Patrick throughout the movie, and it all builds to the titular Challenger match. It's Art vs. Patrick, and they're playing for way more than just the title and the money (though of course, they're definitely playing for the title and the money) — this is one final chance to prove themselves to Tashi, who's sitting court-side looking very unimpressed.

Both men lose their cool during different sets, but it's in the third and final set that everything comes to a head. At the end of the match, Patrick confesses to sleeping with Tashi using a tennis ball and racket signal only Art recognizes. For a split second Art is is complete shock, and I expected him to completely lose it. And, technically, he does, but in a totally unexpected way. Rather than jump the net and punch Patrick in the face, Art channels his emotions into his tennis, and the fury he feels actually allows him break through whatever slump he's been stuck in.

Unable to have a conversation about Patrick's secret, Art and Patrick talk with their serves and returns. And because Tashi doesn't catch the signal, for the first time in the whole movie, she's cut out of the conversation.

Did Tashi love Art and Patrick?

Image via Niko Tavernise/Amazon MGM Studios

Tashi's been pulling the strings ever since she met Art and Patrick, and she's never not been in control. After Patrick sends the signal, she knows something is going on between them, she just doesn't know what — and it unnerves her. Thanks to Zendaya's expert subtlety, the twitch of her eyebrow or the particularly anxious way she grips her hands are the only things that give her away. But her confusion, and the men's anger, quickly turn to pure joy in the final moments of the movie.

Patrick and Art end up playing so intensely that they meet at the net and embrace, prompting Tashi's iconic tennis yell before she gives one of her first genuine laughs of the film and the screen cuts to black. The first time I saw the movie, I thought "What?!" but the more I think about it, the clearer the Challengers ending is.

Patrick and Art (whose relationship begins six or seven years before the movie opens) haven't spoken since the big fight surrounding Tashi's injury, and their hug proves they're just happy to be playing together again. It's what they've always loved, and their fight over Tashi almost ended it forever. Tashi's pure elation shows she's happy to watch some good tennis, especially after she failed to help Art break out of his rut.

We've only seen Tashi scream like that once before, when she admits to a perfect tennis match. While Tashi does care for Patrick and Art, the end of Challengers proves the characters' true love was never really each other — it was always the game.

What did you think of the Challengers ending? After you rewatch the movie (and then rewatch it again), check out the other Most-Anticipated Spring Movies For 2024.

Lead image via Niko Tavernise/Amazon MGM Studios

While it's always nice to see something realistic represented in our favorite TV shows, there are few things more painful than watching a TV breakup. Even when we don't actually know fictional characters IRL, it's absolutely devastating to see them break each other's hearts. (Although, it's equally as bad as never seeing your favorite prospective couple get together — I will never forgive The 100 for what they did to Clarke and Bellamy!!).

Keep reading to see some of our most heartbreaking splits — and then check outWhat Being Team Conrad Or Jeremiah Says About Your Dream TV Boyfriendto put a smile back on your face.

Image via NBC

Ross and Rachel from Friends

Friends is one of the most iconic sitcoms of all times, and Ross and Rachel is definitely one of the most devastating TV breakups. In season 3, this iconic couple decides to take a break in and in "The One with the Morning After," Ross wakes up with another woman named Chloe at the exact moment Rachel shows up at his door. Rachel finds out about the affair, and after a fight in Monica's living room, the couple calls it quits.

Regardless of how you feel about Ross claiming they "were on a break" when he slept with Chloe, seeing Rachel's reaction (and knowing the trust between them was broken) is one of the worst moments in the whole show. Just thinking about it makes my stomach bottom out!

Image via The CW/WB

Rory and Jess from Gilmore Girls

This is one of my personal most-devastating TV breakups because it seems like, out of all of Rory's boyfriends, Rory and Jess are just perfect for each other when they start dating. Not only does their love of books bring them closer together, but their personalities are so compatible. But when Jess leaves for California at the end of season 3 — without saying anything to Rory, I might add — is unacceptable! It breaks my heart, and based on the final look he gives Rory during A Year in the Life, he also regrets it BIG TIME.

Image via The CW/WB

Damon and Elena from The Vampire Diaries

This Vampire Diaries couple was truly endgame, and the will-they-won't-they of it all was one of my favorite things about the show. So when they broke up (to my horror), I was devastated.

Damon and Elena admit they're bad for each other in the season 5 episode "While You Were Sleeping" (then Damon tells her he doesn't even want to be friends. Ouch!!), but it's the season finale, "Home," that makes me extra emotional. When Damon gets stuck with Bonnie on the Other Side, he says goodbye to Elena, who's begging him not to leave but can neither see nor hear him. Say it with me: gut! wrenching!

Image via Erika Doss/Prime Video

Conrad and Belly from The Summer I Turned Pretty

The Summer I Turned Pretty fans are PASSIONATE about whether they're team Conrad or team Jeremiah (trick question, my OTP is Taylor and Stephen), and even the most dedicated Conrad stan hates the prom scene. You know, when he breaks up with Belly at her prom, in the rain. I know he just thinks Belly deserves better, but it's still very painful to watch.

Image via FOX

Schmidt and Cece from New Girl

When I hear "devastating TV breakup" I IMMEDIATELY think of Schmidt and Cece from New Girl. Schmidt gets away with a lot of ridiculous things throughout this show, but dating two girls at one time is not one of them. After Nick has a hard time keeping Schmidt's love life a secret, Schmidt finally comes clean to Cece in "Double Date," leaving both her and me in tears. No matter how many times you rewatch the show, it truly feels like their relationship (and maybe even the friend group) will never recover.

Image via BBC/Prime Video

Fleabag and The Priest on Fleabag

In the history of TV, I don't think I've ever heard anything as heartbreaking as "I love you," "It'll pass." Like, who approved that line?! The viral moment comes at the end of the Fleabag series finale, when Fleabag is sitting with The Priest at the bus stop. Over the course of the series, we not only see how much these two care about each other, but how well they know each other (like how The Priest recognizes when Fleabag zones out). To be loved is to be known, and that's what makes this devastating TV breakup even more devastating.

Image via HBO

Carrie and Aidan on Sex and the City

After so much back and forth, it's hard to accept Carrie and Aidan's final breakup on SATC. But in season 4's "Change of a Dress," Carrie realizes she's not ready for marriage and Aidan realizes he doesn't trust her after her affair with Big. The combo of broken trust and being at two different life stages makes this extra painful to watch, and I don't think any amount of rewatches (or And Just Like That binges) is going to change that.

What's YOUR most devastating TV breakup? Let us know on Facebook!

Lead image via The CW/The WB