It seems like a thousand years ago now. Some call it the good ol’ days, and others refer to it as the before times. Yep, I’m talking about the pre-pandemic days from 2019 and before. It was a simpler time, when people were cleaning their homes so they could have people over. We wanted organized homes so we could have more time to do other things.
That’s when Marie Kondo’s TV show hit Netflix, and brought her tidying methods to even more people. On Tidying Up With Marie Kondo, she helped clients get rid of anything that didn’t “spark joy” and left them with professionally organized homes.
I often wonder if those families managed to keep their homes neat in the years after Kondo’s show.
Related: What is visual clutter, and how can you reduce it for a calmer home?
Kondo’s celebrity status didn’t start in 2019, though. She actually began her career as a professional tidier at the age of 19. She was tidying up friends’ homes for extra cash and realized that it could be her life’s calling. We all know she became wildly successful, racking up a waiting list of clients in Japan.
She gained international attention when her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, originally published in Japanese in 2011, was translated into several other languages. By “several,” I’m talking about more than forty different languages from around the globe. It came to the US in 2014. A #1 New York Times bestseller, it’s considered one of the most influential books of the decade. This book, detailing her signature KonMari Method, is what inspired the Tidying Up Netflix series.
The success of Tidying Up With Marie Kondo led to another Netflix series titled Sparking Joy With Marie Kondo. Marie Kondo became a pop culture fixture. The KonMari was the new gold standard when it came to cleaning and organization. Saying that things did or didn’t “spark joy” infiltrated everything. Thrift stores saw giant increases in donations.
When the pandemic hit, everyone was suddenly spending a lot more time at home. The popularity of the KonMari Method skyrocketed. After all, we were all doing just about everything from our homes. Staring at the same four walls all day long made it a lot easier to see the things that didn’t “spark joy.” Everyone was more than ready to clear out the clutter and enjoy the magic of a calm, tidy home.
A Perfectly Tidy House Isn’t Always Possible, You Know
Personally, I never reached that magical clutter-free home. Don’t get me wrong – I wanted that extremely tidy and organized space. It’s just that… well, I live here. And so do my three rambunctious children, three lazy cats, and my husband. There are plenty of people living here under one roof, and we’ve all got our own stuff. Basically, there is stuff everywhere. It’s a house full of stuff. Things and stuff.
Related: What is a doom box, and how do you get rid of it?
In reality, the idea of minimalism just doesn’t work all that well when you have three kids. Have you ever asked a four-year-old to only keep things that spark joy? They will never get rid of anything because everything sparks joy for them.
And as it turns out, even Kondo, the international icon of cleanliness and order herself, isn’t keeping things so tidy now that she’s got three kids.
You heard me. Marie Kondo has a messy house.
I would be lying if I said I didn’t immediately feel a little bit of relief. The queen of clean herself has three kids and a messy house – just like I do. Do you know how long I thought, “if only I got more done” or “if only I had more time,” I’d be tidy just like Kondo? Turns out, she’s just like the rest of us!
Marie Kondo Is Still Sparking Joy, But in a Different Way
Kondo welcomed her third child in 2021, and now she’s focusing less on keeping her home tidy. While I’m sure she’s still sparking joy, she’s doing it without a perfectly tidy house. She is pulling inspiration from the Japanese concept of kurashi, which roughly translates to “way of life” or “the ideal way of spending our time.” The goal of sparking joy every day and leading a joyful life extends well beyond the home.
Her latest book hit shelves in November, titled Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life. Between the covers, you’ll find an inspirational visual guide comprised of more than 100 photographs. It’s packed with unique suggestions to help readers spark joy.
Kondo is focusing on the bigger picture this time around. We’re moving away from just organizing to talking about life as a whole. She invites you to visualize your best life, from the time you wake up until the time you go back to bed again. Instead of clothing and knick-knacks, we’re inspecting mindsets and behaviors. Does it spark joy?
Tidying up means dealing with all the things in your life,” Kondo says in the book. “So, what do you really want to put in order?”
Related: Check out these easy ways to make your home feel more relaxing
If you still want to clean out your purse every evening and keep up with an Instagram-worthy spice cabinet, go for it! But when looking at a holistic approach to curating your environment, it can also mean playing your favorite music during your bedtime routine or giving back to the community. Clear your mind and ditch the mental clutter. Or it could be making one of your mother’s recipes. (In case you’re interested, Kondo includes her mom’s recipe for black vinegar chicken wing stew in the book, along with other family recipes.)
The ideal lifestyle refers to what we do, not necessarily where we live. So while the home is definitely part of it, it’s not all of it. We need to work on finding what sparks joy throughout every aspect of our lives.
It feels like Kondo has shifted from being the patron saint of perfectly folded laundry to more of a life coach.
Marie Kondo Has “Given Up” on Keeping Her Home Tidy!
After welcoming her third child, Marie Kondo’s life underwent a huge change – and all that tidying has taken somewhat of a back seat to the rest of her life at the moment.
“Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times,” Kondo said recently. “I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me. Now I realize what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home.”
The queen of clean has “given up” on extreme organization? Instead of dedicating countless hours to ensuring her home is minimalistic and spotless, she’s spending that time with her family. I say good for her!
I know she is really good at tidying. She has built an entire organizing empire consisting of books, TV shows, home goods, brand partnerships, and more. She’s been doing it since she was 19 years old. But hey, even Marie Kondo herself deserves a break sometimes, too. Keeping everything tidy is a lot of work, after all. Pile the endless work of dealing with life’s clutter on top of running a business and raising three kids, and it certainly sounds like… a lot.
If Marie Kondo Isn’t Tidying, What Are We KonMari-ing?
Okay, so Marie Kondo has “given up” and has a messy home just like the rest of us. What are we KonMari-ing now?
The KonMari Method isn’t really about getting rid of things. At its core, it is about focusing on what sparks joy in your life. So we’re still KonMari-ing, we’re just doing it a little differently. Kondo wants to help people realize little activities that bring peace and joy. Embrace what you love about your life, and then let that be reflected in your home, activities, and relationships. It’s another facet to transforming your home into a haven and achieving your ideal lifestyle – no special folding techniques required.
Kondo now challenges her readers to come up with a new doable routine and stick with it for ten days. Do the new daily habit changes make you feel better?
The book also includes “Your Ideal Lifestyle” worksheets to help you along the process.
Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life is an inspirational visual guide. It seems only fitting that it should be as beautiful to look at as it is helpful to follow. Kondo also gives insight into her own routines and processes in her daily life. These anecdotes give her book a welcoming, comfortable feel. It feels much more relatable and intentional.
