Marie Kondo’s Shift from Tidiness: How Embracing Mess Sparks Joy Too

As ironic as it may sound, home neatness guru Marie Kondo found comfort in a messy house. She seems like she has given up on trying to be tidy.

Japanese businesswoman Marie Kondo is famous for her tidying tactics known as the KonMari method. Her concept involves throwing away clutter and keeping the items that “spark joy.” 

She popularized her method through her webinars, books, and a Netflix series. KonMari method became widely popular in that it has a million memes online. 

Queen of clean Marie Kondo admits that tidying up no longer tops her to-do list. https://t.co/txTFB4qkrT pic.twitter.com/RK10nhbrLH

— CNN (@CNN) January 31, 2023

But the tables have turned for Marie Kondo now. Despite being famous for decluttering spaces, she now enjoys the opposite of what she’s used to. 

According to the Washington Post, Kondo says keeping her home clean is not a priority, especially now that she has three kids. 

Kondo said in a webinar, “My home is messy, but the way I am spending my time is the right way for me at this time at this stage of my life.”

Marie Kondo admits she’s ‘kind of given up’ on tidying up after having 3 kids https://t.co/9l3GfesNMU

— MarketWatch (@MarketWatch) January 26, 2023

She continued, “Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times. 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.”

While cleaning up makes someone feel in control, it’s not always feasible with kids running around the house. One can even have more obligations at home than just tidying it up.

A report from USA TODAY featured psychotherapist and life development life coach Anna Marcolin. She shared that “It no longer works because you can’t put the time into taking care of your children, being present with them, giving to them, and at the same time having a house that’s always tidy.”

Marcolin adds, “It’s just impossible to do everything, so something has to give. And I think people are very hard on themselves when they literally can’t do everything. But it makes no sense that they should be able to do everything.”

Whether someone is living alone or not, life can sometimes get busier than you expect it to be. It’s not always easy to apply Marie Kondo’s ways. As Marcolin advises, it’s more important to stay balanced than perfect. Some clutter on the house won’t hurt anyway.

Marcolin appreciates it more now that the standards are a litter lower. She adds, “It’s a high bar, and I think that the bar came down just a little bit. It allows for most of us to achieve it.”