Are you experiencing the “magic” of organizing your home? A few years ago Japanese author Marie Kondo took the world by storm with her book about finding joy in our possessions. I believe you can still catch her Netflix series called “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.”
Opinions ran strong at the time and references to Kondo’s work were all over social and mainstream media. People seemed to either love her ideas or hate them! As a fellow professional organizer, people often are curious about my attitude about the show and the KonMarie method. There is a lot I love about Marie’s approach — she is warm, spunky and entertaining — and the show is fun.
Three Key Takeaways From Marie Kondo
In my opinion, the three best takeaways from both the book and the television series are:
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Our homes should be a sanctuary of peace: if they are filled with items that we don’t truly love or that don’t serve a useful purpose for us, they become a source of stress instead of comfort.
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It may seem a bit like over-kill, but it’s vitally important to really look at every single item you own and determine its current value to your life. Sometimes things have been in our homes for so long we don’t even “see” them anymore; when we take a close look we realize it’s time to let some of them go.
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When you have only what you truly need and love in your home, you are better able to establish systems to manage what you have, to find what you need when you need it, and to fully enjoy your space.
Caution: Real Life Decluttering is Not “As Seen on TV”
My main concern with the Netflix series is viewers get an unrealistic picture of the time and energy involved in creating a home that supports you where you are now in life. Each episode takes place over a month or so, with Marie visiting the home weekly to check-in on the progress made since her last session. But the clients appear to make such tremendous progress between Marie’s visit that they either are doing nothing but decluttering or there is a massive team of behind-the-scenes helpers. In my experience regular life must go on while in the tidying process and a major home overhaul is a slower process in reality.
As you watch the series and begin implementing the suggestions in your own home, remember to go at your own pace. It probably took a long time for clutter to accumulate and it won’t disappear overnight. When you need a little break from your efforts, check out these good natured Marie Kondo memes circulating in cyberspace:
My Approach to Creating Joy in Your Home
I was surprised to see Marie takes a very hands-off approach with families. She is friendly and offers instruction and motivation, but does not spend a lot of time assisting with the tasks. One of my favorite things is working side-by-side with clients, teaching them techniques and cheering them on as we transform chaos into calm. But that’s okay. After all, Marie and I are each doing our jobs in the way that sparks joy for us; and nothing about joy is one-size-fits-all.
If you’re ready to to take the next step in creating change in your home, drop me a note and let’s talk about we can spark joy together.