Here’s some reassuring (yet surprising) news for everyone (the writer included) whose home gets messier from time to time: Marie Kondo, aka the queen of decluttering and organization, has confessed that her house isn’t always picture-perfect and it gets disheveled nowadays.
Kondo delivered this shocking bit of information during a recent webinar to promote her latest book, “Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life.”
“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,” Kondo was quoted saying, as per Washington Post. “Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times.”
The decluttering guru added that being tidy is not always realistic. She went on to admit that she—the queen of clean herself—has “kind of given up” on constantly tidying up her home when she and her husband, Takumi Kawahara, welcomed their third and youngest child in 2021.
Understandably, as a parent, Kondo has directed her focus and prioritized spending more quality time with her three children, which sparks more joy for her.
“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,” she explained.
This wasn’t the first time that Kondo got candid about motherhood.
In a blog she wrote on her website, the tidying expert admitted that she accepted the fact that she couldn’t tidy anymore after taking care of her children.
“Just after my older daughter was born, I felt unable to forgive myself for not being able to manage my life as I had before,” Kondo wrote. “But, with time, I eased up on myself; then, after I gave birth to my second daughter, I let go of my need for perfection altogether. I am busier than ever after having my third child, so I have grown to accept that I cannot tidy every day – and that is okay!
Kondo continued that seeing her kids play together brought joy to her and instead of worrying about cleaning the clutter in her home, she focused on “the delight I feel in those present times.”
“Instead of concentrating on clutter or pressuring myself to clean right then and there, I focus on the delight I feel in those present moments, knowing we can address any messes made later on,” she added. “When it’s time to clean up, I involve my kids in the process – or clean up in one shot at the end of the day when they’re asleep.”
“Motherhood has helped me be kinder and gentler with myself – and that is a gift in and of itself,” she ended.
After the Japanese consultant’s revelation, some people took to Twitter to share their reactions. Some expressed how they felt validated and seen, while others praised the 38-year-old guru for her prioritizing her family.
marie kondo "giving up" on keeping her house tidy after having 3 kids simply bc she realized spending time w her family literally sparks more joy for her than keeping her house tidy is so fucking sweet
— juno @ ask me abt animatronics (@conceptunifier) January 27, 2023
people act like Marie Kondo held them at gunpoint and forced them to burn their books when her suggestions are all things like "maybe throwing out all those expired coupons in your drawer might make your life a little easier? if you love your expired coupons though enjoy them!!"
— Erika W. Smith (@erikawynn) January 27, 2023
The main thing Marie Kondo ACTUALLY told us was if something in our possession no longer brought us joy, we should thank it and let it go.
If spending time with her kids now brings her more joy than tidying does, she's really just living by the same ethos she always has. pic.twitter.com/ykj4EUtxie
— Jody Houser ✒️🗯️🎲 (@Jody_Houser) January 28, 2023
Marie Kondo announcing that her house is a mess after having her third kid is how you use your platform for good instead of evil.
— Kristen Mulrooney (@missmulrooney) January 27, 2023
So Marie Kondo admitted she's kinda given up on tidying up after 3 kids. Y'all don't know how much I needed this today! The mess kids make is no joke. The mess all over my house feels validated lol
— Marcy G (@BunAndLeggings) January 27, 2023
Marie Kondo could hire a nanny for each kid and have everyone believe she has it all together because she’s just better than us, but instead she was honest about spending time with her kids sparking more joy than having a perfect home. I love her for it.
— Brittney Morris 🏳️🌈 (@BrittneyMMorris) January 27, 2023
Genuinely don't understand why people are so pressed by Marie Kondo saying that she reprioritized her time. It's a good thing, this is a good message. There are times in your life where tidying is a priority. And then there are times in your life where it is not. pic.twitter.com/a0dkJYJtX6
— Veronica Peshterianu 🥟 (@VeroHime) January 27, 2023
Marie Kondo has suddenly become relatable to me specifically pic.twitter.com/WQD9y8RHnN
— Andrea Stewart *THE GODS BELOW up for preorder!* (@AndreaGStewart) January 27, 2023
Kondo first rose to international prominence in 2014 when her book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” was released. In her book, she introduced the ever-famous KonMari method, a “simple but effective tidying method” that revolves around living and organizing one’s life based on the things that “spark joy” for them.
After her book became best-selling when it hit shelves, it was followed up with a Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo in 2019 and Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo in 2021.
In November 2022, Kondo published her latest book “Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life,” which introduced the Japanese idea of “kurashi” or way of life or “the ideal way of spending our time.”
“If you haven’t tidied using the KonMari Method, focusing on your kurashi will motivate you to start. And if you’ve already experienced its life-changing magic, you know that choosing what sparks joy can fundamentally change your every day,” the Japanese consultant wrote. “The concept of kurashi takes this one step further: by seeing the world through the lens of what matters most, we begin living our best lives.”
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