Marie Kondo: Putting Order In What Matters Most
“Does this spark joy?” The quintessential catchphrase prompted us to clear our closets following KonMari method: tidying up by "quickly and completely" discarding whatever it is in the house that doesn't spark joy.
The goal is to live in a more organised environment that she believes could bring peace, mindfulness and encourage people to live in the present rather than the past. Over 10,000 clients have tidied their homes with her firm KonMari Consultants around the world. Some mental health experts have even given the KonMari method two thumbs up, citing that tidying and decluttering are about being in control of one’s environment, time, and, ultimately, life.
So it is hard to imagine the Japanese queen of clean admitting, “My home is messy, but the way I am spending my time is the right way for me at this time,” in an interview with the Washington Post in early 2023.
Tidying up closets, spice cabinets and bookshelves has taken a back seat. She has “kind of given up” on her life as a professional organiser with the birth of her third child in 2021, but “in a good way” as she shared in a few media interviews.
The Covid-19 lockdown also played a part in the changes that took place in her life since her series ‘Tidying Up with Marie Kondo’ aired on Netflix. It was Netflix’s #1 non-fiction release in 2019 and earned seven award nominations including two Emmys and three Critics Choice Awards.
Like most normal households raising a young family, keeping a spick-and-span home is nearly an impossible feat even for the world’s most recognised decluttering diva.
But make no mistake about it. She still sparks joy in her daily life, which she talks about in her latest book Marie Kondo’s Kurashi At Home: How To Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life.
Lest you think that this new phase is veering away from the KonMari method we subscribed to, it is not. I see it as the next-level chapter of her “Does this spark joy?” philosophy.
Kurashi: The Inner Why
Embracing the Japanese concept of Kurashi, what sparks joy in Marie is the time she spends with her kids even if it means de-prioritising the load of laundry piling up in the washroom. Kurashi roughly translates to “way of life” or “the ideal way of spending our time”.
She has shifted her priorities. There’s nothing more important to her than enjoying spending time with her children at home.
In the book she talks about how kurashi can bring calmness and contentment to everyday life. She encourages us to imagine and define how we’d like to live.
“The true purpose of tidying is not to cut down on your possessions or declutter your space,” says Marie. “The ultimate goal is to spark joy every day and lead a joyful life.” That goal — that inner why — can help guide everything that we do, and it expands well beyond the home.” This is what Marie calls kurashi.
Kurashi At Home is a reflection of the current state of affairs in her life. Just like the rest of us, Marie has to maneuver her way around a maze of pressing tasks that require her attention. Any multi-tasking mom would agree that juggling time between house chores, a career and attending to the various needs of family members require a lot of patience, flexibility and endurance. (I often tell my frazzled fellow moms that we just have to be Zen about it.)
The mother of three writes in the book: “Tidying up means dealing with all the ‘things’ in your life… so, what do you really want to put in order?”
Kurashi At Home features more than 100 photographs, new reflections from Marie and valuable prompts to help you introduce kurashi into your rituals, from building a joy-sparking morning routine to creating tranquil spaces for creative projects. It shows us ways to spark joy in every part of our life by creating more conscious rituals.
For instance, her bath ritual is a source of joy. “From sentos to onsens, bathing is an essential part of Japanese culture. For as long as I can remember, soaking in a bath at the end of the day has been part of my routine. Taking a bath has become a special ritual that I really cherish.
The purpose of bathing is to purify yourself on a deep level and wash off the fatigue of the day; in Japan you always rinse off any physical dirt in the shower before getting in the tub. My bathing practice is quite simple – sometimes I light a candle or listen to music, but that’s about it.
Something I almost always use is Arajio sea salt, which can be a powerful purification tool. I put it in the tub or use it to massage the bottom of my feet; this may sound strange, but I also like to put tons of salt on the top of my head and rinse off in the shower before getting in the bath. Feeling the water and salt stream down over me is incredibly refreshing – I love that moment!
The Japanese believe that warming up the body boosts your life energy, so typically our baths are quite hot. I have a friend who lives in the hot spring region of Japan and her bath water is fed from a continuous natural hot spring – I’m quite envious of that!
When I dip into a bath, I can tell if my spirits are low. The water helps to restore my energy and calm my mind. After I take a bath, I always feel lighter.”
Barnes & Noble gives us a sneak peek: “Kurashi At Home invites you to visualise your best life from the moment you wake up until the end of each day.
By applying Marie Kondo's time-tested query—”Does it spark joy?”— to your mindset and behaviours, you are invited to take an even more holistic and personal approach to curating your environment by imagining what your life could look like full of connection and free from any limitations.
This ideal vision then becomes a touchpoint that helps you make conscious, mindful choices—from how you use every corner of your living space to how you take advantage of every moment.
At its core, the KonMari philosophy focuses not on what to get rid of, but on what sparks joy in your life.
In this inspirational visual guide, beautiful photographs and Kondo's unique suggestions empower you to embrace what you love about your life and then reflect it in your home, activities, and relationships, like creating a calm nook for working, scheduling weekly get-togethers with family or friends, or having relaxing nighttime rituals that promote a restful sleep.
Your newfound clarity will inspire you to clear out the unneeded clutter so you can appreciate the inviting spaces, treasured belongings, and peaceful moments that remain.”
Yes, Marie is still sparking joy, only this time she is taking her famous “Does it spark joy?” line a few notches higher – beyond impeccably organised closets and a gleaming spotless house. She encourages us to create our own rhythm and routines by thoughtfully curating our environment.
Where do we start our pursuit of everyday joy? In Kurashi At Home Marie nudges readers: “Come up with a doable joy routine and stick with it for 10 days, then see whether the daily habit changes are making you feel better.”
How To Explore Your Kurashi (excerpts from the book)
1. Expand Your Vision
Creating your ideal home is vital for a joyful life, but defining your kurashi means looking beyond those walls. Rather than asking yourself, “What is my ideal space?” ask “What is my ideal life?” That life is kurashi, and it will not only guide you on your tidying journey but also help you plan how you’ll spend each day, set goals for your career, build personal relationships and make plans for your future.
Your kurashi is just that: your own. If you have used The KonMari Method to complete a tidying festival in your home, you have followed Marie’s advice to imagine your ideal lifestyle long before discarding. Kurashi invites you to use a similar practice in every aspect of your life. Here are some of Marie’s essential tips from her book.
2. Let Go of Constraints
“Never hold back when imagining your ideal home and lifestyle. Give yourself the freedom to imagine your own personal ‘wouldn’t it be nice if’ living space and let your heart brim with joy,” says Marie, who has authored nine books in Japanese on tidying and organization. Her first book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” has been translated into 44 languages, including English, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish just to name a few, which collectively have sold more than 13 million copies worldwide.
Often, we are our own worst enemies when setting and pursuing our goals. Defining your ideal way of life means suspending disbelief and trusting your intuition.
3. Give Yourself Time
How often have you said, “I don’t have time” when faced with two conflicting priorities? We often have more time than we realize but slip into habitually spending it on tasks that may matter less to us than we realize. To find your kurashi, you’ll need to commit to making time for yourself.
“Set aside your excuses about being busy for a moment and consult your datebook one more time,” says Marie, who was listed as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2015.
4. Hold Space for What Matters
Once you’ve determined what sparks joy for you, your journey is just beginning. Take time to honor the home and life you’ve created by spending time in quiet reflection, appreciation and gratitude of how you’ve filled your home — and do it often!
“Everything you own wants to help you,” Marie says. “So, think about how you can make the space for each one more comfortable… Storage is the sacred ritual of returning things to where they belong.”
The ideal way we spend our time is determined by how we fill it and what — and who — we share it with. By seeing the world through the lens of what matters most, we begin living our best lives.
“I believe that when we consciously cherish something precious, we deepen our relationship with it,” says the tidying expert. “This, in turn, deepens our bonds with other things in our lives, bringing out the best in them and in ourselves.”
Rising above the clutter and making space for everyday joy the Kurashi way takes commitment and conviction. It’s not something that can be achieved overnight. Don’t despair. You are not alone. Even the world-renowned decluttering guru has to work through the daily mess at home.
Debbie | ws
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