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Marie Kondo Admits She’s “Kind of Given Up” On Keeping Her Home Tidy and Shares Why

By Sara Barnes on January 31, 2023

Photo: Jean_Nelson/Depositphotos
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Perhaps more than anyone, Marie Kondo is known for her commitment to tidiness. She’s the author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. The famous self-help book was later the inspiration for the popular Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. But recently, Kondo revealed that she’s not so neat anymore. She’s let herself become like the rest of us, presumably with an unorganized junk drawer she fears opening.

After the birth of her third child in 2021, Kondo admits that she’s let her house get messy. “Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times,” she said during a webinar and virtual tea ceremony. “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.”

In her recent book titled Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home, she writes about the Japanese concept kurashi, or “way of life.” At the heart of her writing remains joy. This means, in part, creating your own routines based on what brings you happiness. Kondo offers advice and actionable steps in Kurashi at Home, which includes recognizing the small things that make you happy deep within yourself. Maybe it’s the sun hitting your face on a walk or the warmth of a cup of coffee between your hands.

For those struggling with keeping everything in its right place, breathe a sigh of relief; sometimes, life just doesn’t work that way, and that’s okay.