Marie Kondo Goes Messy: Why That’s A Good Thing
Lately, there’s been a lot of news in the organization community around the fact that Marie Kondo is messy. Marie Kondo is known for her first book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. She is regarded as the queen of all things decluttered and organized! But The Washington Post recently did an interview with her where she says, “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.”
And what is that new stage of life that she’s in? You guessed it: parenthood. Marie Kondo recently had her third kid. By the sound of the interview and her recent work, including her newest book, Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life, it seems like she’s prioritizing her family above her home (which is also her brand and business, by the way!). She’s not necessarily letting go of her home completely, but she’s prioritizing organizing for a purpose, which, in her current stage of life, is family.
Why is this good? So many reasons…
Why I Love That Marie Kondo Is Messy
1. She’s normalizing realistic standards.
Since the rise of social media, we have been inundated with the highlight reels of everyone’s lives. Anxiety has been on the rise as people constantly receive messages of perfection in every area of life… All because we have such easy access to the professionals and the best of the best in every category.
So when the queen of organizing Marie Kondo announces that she is not always that organized, that helps bring the standard of living for everyone else down. I’m not necessarily advocating for low standards of living, but I do love that real life is being normalized in social media—in part because leaders and pros are being more transparent about their real lives and natural limitations.
2. She’s embracing her current stage of life.
I’m sure Marie Kondo hasn’t given up entirely. Because of who she is and what she values, Kondo likely has systems in place to maintain basic levels of organization. What she’s letting go of is the constant tidiness that is too challenging to maintain with her family. She’s accepting her current stage of life and adjusting accordingly.
It is a great approach to adjust your system through different stages of life based on what’s working and what matters. And, remember: just because your house isn’t tidy or organized right now doesn’t mean that you’re not an organized person overall. It’s physically impossible to keep it perfect all the time! And even more through certain stages of life.
3. She’s putting people first.
It’s not just that Marie Kondo has a messy home right now, it’s also about why: because of her family. She is putting her people first, and ensuring that the state of her home is serving them, not just herself. This is an act of selflessness, which is so refreshing and beautiful to see in a celebrity-status organizer.
I also admire that she is willing to prioritize her family over her career in this respect. That balancing act is never easy, I’m sure even for people like Marie Kondo… But the fact that she has gone public with the way she’s striking a balance here is going to help moms everywhere who are going through their version of the same thing.
Are you in this stage of life as well? Check out the rest of my blog for realistic organization and productivity tips!
