Cleanliness queen Marie Kondo said she’s “sort of given up on” tidying up since the birth of her third child.
The world-renowned Japanese decluttering expert admitted that with three children to support, his family home was “a mess” and tidying up was no longer a priority.
“My house is a mess, but the way I spend my time is the right way for me at this point in my life,” she told The Washington Post.
The tidying guru said his life has changed significantly since his son’s arrival in 2021.
“Until now, I was a professional cleaner, so I tried my best to keep my house tidy at all times,” she said, through an interpreter during a webinar. online.
“I kind of gave up on that, in a good way for me,” she said. “Now I realize that what is important to me is spending time with my children at home.”
Kondo’s latest book, Marie Kondo Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life, centers around the Japanese concept of struggle, meaning “way of life”. Since becoming a mother of three, she said her lifestyle has changed and her focus has shifted from being organized to devising simple ways to bring happiness to everyday things.
In the book, she writes, “Cleaning is taking care of all the ‘things’ in your life. For Kondo, this means assessing how you order your life and creating your own rhythm based on what fills you with joy.
KonMari, Kondo’s method of tidying up, was described in his 2011 book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. This method encourages the categorization of items including clothing, books, and sentimental items to determine if they “spark joy” in the owner.
She has since shared the joys of organization in her two Netflix series, where she helps “Marie Kondo” people in their lives by decluttering their homes.
Kondo, who lives in California with her family, said she no longer pressures herself to always keep her house in order. She and her husband now planned their days so that they could spend as much time as possible with their children while completing important tasks.
“I will continue to look within to make sure I am leading my own struggleshe told the Washington Post, still cleaning up but making time for the things that made her happy.