Drawing by 11-year-old A.M.
Marie Kondo is the cute Japanese organization guru who took the world by storm when she wrote her book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” and had us physically hold a possession while asking ourselves: “does this bring me joy?”
I read the book years ago and marveled at this woman’s wisdom and articulation on a topic that is often presented in a practical way, with logical solutions, frequently involving creative and tedious storage solutions. Kondo however, knows this topic is emotional. She has long worked with clients in their homes, and is well aware that we humans tie our hopes, dreams, memories, and all kinds of emotional baggage into the inanimate objects we possess.
Her solution regarding asking if something brings us joy taps right into the emotional reality connected to an object and allows us to decide in the right way whether we should keep something or not. The end result is a physical environment that serves our needs and doesn’t weigh us down with unnecessary distraction, clutter, and negative past associations.
Note that the question, “does this bring me joy?” is highly personal. Where other advice often attempts to decide what you will or will not keep, she respects the fact that you may absolutely need to keep a beloved kitschy item on a shelf, despite no one else seeing any value in it.
Kondo is ruthless, though. If something doesn’t serve a critical purpose or bring you joy, you really should get rid of it.
I have used her method to let go of decades long-held items and lots of clutter. My children have used the method to narrow down their collection of stuffed animals and legos. My husband…well, he already seems to practice the Kondo Method by nature, keeping a very minimalist lifestyle and buying only what he really needs or truly wants. The man gets it.
A homemaker needs to be able to keep a tidy house. This is impossible to do if a homemaker is also swimming in a ridiculous amount of stuff. Kondo’s approach is a way of helping us do less and to highly curate and enjoy our environment–and all according to our own standards. It’s a beautiful thing.