The Netflix show “Tidying up with Marie Kondo” has landed and your social media newsfeed is most likely one “discard pile” image after another, and I’m here to tell you, it really is magical.
First let me take you back to my first experience with the KonMari method.
Three years ago my husband came across the book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo”, read it, and immediately insisted I read it too because we were gonna “KonMari” the crap out of our house.
Wait, what? We were gonna WHAT?!
To say I was skeptical and not the least bit interested in reading the book is an understatement, but you guys, he was JAZZED. I don’t have any other word for the energy with which he talked about the categories, the “sparking joy” and how truly magical our lives would be if we could “tidy” together. Insert mama-sized eye roll.
Keep in mind, at the time we had a 4 year old son that we lovingly referred to as “TheBoyNado” and a 1 year old daughter who’s nickname was “Busy”. There was NO WAY this was gonna work. I mean, who WAS this lady?
I folded, not my clothes, but my resistance, and I read the book. I ended up devouring it, really, in like 2 days. A PAPER BOOK- with the two littles I am an avid Audible “reader”, but rarely swing reading paper books, for some reason when I try I’m asleep in like 3 minutes or less, true story. This was a quick read, it was concise, gave enough back story on the magical Ms. Marie to earn my trust.
One of the key elements to the “magic” is a step by step, “do this, this way and you will succeed” formula. She had me hooked. Since my husband was already super-pumped, we decided that Friday night we were gonna get our KonMari on, and we did.
We’ll catch up to present day here in a minute and talk about the epic binge-worthiness of the Netflix show, but for now, I need to emphasize that reading the book IS WORTH IT. There are 5 categories – which she delightfully breaks down at the beginning of each episode. What you don’t get in the show, is how thoughtfully and the great detail with which she breaks down each category and the specific procedure to get you from one side of the discard pile to the other.
Here are the Marie Kondo categories in order, and the order is HIGHLY important.
- Clothing
- Books
- Paper
- Komono (miscellaneous items- kitchen, bathrooms, garage, etc)
And very strategically last:
5. Sentimental items
Again, it is ESSENTIAL that you do these in order, the way she breaks it down in her proven system. I promise you that putting in the work to do this will pay off. I am in love with the show, but it is very much a “highlights” version of the process, so having the support of knowing each step and how-to as you go, is truly, MAGIC.
Now, we do have to talk about the show for a hot second too because this woman is INTOXICATING. She is a pure beam of tidying light and she is SO joyfully aligned with her calling- which is the most inspiring part of the whole thing, really.
My favorite element of the system, highlighted in the show, is the gratitude practice. I know I have friends who think “thanking” your gym socks before you chuck them is lame, but it’s actually not. The more we can be grateful, and focus on that feeling of thankfulness the less stressed, worried and fearful we are in all elements of life. This is true both in the book and in the show, but more so in the show, watching that light click on when the people sit down to thank their house before they begin the process is so beautiful, and deeply inspiring. That’s one of the big reasons I’m so stoked to see this show getting watched by so many, and seeing all those mile high piles of clothes on everyone’s bed. To want your life to be joyful and full of gratitude is everything right with the world and we need more of it.
When we initially did this kids were not involved, but now, with refreshed KM energy, we are discarding and tidying once again- and MAN is it easier this time. If I remember correctly, and let’s be honest, I have two young kids, so… in the book she says something like if you do it right once you never do it again. 3 years later, I will say, as we embark upon round two- this time teaching a 7 and 4 year old how to fold, and identify the “joy sparklers”, that if you do it properly once, it will change your life for the better.
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