“I strove to be a mother who could balance raising my children, housework, and work with ease. I ended up exhausted ”, confesses Marie Kondo in her latest book“ Marie Kondo's Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life ”. In the past week, the tidying guru has made headlines around the world after admitting that trying to keep a tidy home with three children was too much, even for her.
“As a cleaning professional, I sometimes pressure myself with expectations that my house should always be in order. At times like this, I have learned to pause and remind myself to let go of perfection,” she says in his latest installment. But, although her priorities have changed, she is far from having given up on "living a life that sparks happiness" and she has new advice to achieve it.
The consultant receives several messages from people who feel overwhelmed by the need to order or who feel panic because their house is never quite organized. The trick - he assures - is to be clear about one's own limit. “In my case, it is that my children are healthy and happy and that I do not exhaust myself. If the toys are scattered around but I'm too tired to deal with them right now, I remind myself that it's okay to go to bed without putting them away,” she explains. Conversely, when the mess starts to bother her, she makes sure to make room in her schedule to address it.
Marie Kondo is tidy even for disorder. Every day, she shares her work schedule and her to-do list with her husband, writing down in detail everything she has to do that day and the next. “If at the end of the day there are things to do, nothing happens. It is better to have a clear idea of what remains to be done than to feel the anguish that I have forgotten to do something or the feeling of frustration every time I pass a room and see that it needs to be tidied, ”she says.
Ordering the way we use our time helps maintain a harmonious family schedule, he says. In addition, says the expert, keeping the house in good condition does not have to be only a task for adults. "Teach your kids to tidy up as part of playtime," she suggests.
“If tidying starts to get stressful, take a break,” says Kondo. Having a catalog house is not -in fact, it never was- the final objective. “The real purpose of decluttering is not to reduce your possessions or declutter your space. It is to lead a joyful life, ”she indicates. It's not just about always having your clothes folded in perfect rectangles, your kitchen counter clear, or your belongings neatly stored in minimalist bins (although this helps).
For Kondo, the key to achieving "a life that awakens joy" is to ask ourselves how and for what we want to use each space, to question how we would like to spend each moment of our day, to visualize what our lifestyle is -or , in Japanese, kurashi- ideal and rearrange every corner of our house to make it possible, surrounding ourselves only with what makes us happy. “Thinking about what you want to keep in your life is the same as thinking about how you want to live your life,” she says.
In your case, your ideal kurashi includes a living room that promotes family conversation and at the same time can serve as a space for personal relaxation, a kitchen where cooking can be fun, a work space that in addition to being practical has a playful touch, a room that serves to recharge energy and a closet that lifts your spirits, among other things.
In addition to a shiny and clear hall, a closet with clothes arranged by color and stored vertically, a bathroom without clashing containers and well-scented environments, practicing simple rituals such as oil pulling or mouthwash with white sesame oil, cleaning the soles of her shoes, preparing inherited recipes, taking a tea break with jazz or classical music in the background, looking at an album with scrapbooks that inspire her or wearing 100% cotton pajamas, also bring her that daily happiness.
Kondo offers other recommendations, such as decorating the walls with "scenes that you would like to see", preparing at night everything you need to face the next morning without rushing, eating nutritious breakfasts (for which she shares her recipes), using the minimum amount of chemical cleaners possible or meditate while doing chores. Incorporating a good habit can take just 10 days, he says.
More than a simple method of organization, Kondo proposes to his readers a work of deep introspection. Tidying up has “the power to change your life,” she promises. It implies questioning ourselves and identifying not only which objects, but also which habits and ties inspire us happiness and which ones it would be better to get rid of. "Decluttering means taking care of all the 'stuff' in your life," she notes.
Although his book compiles tips for achieving the ideal kurashi, he insists that there really is no single recipe. Both that ideal and the strategies to achieve it may vary. "The lifestyle that I have described here reflects what gives me joy at this particular stage of my life," warns the author.
If the arrival of her third child had a great impact on the organization of her house, Kondo is clear that it will not be the last time that she will have to restructure it. “I am sure that with each new stage of our lives, my vision of an ideal kurashi or lifestyle, my priorities in life, and my concept of joyful ways of spending time will also change,” she says.
For this reason, rather than offering a single road map to follow, the book invites the reader to imagine what their own ideal lifestyle would be today and think about how they can make it happen, without having to have a large budget to achieve it. . “I encourage you not to give up having the house of your dreams. With a little effort and inventiveness, you can transform the space in which you currently live”, says the author.
Of course, each at their own pace. More than reaching our ideal, wealth is in the search itself. “What gives you joy will change. What is important is the process of examining what brings you joy in every moment of your life,” says Kondo.
