Professional home organizer Marie Kondo says she’s given up on tidying: 'My home is messy'
Marie Kondo is choosing to spend time with her children instead of tidying, and social media users have found the admission relatable
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lifestyle author and professional organizer Marie Kondo says she’s taking a break from tidying to spend more time with her children.
Kondo, 38, who is originally from Tokyo and is famous for her many books on how Japanese philosophy can help people declutter and organize their lives, revealed that her home isn’t as neat as it once was in a recent press webinar, according to The Washington Post.
"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," she said through an interpreter.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MARIE KONDO REVEALS TIPS FOR 'SPARKING JOY' AT WORK, GETTING KIDS ORGANIZED FOR BACK TO SCHOOL
Since the release of her first book in 2010, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing," which was released in the U.S. in 2014 through California publisher Ten Speed Press, Kondo has become a mother of two girls and one boy.
Marie Kondo, a professional organizing consultant from Japan, led the 2019 Netflix show, "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo." (Netflix)
"Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times. I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me," Kondo said in the webinar.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Now I realize what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home."
Fox News Digital reached out to representatives of Kondo for further comment.
Close followers of Kondo have expressed their shock and support over her admission on social media.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Twitter, many users have joked that they feel "vindicated" that Kondo has temporarily given up tidying, which has prompted many others to come to her defense.
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"People talking about feeling ‘vindicated’ by Marie Kondo's comments about letting her home get messy, now that she has three kids: 1) Y'all were never indicted and it's weird that you felt that way; 2) Your idea of a mess and Kondo's probably aren't remotely similar," a Twitter user posted on Saturday, Jan. 28.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Marie Kondo also starred in the 2021 Netflix show, "Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo." (Netflix)
Another Twitter user questioned why it seems that "everyone hates" Kondo and her tidying methods so much — to which a user replied, "I don’t think it’s specifically hating on Marie Kondo, rather feeling vindicated that being worn down after three kids is a normal thing to be."
Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley joked that she wanted an "official apology" from Kondo "to those of us [whom] she influenced to make our clothes into little envelopes while we HAD three kids," Polley wrote on Twitter.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Polley clarified her original tweet was a joke, which has since been deleted, after Twitter users posted screenshots and replies in defense of Kondo.
"Marie Kondo told y’all to chill out and organize and some of you took it to a cultish level," wrote Detroit-based chef Jon Kung in a tweet posted on Monday, Jan. 30.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"That lady was all vibes, if you feel betrayed by her admitting to being messy now because of her kids you were the ones who did too much," Kung continued.
"You didn’t need storage bins. You needed therapy."
Kondo trademarked the KonMari Method – a Shinto-inspired tidying technique she developed to help people declutter their homes and organize household items that "spark joy."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"You are not choosing what to discard but rather choosing to keep only the items that speak to your heart," Kondo’s website – KonMari.com – says about the KonMari Method.
"Through tidying, you can reset your life and spend the rest of your life surrounded by the people and things that you love the most."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kondo has described the KonMari Method in her other home and office organization books.
She’s also demonstrated it in her 2019 Netflix show, "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo," in which she guided families throughout the decluttering process.
The KonMari Method encourages tidying by household item categories rather than room location and discarding items that no longer spark joy. Sentimental items that stir strong feelings are typically good to keep.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Families that are still on a mission to organize their homes can continue to find tidy courses and tips, notes, organization philosophy and Q&A responses from "thought leaders and category experts" on Kondo’s website.
The online KonMari shop and Container Store still sell home décor and organization products, including display bowls and storage bins.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kondo is an alumna of Tokyo Woman's Christian University. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband Takumi Kawahara, whom she married in 2012.