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Decluttering guru Marie Kondo advocates getting rid of things that no longer "spark joy."
Photo release
MANILA, Philippines — Japanese author and consultant Marie Kondo, popularly known for the KonMari method of decluttering homes to restore calmness and “spark joy” in people's lives, is in no rush returning to the world of tidiness.
While promoting her book "Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life" in 2023, Kondo revealed her house was messy as she put more focus on raising her children.
"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," Kondo said then. "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."
She added at the time that she realized that what was important to her was spending time with her three kids at home.
Two years later, Kondo is slowly going back to where it all started in a new campaign with travel platform Klook.
Related: ‘My home is messy’: Marie Kondo has 'given up' being tidy looking after her kids
Kondo acknowledged to the travel platform that the public were taken by surprise by her earlier statements about messy living with a family.
"I always valued tidying. But of course, priorities change when life changes. I loved sharing the joy of tidying with the world. People saw that as I was a tidying expert, but it created an expectation that my house would always be in perfect order even with children," she said.
"Change can feel uncomfortable for people who have a fixed image of someone they think they know. However, change is a natural part of life, and one thing is consistent: my key message, which is to live a life that sparks joy," Kondo added.
The author drew a connection between her KonMari method with the traditional Japanese technique Kintsugi, or repairing ceramic objects with gold.
"Some people have completely different sensibilities, and that is to recognize the beauty of your own house as it is," said Kondo, which she pointed out was the goal of her method.
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"I've always been focused on balance and finding joy, not perfection. I found peace in accepting my imperfection. That gives me new energy to try new things. I hope others feel encouraged to do the same."
Kondo maintained that her family is what "truly sparks joy" for her and admitted that no one is perfect, including herself, which is all right with her.
"Our everyday lives are full of small joys that we can miss if we focus too much on perfection. The best me is a person who always listens to what my heart says and follows it, and knows what sparks joy for me now," she ended.
Kondo rose to fame with the release of her book "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" in 2014.
It was followed by the 2019 Netflix series "Tidying Up With Marie Kondo," which focused on her KonMari method, and its sequel show "Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo" two years later.
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