Marie Kondo reveals why she’s ‘kind of given up’ on tidying up

Marie Kondo at the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. Photo / Getty Images

She was the toast of every tidy home after her book-turned-Netflix-series Tidying Up became a smash hit. But neat freak Marie Kondo has made a shock revelation to fans while promoting her latest book: “Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life.”

According to The Washington Post, Kondo has revealed: “My home is messy”.

In a webinar to promote her new book, Kondo said: “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. Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times.”

Kondo now has three children and shared that since the arrival of her third child, a son, her attention and energy for tidying up isn’t quite what used to be.

“I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me. Now I realise what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home,” she told her audience in the webinar session.

Marie Kondo is a big fan of using boxes for storing items that "spark joy". Photo / Getty Images

Instead, Kondo’s latest book sees her shift her focus to the importance of decluttering our mental and emotional spaces. She argues what’s just as important as folding clothes and cleaning out cupboards is spending quality time with your children or listening to classical music in the mornings.

In it she writes: “Tidying up means dealing with all the ‘things’ in your life. So, what do you really want to put in order?”

Kondo’s success as a professional tidier saw her reach international celebrity status in 2019 thanks to her Netflix series where she helped people declutter and tidy up their homes. Her catch phrase, “spark joy”, became the decider in keeping or tossing her subjects’ excessive stuff.

Kondo also produced a second series for Netflix in 2021, “Sparking Joy With Marie Kondo.”

Marie Kondo demonstrating how she folds a t-shirt. Photo / Getty Images