Inside: Marie Kondo Embraces Messy Minimalism! Read about how Tidying Up guru, Marie Kondo, has evolved her approach to decluttering and organizing to embrace a more realistic style of minimalism.
Minimalism has been on the rise over the last ten years, and we have Marie Kondo to thank for it. However, with the call to declutter your home and live with less stuff (a noble cause) has also come the unrealistic expectation of keeping it always tidy as well. It’s exactly that picture-perfect aesthetic that has held a clutter-free lifestyle out of reach for many.
Breaking news: There has never been more hope for messy people than there is today. An article by The Washington Post, explains how the Godmother of modern day Minimalism and author of the book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo has chosen to embrace the messiness of family with open arms.
“Up until now, I was a professional tidier, so I did my best to keep my home tidy at all times,” she said at the event. “I have kind of given up on that in a good way for me. Now I realize what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home.”
It goes on to say,
“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 at a recent media webinar and virtual tea ceremony.”
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up is the very first book I read on the subject of minimalism after adopting the lifestyle myself six years ago. I loved it and learned a lot about living with less and why my home was so cluttered to start. However, with three kids at home, the always tidy side of her message just didn’t fit the life I lived.
After trying and failing to create an insta-worthy minimalist home, I almost quit minimalism entirely. Instead, I opted for a more grace-based approach to living a minimalist lifestyle. One that freed me from both the overconsumption of stuff and the unrealistic expectation of keeping a home that also looked the part.
I call it: Messy minimalism.
The Life Changing Magic of Pivoting
If you’ve ever assumed minimalism isn’t for you simply because of your natural inclination toward messiness or the messiness that often accompanies parenthood, there’s hope. Even Marie Kondo has opted to embrace the mess.
Messy minimalism is a realistic approach to minimalism that isn’t founded on rules, perfectionism, specific items or making your home “look minimalist.” It’s about creating a home specific and unique to you without all of the excess stuff getting in the way.
Dear Marie Kondo,
Welcome to the messy side of less. Here is where sticky counters, balled up socks on the floor, and banana handprints adhered to our windows, meet clutter-free cabinets, capsule wardrobes and simplified homes. And that, is perfect.
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