‘My home is messy’: Marie Kondo has 'given up' being tidy looking after her kids

MANILA, Philippines — Japanese author and consultant Marie Kondo has given up on keeping her house tidy to focus on something else that "sparks joy" — her children.

Kondo made the surprising revelation at a webinar while promoting her newest book “Marie Kondo’s Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life," as reported by 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," said Kondo. "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 that she realized what is important to her now is spending time with her three children at home, the youngest, her first son with husband Takumi Kawahara, born in 2021.

The author's new book focuses not just on cleaning the physical spaces but also the mental and emotional aspects of her life. "Tidying up means dealing with all the ‘things’ in your life... So, what do you really want to put in order?"

The 38-year-old 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 the KonMari method of decluttering homes to restore calmness and “spark joy” in their lives.

Netflix then released the sequel show "Sparking Joy with Marie Kondo" two years later.

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