My KonMari Summary – Part 1: The Critics

Let me begin with an appropriate “Thank You, Marie Kondo!”.

There is no doubt – among my closest friends and immediate family members – that I am a loyalist to the KonMari Method of Tidying. And it goes without saying that I am a forever fan of Marie Kondo.

Here’s the first of a few posts about the important take-a-ways & answers to common questions about KonMari.

This is for all the Readers who have been diligent and patiently reading my posts about the process …and my progress. Thank you for peeking inside my messy, disorganized closets without judgment….and cheering me on to clear my clutter over the past 4+ months

Summary – Part 1: The Critics

Why are there so many critics and cynics about KonMari?

The castigating critics and the fault-finding folks are aplenty. True. But in many instances those indignant individuals have never even attempted to use this method and only heard bits and pieces from news sources or watched a couple of snippets from the Marie Kondo Netflix Series (which launched in January 2019).

First of all, let me get this thought out of the way…..I think most of us can agree that we have become a society of chronic critics. And even more devastatingly, we have embraced hate so much so that we normalized intense animosity even for topics we know very little [or nothing] about.

Let me share a few less-than-informed pieces of feedback that I received during my KonMari Adventure . I am paraphrasing since I was in shock when I heard most of these comments. My head looked like a globe spinning uncontrollably on its axis when I heard the following complaints:

“This method doesn’t work in America because we have waaaaay more stuff than a typical Japanese household. It’s an Asian-thing.”

“It takes too long. I don’t want to spend all of my free time cleaning house.”

“You have to be a little on the OCD-side (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) to really make this work. And Asians are known for being OCD.”

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Okay. Okay. I get it. Many of the comments I received had more than a slight and subtle racial overtone…which is just plain ignorant and offensive, really. But that didn’t bother me as much as the fact that all comments were made by people who:

a) piddled around in a closet or two in their guest bedroom and gave up.

b) didn’t read or even buy the book, the life-changing magic of tidying up.

c) had absolutely no intentions of working through the process ….these types just seem to have negative opinions on any and every topic….and they choose to dwell in a constant fog of criticism and negativity.

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One person claimed they “cleaned out a miscellaneous closet” and stopped because – “It just didn’t work .” hmmmmmmm. That about says it all, doesn’t it? Had they read the book? Nope – didn’t even own a copy.

This person watched a few minutes of a few Netflix episodes and started furiously digging in their closet which stored loose photos, Christmas decorations, winter clothing, etc….. without the slightest hint of the foundational principles of KonMari. And then brilliantly proclaimed after a most chaotic afternoon….” It just didn’t work. I’d like to see all those houses featured on Netflix in the future! I bet they are as cluttered or worse in a year!”  

Such a big prediction with such a small amount of information.

….I enlightened that person by quoting Marie Kondo. She does not advocate tidying up room-by-room…or closets first and then cabinets later. NO! The whole premise of this new method of tidying is the absolute order of the categories. They are clear and concise:

Clothing | Books | Papers | Komono (miscellany) | Momentos (sentimental).

Many times during the past few months, I remembered a baseball analogy. Both of my sons were college baseball players on scholarship. Both were taught at an early age to be disciplined enough to – “do the work”  &
“do it right”- then and only then would they get their coveted results. This translates to: Follow the KonMari order of categories….and put in the time and effort.

So Readers, before you form any hard opinions….

~I ask that you read the original book from cover-to-cover. Period. (And get a copy of the second book – Spark Joy – only if you decide to begin tidying….then read Spark Joy by corresponding chapters as reference material.)

~Decide to begin only if you are joyful and positive about beginning the process …..and please don’t attempt tidying if you view this as a dreaded obligation that ‘everyone’s doing it, so I need to do it, too’ mentality.

~Don’t cheat yourself by cheating the system….. Work in the correct categorical order. Marie has designed a formula that will help you hone and master the art of tidying.

For me, it was genius how each category became more natural and normal because I had developed my selective sense of finding those valued items and pieces that sincerely sparked Joy.

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Come Back! Read about the hidden benefits of completing KonMari in The Summary – Part 2: The Invisible Treasures