Yes, I have Marie Kondo-d My Closet

Welcome to the second wave of KonMari, which I'm fully embracing.

An ex once looked at my closet and advised me to “Marie Kondo” my life. For the uninitiated: this was code for “get rid of a bunch of this shit.” 

So, I read Kondo’s world sensation The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing and got to work: Carefully picking up each and every item of clothing I owned, holding it close to my heart, waiting to see if it sparked joy. And an item did, and did, and did. Practically every single thing made me happy—reminding me of a time in place where I had worn it before, the feeling I got when I wore it, or the possibility of future adventures. 

Spoiler alert: the “keep” pile reigned supreme. The ex was skeptical, saying I didn’t KonMari right. Stubborn and self-assured, I reached out to a Kondo-certified organizer to talk more about this experience—with my recorder in hand, of course, and she had assured me I had done everything correctly and with the proper result. Ha! (If you want this recording to prove a minimalist in your life wrong, LMK and I’ll send along.)

Kondo made waves in the world of organizing last month when she shared with the Washington Post that she’s updated her approach since having her third child. It’s less about less and tidying up, more about focusing on what an individual finds restorative and fulfilling.

“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. Now I realize what is important to me is enjoying spending time with my children at home.” - Marie Kondo

My favorite time of the day is the time I spend getting dressed—so I’m more of a second wave KonMari-ist than a get-rid-of-it-all first wave one, apparently. I find these moments of sartorial creativity incredibly joy sparking—even if they involve me trying on a lot of clothing and maybe, just maybe, making a mess to get the outfit just right.