Why A Marie Kondo Purge Won’t Solve Your Problems

Raise your hand if you’ve watched Marie Kondo’s “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” on Netflix.

Wait… Raise both of your hands if you’ve binge-watched “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” on Netflix!

I first learned about Marie Kondo when I was still in college. I had flown back to Beijing for the summer to spend some time with my family. Since I don’t have many friends there, I spent most of my time hanging out in bookstores. Can you tell I’m the coolest kid on the block?

I remember perusing the shelves trying to find something that caught my eye, and there it was–The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Later that night, the internet worked its magic by showing a clip of Marie Kondo on a popular Japanese variety show helping celebrities regain control of their messy homes.

I was immediately hooked and watched clip after clip, episode after episode, so you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I saw that Marie Kondo was coming to Netflix. In fact, I was so excited that I listed her show on my 2019 must-watch list! (I take my TV very seriously hahaha).

You must be wondering by now– if I seem like such a big fan of Marie Kondo, why am I writing this blog post? Because after watching far too many videos of Marie Kondo organizing backpacks and folding bags of chips, I realized that the focus has shifted from “life-changing” to merely “tidying up” with the “magic” nowhere to be found.

I get it.

We live in a world where our attention is easily diverted, and we expect a quick fix for everything. I’ll even admit that when I first tried the KonMari method, I was very impressed with the immediate effects:

The chair overflowing with clothes that weren’t dirty enough to throw in the laundry basket and could possibly be worn for another outing?

Gone!

The bathroom drawers and cabinets that were overflowing with plastic bags, old toiletries from over a decade ago, and mystery objects that I couldn’t name?

Gone!

The kitchen cupboards that were filled with expired dried goods and made a lovely home for year-round pantry moths? (Gross, I know.)

Gone!

I cleaned every room and corner that I could get my hands on, did purge after purge after purge, and boy did it feel good!

I felt accomplished. I felt like a new person. I felt like an adult who had mastered the art of adulting.

However, it didn’t take long before this newfound feeling wore off.

Except this time the foot of my bed was promoted to the new chair.

The bathroom drawers were overflowing again with new mysterious objects.

The kitchen cabinets were filled with food but I could never find anything I needed.

By the time I did, they had to make a beeline for the trash can.

Was it time for another purge? I mean, after all, it worked last time…right?

You’ve probably guessed by now that I went back to doing more purges, but the positive feelings diminished faster and faster until it reached a point where the thought of another purge was nauseating.

What had I done wrong?

I wish I could say that I woke up one day and had a lightbulb moment or ran into someone on the street who offered me words of wisdom. Rather, something clicked in me when I was in class, busy jotting down lecture notes on marketing objectives and business goals.

That was when it occurred to me– if a business needs to establish measurable goals before deploying successful campaigns, then what did I seek from all my purges? Was it simply to get rid of stuff? No, because although the first few purges had done their job, they proved to be nothing more than temporary reliefs to a long-term problem.

The KonMari method “places great importance on being mindful, introspective and forward-looking“, whereas I

1. Overlooked my end goal
2. Focused excessively on techniques

Since the techniques are only as effective as the end goal, my purges undoubtedly led only to frustration. With this in mind, I opened my bullet journal (or the trusty medium of your choice) and focused on translating the lifestyle I envisioned into quantifiable goals.

You might ask, “What if I don’t have an end goal?”. Well, that’s where the KonMari method works its magic. It’s not exactly easy to pinpoint what we want, but we all know what we don’t want. In my case, I wanted a lifestyle where I had more time to focus on self-improvement and professional development, so one by one I got rid of the habits that held me back.

Use the KonMari method to train yourself, and steadily eliminate the noise that impairs your ability to strive for what or where you want to be.

Although it’s fascinating to watch Marie Kondo tidy up like a whiz, and more tempting to do purges afterward, here’s to hoping that all of her viewers will look past the techniques and find the joy-sparking life we all deserve!

What are your thoughts on the KonMari method? How do you approach living the ideal life?