What I’ve learned from "the tidying queen" about mastering messiness

It was a mid-week evening. As I was overwhelmed by messiness with my work, home, and life, I received a forwarded article from my husband. What? "Marie Kondo's life is messier now - and she's fine with it"!??

Marie Kondo has been considered the “tidying queen”. For years, I know that I need help to master my messiness. I always wanted to learn and master Marie Kondo methods of decluttering and organizing. However, I have not been able to achieve that to keep my house mess free and picture perfect. Now, even Marie Kondo is fine with her life being messier? I can't wait to start reading the article!?

“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.” – Marie Kondo

Yes! That really resonates with me! Reflecting from reading the article, I’ve learned three key insights from Marie Kondo’s stories. These insights are not only applicable to career and life, but are also key to help us A-C-T to master messiness in all aspects of our lives: ?

• A - Accept our limitations
• C - Commit to joy
• T - Trust our power to change our own stories

A - Accept our limitations

"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. "?- Marie Kondo

Many of us may feel the pressure to strive for perfectionism, because of our internal desire to avoid failure or harsh judgement, social expectations, or cultural pressures. The increasing use of social media has also contributed to the increase of perfectionism over the years, especially the influence to compare to others who seem flawless. The personal brands built in our professional lives could also be reasons why we put pressure on ourselves to live up with the seemingly perfect perception of others. For Marie Kondo, as a tidying professional, she puts pressure on herself to always keep her house in order: "sometimes I pack my schedule so tightly I feel frazzled or am overcome with anxiety".

However, imperfection is universal as it is part of being human. No one is perfect. Everyone has flaws, mistakes, weaknesses, and limitations. Even knowing that perfection doesn’t really exist, it can be difficult to acknowledge and accept our limitations, especially at work. Being willing to admit our limitations takes courage to be vulnerable. That’s why it’s liberating to see that even the "tidying queen" admitted her limitation. By having accepted her limitations with her vulnerability, she becomes more relatable, just like many of us. This inspires us to be more compassionate with ourselves and accept our own messiness as part of life.?

C - Commit to Joy

The article mentioned Marie Kondo's assignment for readers of her latest book Marie Kondo's Kurashi at Home: How to Organize Your Space and Achieve Your Ideal Life: "Come up with a doable joy routine and stick with it for 10 days, then see whether the daily habit changes are making you feel better".

Yes, committing to joy regardless of messiness! That means choosing to focus on what makes us feel happy, regardless of the messiness in our circumstances. What sparks joy varies differently for individuals. Even for the same individual, what sparks joy changes with various stages of our lives too. Marie Kondo shared that after giving birth to her third child, what sparks joy for her “doesn’t hinge on having a tidy house”. “Her new rituals turn inward, to more thoughtful things than a drawer full of perfectly folded T-shirts or an Instagram-worthy spice cabinet.”?

T - Trust our power to change our own stories

We tell ourselves stories that are influenced by many factors such as cultural norms, social expectations, our own upbringing experiences, and more. Sometimes, those stories are based on limited assumptions, which can prevent us from achieving our goals or fulfilling our potential.?

We tell our own narratives about who we are, what we are expected to do, and what we can achieve. They shape our own beliefs, emotions, and actions. In our professional lives, it can feel difficult to change paths, especially if we have already made significant investments, or have established a successful path in a known field.?

However, making changes and changing our own narratives can be rewarding and fulfilling. That’s why it’s inspiring and empowering to see: Marie Kondo is messy now—and it's actually expanding her brand (fastcompany.com).

The “tidying queen” has shown us the power to change her own stories! Trust that we all have the power to change our own narratives! It’s not easy, but trust that we all have our own choices and abilities to rewrite our own stories in a way that empowers us and aligns with our own values and goals.?

In summary, I’ve learned from Marie Kondo’s stories that by accepting our limitations, committing to joy, and trusting our power to change our own stories, we can A-C-T to master messiness in our career and life. ?

I invite you to A-C-T and let me know what you think!?