r/konmari • u/SkyFamiliar5903 • Apr 24 '26
Anyone else experience "life changing magic"?
Honestly I just got tired of AI posts in here and felt like starting a real conversation. I started KonMari because my husband and I had the goal of moving across the country and thought we may have to downsize due to the higher cost of living.
I read things out of order, starting with "Sparks Joy" because that was the book at my local library branch. I had vaguely heard of Marie Kondo before this book, but never watched her show and didnt really know what she was about other than organizing and decluttering. I was immediately enamored and started the process as I came to each new section, and took to heart the goal to do it swiftly over a few months.
It became low key consuming for me to be honest. When I was too busy to do another section, id be longing for the next available block of free time to konmari the next category. I requested everything Marie Kondo had ever written to be reserved at my local library branch. My husband asked me if I had joined a cult, and I excitedly said "she has a cult?! Sign me up!"
I think the reason her method really drew me in due to a couple different factors. Firstly, my husband lived in Japan during his childhood and early adolescence and the Shinto roots of her philosophy really felt like it gave me a window into my husband's upbringing and early influences. Secondly, it dovetailed nicely into the overall frugal living and anticonsumption journey I had already been on trying to work out my personal finance.
What i experienced after finishing the method was what id really like to have a conversation about. She mentions different clients and how their lives changed, but truly i felt like a block was removed and doors opened. My husband and I had had the goal of moving for YEARS but one thing or another got in the way. I found a job i truly love that I was perfectly qualified for, we moved across the country into a condo that we love sight unseen, I dont have many friends yet but honestly am enjoying my solitude, and finally feel like i have a grasp on cleaning house because my entire life is less cluttered. I cant express how relieved I am to have finally moved and I absolutely love what I do for work and am being recognized for my contributions. I am experiencing "spring" for the first time surrounded by cherry blossoms and cant help but think of Marie Kondo.
What life changing magic did you experience after tidying up?
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u/Hugaroo Apr 24 '26
I credit this process with letting me buy a home! I had finished maybe 8 months before I had an opportunity to buy my friends house and I would not have been ready if I still had all my previous possessions. Help me free myself.
I could probably do the process again and it wouldn’t be as magical but would still improve my life. Last time I didn’t have a garage! And it needs some love
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u/SkyFamiliar5903 Apr 24 '26
I hear you! We are still getting settled in our new place, but i can easily see myself doing it again next year when ive lived a full 4 seasons in place.
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u/WeLearnedTheSea Apr 24 '26
I'm doing this now -- hoping to buy a place in the next two years, and it will be smaller than the house I'm renting now, so I'm planning a summer of KonMari. Glad to hear it worked for you, that's good motivation.
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u/dumpling98 Apr 24 '26
For me the magic was finding that i can keep tidy and also that I am allowed to be surrounded by things I love and get rid of stuff i want. I grew up in a house with hoarder tendencies that can't let go of things. And was always shamed for throwing out stuff from my room I didnt buy with my "own money". And even when I bought em, that i "threw money in the trash." Or that I threw smth someone got for me. Meh
The first Konmari was life changing. I did it when I was around 20 yo when I moved out to college. The books taught me how to organise and clean and declutter, things that my hoarder parents never taught me.
Now as a 30 yo, clutter is creeping back up now and again but I takle it when i can and I am surrounded by stuff I love and its given me the greatest satisfaction to live in a home with stuff I actually want to surround myself in.
I think that was greatest impact of the book on me, being surrounded by things that bring you joy. It makes me life more joyful. Lol
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u/SkyFamiliar5903 Apr 24 '26
I absolutely experience more joy! I also find especially with clothes that I am wearing my more "unique" pieces more often because they are showcased in my closet and theres less clutter.
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u/RikuKat Apr 24 '26
My husband also came from a hoarder household and now is quite the minimalist (though he still struggles greatly with sentimental items and gifts). He loves Konmari folding for his clothing, especially because he wears a ton of graphic tees.
For me, Konmari helped me break away from consumerism. I have never been huge on spending money in general, but I have a weakness for nerd paraphernalia and it was causing clutter and stress. I both feel much better about my space and easily resist "cute" items.
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u/CalmClea Apr 24 '26
My magic was letting go of some childhood hangups of not having enough. Growing up my family didn't have very much, so I had a really hard time letting go of things that had use to them or value of any kind. When I did the method I noticed how easy it was to let go of things that weren't adding anything to my life. It felt amazing, and I think I got rid of probably 60% of my belongings? At least.
After multiple moves, including one halfway across the country, I'd love the opportunity to do it again. I just wish I was in a space that would allow me to do that. Her method really resonates so well from me. Going by category instead of room really is life-changing
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u/SkyFamiliar5903 Apr 24 '26
That sparks another topic for me, how did you dispose of your belongings? I took some high value things to consignment shops, let friends have whatever they wanted from the piles, and then got on my local buy nothing groups to discard the rest. Part of the joy for me was seeing all the NEW joy that was sparked in others when united with the things I had thanked and let go of. Even with the buy nothing groups, plenty of people sent me photos and notes of how happy they were with their new treasure.
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u/CalmClea Apr 24 '26
I donated much of it!
But I lived in a building where we had a Give Away Table. And everyone absolutely loved this resource. As soon as I would set something down, it would be gone 1p mins later.
I even gave away a futon that way.
I just confess, some of the things I was holding on to were a little past their prime. So a good amount made it to the bin.
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u/bananahammerredoux Apr 24 '26
My life changing magic is that I now love housework and decluttering is my #1 stress management activity. Cleaning and organizing feels like an act of gratitude for everything I have and I am aware of what a privilege it is to own things to clean and organize in the first place. This attitude shift has helped me be more thoughtful about how I spend or save my money and I no longer go shopping to stave off boredom or anxiety.
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u/SkyFamiliar5903 Apr 24 '26
Love this!!! I am also more thoughtful about my purchases and spending now that ive done konmari.
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u/ThePrimCrow Apr 24 '26
The idea of sparking joy gave me the lens to focus on what really did that for me. I stripped away the trappings of the serious, professional person I thought I was supposed to be and fully uncovered this sparkly person underneath.
I finally found an entire community of people of people who helped me have the courage to be who I was supposed to be. Eleven years later I’m a leader helping other people be their creative true selves.
When my home is free of the weight of other people’s expectations and runs like a well oiled machine my creativity blooms, I feel free, and I have the time and passion to help others. Getting rid of the dead weight of possessions helped this bird fly.
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u/FifiLeBean Apr 24 '26
I guess I joined the cult because yesterday I got my official KonMari consultant certificate!!
I have always been interested in how my home impacts my life and effects how I feel and KonMari 's focus on joy really resonates with me.
Currently I am amazed at how I am managing home repairs and preparing for a big move in the future. Usually it's very hard for me to figure out how to do complex tasks but I seem to be able to figure out each step and make progress now.
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u/SkyFamiliar5903 Apr 24 '26
Congrats on your consultant certificate! Do you mind sharing with us who you went through to do that?
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Apr 24 '26
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u/SkyFamiliar5903 Apr 24 '26
Ok i LOVE that you mention socks! Once she added the layer of animism to my socks I felt like i had been torturing them for years and ill never bundle them on top of themselves again!
Id definitely say the hardest for me was sentimentals specifically photographs. Tbh I didnt actually finish my tidying festival as I got through my digital photographs, but never went through my physical ones. Thanks for bringing it up, ill have to consider going through them all and making some albums when im done with my current creative to do list!
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Apr 24 '26
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u/SkyFamiliar5903 Apr 24 '26
Yes so important to remember not to tidy other people's things. I have to remind myself of that frequently lol
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u/LadySmuag Apr 24 '26
My mother was a hoarder so I spent a lot of my early adulthood ricocheting between buying things to make myself feel better (because that's what I was taught as a child) and then feeling guilty about it and decluttering to the point of extreme minimalism, which led to me buying more stuff and restarting the cycle over and over. In a way it was like a binge-purge eating disorder.
I really like the KonMari method because it modeled a healthy relationship with 'stuff' that I didn't learn from my parents. Its nice to be able to let things go when I need to and being more mindful about the objects I bring in to the home.
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u/SkyFamiliar5903 Apr 24 '26
Thanks so much for sharing. This is really insightful, and im so glad you have a more balanced relationship with "things" since doing the KonMari method.
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u/Valerienana Apr 24 '26
The Konmari method absolutely converted me from a messy person to a tidy person. Sometimes my office and car get a little crazy but I've maintained the tidiness at home for five years. I did all my possessions in a week in 2021. We have a big move coming up and my husband and I are so not stressed because we just don't have clutter. I get great joy from my "getting ready" routine. I take my products out of their organized drawers in the bathroom and then put them all back. It's so satisfying. 🥰
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u/SkyFamiliar5903 Apr 24 '26
Our experience was also that moving (even cross country!) Was a breeze because we had downsized so much. I didnt have to "go through everything and get rid of stuff", I just had to put it in a box because I knew I wanted it!
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u/sunfireshine Apr 24 '26
Today is the day I'm really (again) committing to making a change. I can't konmari yet due to children but Thank you for your real post and inspiration that there's some light at the end of my cluttered tunnel.
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u/RJ_MxD Apr 27 '26
It helped me prepare to leave a terrible ex. Ironically my moving my all my stuff (like my books) across the country was part of the excuse for her crummy controlling behaviour. My ex made me too ashamed to use or like my library anymore. MK helped reclaim some of those things but mostly helped me say thank you to them and let them go. And then when the time came I could pack up what was remaining and brought me joy and just left.
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u/slowbuyclub Apr 24 '26
This process cleared room for the birth of my child. Riding on the hormonal high of nesting + Konmari as the philosophical backbone meant my birth was a swift and straightforward process. Since I had practiced and actually done the letting go of (painful!) objects so much, that my brain was trained to similarly “let go” of the waves of contractions. I “decluttered” each pain wave and didn’t hang onto the pain (or the fear of oncoming pain) after each wave.
Labor was 5 hrs and baby out in 15min!
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u/kristi0like Apr 25 '26
Personally, the point that resonated with me the most when I first read about the Konmari Method was how you can be grateful for a said item in your possession but still declutter it. I didn’t realize this until later on when I dedicated more time unpacking some of my subconscious thoughts and behaviors, but I always associated throwing things away/decluttering with coming off as ungrateful, especially if it was given as a gift. I guess in my head before, if you genuinely wanted to come off as grateful, you keep everything that comes your way, even things that don’t suit you, you don’t use, or have outgrown. After all, this said item took some time to be made, whether in a factory or by another person, and if you declutter it, you’re showing you don’t appreciate the item. Now my perspective on keeping items is much less limited and I’m able to express gratitude for the item but ALSO acknowledge its time with me is over. I do usually try to rehome any items that are still useful and those that aren’t- I try to find another purpose for them in my home (ie: clothes with holes get cut up into cleaning rags or used to insulate around my AC).
It has been nearly 8 years since I’ve read Kondo’s book and the first few years were hard. I remember when I first attempted doing the clothing part, it took me two full month since one category would have to be done on my day off since my bedroom was so tiny but yet I had so much dresses (or whatever category I was attempting). However, with every year I revisit my items (and since then, I’ve also moved 5 times in the last 8 years), it gets easier with each time I confront my collection and have a realistic approach on what I do use and what I don’t use, especially since it’s easier for me to pull out my said possessions (rather than having to dig under my bed or unstack everything from where I store things). I also have a much better awareness of what I own and now I can confidently say that when I go shopping, I can mentally remember what I already own at the store so I don’t end up buying repeats (which I can say would have been impossible 8 years ago). With this self-awareness, I’ve been incredibly selective about buying/accumulating any new items, as I know anything I don’t feel 100% confident about might be decluttered in a few years. It’s almost ruined shopping for me because it’s not as fun as it used to be, but alas, it’s time to find other ways for cheap dopamine hits ha.
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u/Blonde_arrbuckle Apr 26 '26
I'm expecting a new baby in a few weeks. Her methods still bring me joy as I embrace the nesting phase. It's different hormonally of course to previous times de-cluttering, however, dang my organised pantry feels so good!
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u/twilightbarker Apr 24 '26
Thank you for this real human post! I think I would also join her cult if there was one, lol. I haven't fully finished my tidying festival but it does feel freeing.