If Marie Kondo isn’t keeping tidy, why should I?

After years of promoting the life-changing magic of tidying up, the world’s foremost decluttering guru, Marie Kondo, recently admitted that she is no longer keeping so tidy.
 
You may be tempted to point to Marie’s example as evidence of why paring down your home is either impossible or unnecessary.
 
But the point of downsizing isn’t to live in a picture-perfect, pristine home.
 
The point of downsizing is to create an environment that supports how you live. It’s to make what you need available where and when you need it. And to free yourself from whatever gets in the way of having a fully functional home.
 
For the record, Marie still supports the idea of only keeping things that bring you joy. But focusing on the ‘joy’ aspect overlooks the other advantages downsizing offers. Specifically:
 
Calm. Like a clear blue sky or an expanse of ocean, open space in your home helps create a sense of peace and calm.

Safety. When you eliminate stacks of stuff on shelves and counters, and arrange furniture with functionality in mind, you reduce the risk of running into things or having them fall on you. 

Access. A major benefit of decluttering is being able to put things where you can find and easily reach them. Making a place for everything, and putting everything in its place makes everything so much easier. 

Productivity. Add the minutes you spend each day looking for things to the time you spend re-arranging cabinets and closets after you’ve taken something out, and you’ll see hours wasted. While decluttering your home does take time, you’ll get that time back – and more! – when you can quickly find what you need. Instead of time spent looking for stuff, you’ll have more time to do the things you want to do. 

Bottom Line: Living in a peaceful, safe home where you can find everything you need – and have the energy to do what you want to do? That does sound joyful!