502 - How Marie Kondo is the Atkins Diet of Organizing

<p>Marie Kondo is like the Atkins Diet of organizing. Yes, it's true. Let me explain.</p> <p><strong>Please understand that this is NOT an anti-Marie Kondo episode!</strong> I think Marie Kondo is awesome in so many ways. She's done so much to raise awareness for organizing and decluttering in the media and the general public. There are benefits to her method, but I do feel that the Marie Kondo method is not the best long-term solution for the average American woman or home.</p> <p><a href= "https://organize365.com/podcast/passive-organizing">Last week I kicked off this podcast series by talking about passive organizing.</a> When you're in this information-gathering stage, your interest and initial motivation can be sparked by things like Marie Kondo's book or TV show. </p> <p>In this episode, I explain why Marie Kondo's organizational method is like the Atkins Diet of organizing. </p> <p>First, ultra-low-carb diets like the Atkins Diet can give you quick results. <strong>You can get really, really quick results using the Marie Kondo method.</strong> That quick win can give you the motivation that is needed to keep going in the beginning. The problem is that you have to get rid of nearly everything to get those results!</p> <p>Americans (and Australians) in particular tend to have larger homes and more stuff in those homes. Japanese homes are usually much smaller and rooms are more often multifunctional. When an American woman uses the Marie Kondo method of organizing, there's a lot of pain and chaos that goes along with pulling everything out of a particular space. It's like the headache you get when you go through carb withdrawal.</p> <p>Second, the Atkins Diet is very one-size-fits-all, as is the Marie Kondo Method. <strong>There are strict rules to follow without deviation to get those results.</strong> Marie Kondo's Method is very prescriptive, telling you exactly how you should have each area of your home.</p> <p>Do you have paper? She says get rid of it all except a tiny folder. This doesn't work for the t