I’ve read the The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and had my differences with the book but I was so thrilled that Marie Kondo had brought the profession of organizing into the forefront of so many minds in America. Before Kondo I had to explain what I did for a living, now people are familiar with what I do. I am so grateful for her and the popularity of the book and show.
There has been so much talk about the show on Netflix Tidying Up with Marie Kondo and of course, as a professional organizer here in Los Angeles where the show takes place, I had to see what it was all about. I was also curious to see if there were differences with my Space to Love Method and wanted to compare.
I was excited to watch the first episode, thinking this would be binge worthy for me. There I was, on my couch with my popcorn and Prosecco, I pressed play and soon realized after a few minutes that our methods are, in fact, very different.
I know there is a lot of editing magic and added drama that goes on with these shows but I was cringing when I saw her leave her client in the bedroom with a huge pile of clothes on the bed only armed with “If it brings you joy, keep it if not, thank it and put it in the donation bag”.
I have gotten a lot of feed back about the show and how people are now sleeping on the floor or couch because they couldn’t get through their clothes on the bed.
One of the big parts of The Space to Love Method is we don’t leave clients alone while going through their stuff. This is the part that is always the hardest (emotionally and psychologically) and they need guidance the whole way through. Only after we have worked with clients for a period of time and transferred skills to them, do we feel it would be appropriate to leave them to “let go” on their own.
After this process is over we then put systems in place that are specific to the clients needs. Not everyone is the same, therefore we do not have a cookie cutter formula for all organizing system. This includes folding, we come up with folding systems for the type of clothes and towels that work for the size of the drawers, closets or shelves.
Here is a video with some encouragement for anyone who feels like they are a “Tidying Up” failure. Know that you are not alone.
Comment below with any decluttering and organizing stories you would like to share. We would love to hear from you.