KonMari in My House: Lessons, Wins & Failures

KonMari is an extremely popular decluttering method based on the book “the life-changing magic of tidying up” by the Japanese writer Marie Kondo. The method is recently buzzing again due to a new Netflix show featuring Marie Kondo. I read the KonMari book three years ago and applied KonMari in my house. However, I learnt some lessons along the way, as some elements of my Desi/South Asian lifestyle challenged and others complimented the KonMari method. Read all about it here:

Lesson 1: Desi clothes are a separate category

Marie Kondo recommends starting the process of discarding with clothes first. However, this turned out to be one of the biggest challenges for me as I realized that my clothes are divided into two categories: Western clothes that I wear every day and South Asian clothes that I wear infrequently but each one of them is a rare piece. It was easy applying the KonMari method to my western clothes however with my South Asian clothes even after a fair bit of discarding I was left with a huge collection that was beautiful and unique to my needs. I made peace by keeping them all in a separate closet that I visit on special occasions dressing up for a desi dinner.

Read this post for some ideas to recycle desi clothes (if you decide to part with them!)

Lesson 2: An immigrant’s house is a land mine of memories

Marie Kondo advises dealing with sentimental items in the end. She probably never immigrated out of Japan to another country. As an immigrant who moved from Pakistan to Canada at the age of 28, my house is full of things that have special memories. When I moved to Canada I had 3.5 suitcases to pack away my life (I allowed by husband half a suitcase). On every trip to Pakistan, I bring back things from my parents’ house that are a special connection to my childhood and life growing up in Pakistan. There is no way I’m discarding these items even though they take up space because each one of them is a time machine into special memories. So sorry Marie Kondo, some items are never going away like the sweater my grandmother knitted, the tea set my mom gave me, those piles of letters and definitely not that kurta I never wear but was a special gift.

Lesson 3: KonMari is no match for the Desi Mom Guilt

Marie Kondo has special strategies of dealing with items that were gifts from family and we don’t part ways with because of guilt. She has obviously never met the force of nature called a desi Mom or Mother-in-law. I’m sure I will never hear the end of it if I discard the rug my mother brought for me all the way from Pakistan because it didn’t “spark joy” anymore. Marie Kondo doesn’t realize that a desi Mom has many ways of investigation even if she doesn’t live with her children anymore namely: Skype calls, direct questioning and emotional blackmailing.

Lesson 4: Can’t bag a Desi bag inside another

By grouping similar categories together I realized I had quite a collection of desi bags with traditional embroideries, truck art and bead work. KonMari recommends putting one bag inside another to save space, however I realized I couldn’t do that with my collection since all of them are unique and I need to see them visually to choose which one goes with my outfit (or which one I plan my outfit around!)

Lesson 5: South Asians win at storage solutions

The storage skills of South Asians is the stuff of many a social media jokes. Yes, we store leftovers in yogurt containers, needles in Quality Street chocolate boxes and miscellaneous items in Pringles cans.

In the KonMari method you use existing boxes lying around the house and don’t buy special storage solutions. I found a never-ending supply of empty boxes in my basement left for “some day” they will come in handy. Definitely a KonMari win!

Lesson 6: “Learn to do without” is an inherent Desi trait

KonMari is a method not just for de-cluttering but also a lifestyle change. Marie Kondo recommends “learning to do without” and use existing items in the house before going out to buy something. I realized that this a philosophy I was brought up on as my parents managed within their tight budgets and I had carried it on as I managed my own house. Out of tomatoes? Don’t worry, substitute with yogurt in the recipe. Why do you need a new jacket? Here is your sister’s perfectly fine hand-me-down. Leftovers Friday is actually pretty cool, etc.

To summarize, I think no method is a universal solution, be it KonMari or another decluttering strategy. I learnt this as I applied KonMari in my house and was able to adjust the method to my lifestyle.

Have you tried KonMari in your house? Do share your experiences! Would love to hear from you!