Name: Marie Kondo's Kurashi at Home
Rating: 4.5 (294 reviews)
Author: Marie Kondo

What’s in it for me? Learn to live well in your space.

Inspired by Shinto religious practice, Marie Kondo developed an approach to streamlining and tidying the home that centers simplicity, spirituality, and joy. Her KonMari method, first introduced in 2011, has become so popular that it’s slipped into everyday usage as a verb – as in, I can’t close my dresser drawers any more, I think it’s time to “KonMari” my socks.

Now, Kondo extends her tidying-up philosophy to the broader concept of kurashi, a Japanese word, similar to the English word “lifestyle”, that describes the act of living. Finding your ideal kurashi means finding the ideal way of spending your time. Contemplating, organizing, and spending mindful time in your living space can be key to achieving your ideal kurashi.

Whether you’re a longtime devotee of KonMari, or you’re yet to discover the life-changing magic of tidying up, this Blink will walk you through simple strategies to define and achieve kurashi in your living space.

Create an inspiring vision for your space

I have a question for you, and I’d like you to think about it carefully before you respond.

What is your ideal living space?

Give yourself permission to think big. Given the choice, would you like to live in a modernist Frank Lloyd Wright marvel? A rustic alpine cabin? A Versailles-chic rococo palace? A countryside cottage, a bohemian apartment, a beachside shack?

It can feel silly, imagining yourself in a rococo palace, when in reality you might live in a one-bedroom apartment. You might be thinking, I should probably get my broken kitchen cupboards fixed before I think about installing chandeliers.

But it’s important not to cut corners or focus on constraints – you’re imagining your ideal home, here. And if you can’t allow yourself to fully imagine your ideal space, you won’t be able to inhabit it. Trusting your imagination will allow you to activate your intuition. And all the decisions you make about your space should be guided, above all, by your intuition of how you can achieve your ideal life.

Notice I said ideal life, just then, not ideal space. I’m not about to tell you that you can physically transform your current living space from a studio to a mansion (though later in the blink I will be sharing plenty of techniques to optimize your space). But when you start thinking beyond your four walls, you’ll soon see that the qualities of the ideal home you envisioned earlier can inform every aspect of how you live your life – and help you live as if your space truly were your dream home.

When you begin to make decisions and establish rituals based on reaching your ideal conception of your life, your space will naturally transform into something closer to your ideal space; and, as you consciously work to bring your home closer to your ideal space, you’ll find that your home inspires you towards living your ideal life.

Kurashi is a Japanese word that roughly translates to “lifestyle.” But it’s a bit more nuanced than that: it describes the actions that make up our days, the way we spend our time. After all, it’s our conscious actions and decisions that comprise our way of life. Lifestyle, according to kurashi, is not something you have but something you do.

In the following blinks, I’ll tell you more about changing and organizing your home to help you achieve your ideal kurashi. But the first step is allowing yourself to be inspired about the possibilities your space, and your life, holds. Once you have a clear picture of your ideal life, refuse to compromise on aesthetic decisions – because everything in your home should support your vision. Find joy in aspirational images of interiors and lifestyles – even if they seem out of reach to you now, allow them to excite you rather than deject you. Above all, commit to living just like you would inside your ideal home.

Create rituals to make small moments special

Making your home a joyful place to spend time is part of enhancing your kurashi; the other part is spending your time at home in a joyful manner. In this blink, I’ll talk you through creating simple, calming rituals to make each day feel special.

Starting the day with a morning routine that centers and energizes you allows you to start the day well. Every person’s ideal routine will be different. Marie Kondo likes to feel calm in the morning, so she wakes before her children, lights some incense and breathes it in, and finally starts the day by saying “Good morning” to her home. How would you like to feel in the morning? Calm? Focused? Energized? Choose a small, simple activity that will help you reach that state.

Final Summary

The key message here is that, when you live mindfully and intentionally in your home, you bring yourself closer to achieving your ideal lifestyle, or kurashi. Remember, kurashi is not something you have but something you do. Even the smallest of actions can make a big difference to your way of living.

Kernaussagen in Marie Kondo's Kurashi at Home