The KonMari® course, finally!
After waiting for what felt like forever, the time had finally come. In November of 2020 I got to follow the course to become a KonMari Consultant. You know; Marie Kondo, Spark Joy® and decluttering.

It had been a long time in the making. In February I registered for the course that was to take place in May, in one of my favourite cities: London! But then, well life happened. Or in this case, 2020 and COVID-19 happened.

How I discovered Marie Kondo
When I say it had been a long time in the making, it goes back way further than February of last year. Long before I even knew it was possible to become a KonMari Consultant, I had read her books. No, I devoured the books. For a neatfreak like me, books about tidying up were amazing. But though I had always loved tidying up and organising, Marie Kondo’s book was a true eye-opener. It focused so completely on the questions Does it Spark Joy®? and Do I want to keep this? that it was almost the opposite of one of my favourite things: storing things as compact and clever as possible - which does come in handy though, when you live in a tiny 18 m2 (193 sq. ft) studio, like I did when I first discovered KonMari® in 2015.

Because that tiny studio… that housed a lot of stuff! So when I decided to take the jump and start tidying up with the KonMari® method, I was so surprised! And it wasn’t even the decluttering itself that surprised me, but the change in my attitude towards my stuff! I had always loved pretty clothes, but by tidying up I now only had those items I really loved. Opening my wardrobe was such a joy! But what may have changed most was my relationship with my books (read it here).

Marie Kondo’s book isn’t called “The life changing magic of tidying up” for nothing because shortly after I completed my tidying festival, I found my dream home. It was light, spacious and had a gorgeous wooden floor, and even a separate bedroom. It felt huge and empty after living in my tiny studio. Well, it filled up pretty quickly! First my husband moved in and then not too long after that we had a little baby boy. All of a sudden it didn’t feel so spacious anymore… After all, living with 3 people on 50 m2 and just 1 bedroom can be a challenge.

A few weeks after we had our son, I looked around and realised “My home is a mess!” Luckily, I knew exactly what I had to do. It was so much easier now that I already had the hang of the basic rules of tidying!

The training
Late in 2019 I found out that it’s possible to be trained to help people find the joy in their homes. Quickly after I had registered for the next possible course. And here we are, I am now officially a KonMari® consultant-in-training!

After the 3 day course, there’s a whole process to go through: I have to guide a minimum of 2 clients, of which at least 1 needs to complete a tidying festival (a.k.a. tidy the entire home). All tidying sessions have to be reported in detail, and there are strict requirements for those reports. After having completed my work with the clients, I have to submit all my reports for assessment. That will be and exciting and nerve-wrecking day! When the reports have been approved, I need to do a written exam, followed by an interview. And after having passed those, I will finally be a certified KonMari® consultant.

Now that Sparks Joy® to me!