In this post, I want to explain some common differences between “regular” Professional Organizers and KonMari Certified Consultants. A KonMari Consultant is someone who has undergone and successfully completed extensive training in KMI‘s KonMari Consultant program. They have reached certification level and is listed on the KonMari website. For the purpose of this article, I define a “regular” Professional Organizer as someone who provides professional decluttering and organizing services but is NOT a KonMari Consultant certified by KMI.
Here are some differences between “regular” Professional Organizers and KonMari Consultants:
Guidance By The KonMari Method™
This one may sound obvious but I think it’s still worth mentioning in this context. A KonMari Consultant uses the KonMari Method™ in her work with clients and follows it as closely as possible. The KonMari Method™ is a decluttering and organizing method developed by Marie Kondo. Now, a KonMari Consultant may also offer “regular” professional organizing services besides her KonMari services. But that shouldn’t be confused or meshed with her KonMari consulting.
There are many other organizational methods out there besides the KonMari Method™ (which I won’t go into detail here). A regular Professional Organizer might use one or more of those other approaches in her work. Or she might have developed her own unique method. She might even (try to) use the KonMari Method™ with her clients (sometimes). Fact is, that she is not certified in the KonMari Method™ (per my definition provided further above).
One-On-One Consulting
KonMari Consultants work with their clients one-on-one. The client is involved in the entire process from making decluttering decisions to helping organize the remaining belongings. Clients may even complete some (home)work on their own in-between sessions. The KonMari Method™ is designed to be undergone only once in a lifetime. For that reason, it becomes clear that a huge focus also needs to be put on teaching the Method: how to keep up the organization in one’s home and related valuable skills and routines. Working with a KonMari Consultant may take longer than hiring a regular Professional Organizer. However, results of a complete KonMari tidying festival will last a lifetime.
In my experience, many regular Professional Organizers go into a client’s home and execute most of the work. For example, they often work alone when it comes to organizing a space and “making it look good”. This might not always be the case, certainly. But I think many Professional Organizers put less focus on teaching clients on how to keep their place tidy after the fact but do most of the “work” and they tend to return to clients repeatedly to do upkeep work.
Holistic Approach
As already mentioned above, the KonMari Method™ was developed as a sustainable, entire home tidy approach. All of a person’s tangible, movable items are taken into account. The KonMari Method™ also advises to tidy by category and not by location. Also, the categories are to be followed in a specific order. All of those aspects make the Method holistic in the way that KonMari Consultants typically and ideally work with their clients through all of their belongings from clothing to start to mementos to finish.
A Professional Organizer might be hired to only organize a kitchen or a garage. Overall, their focus is less on guiding their client through a whole home decluttering and organizing project. Although they might get hired for such a project as well of course.
No Repeat Clients
The KonMari Method™ is to be applied “once and for all.” So that means that after going through the Method completely from start to finish, you should be able to keep up with the organization, systems and routines put in place. You won’t relapse. Thus, you don’t have to hire a KonMari Consultant for a second round or – god forbid – repeatedly! No. One KonMari tidying festival (number of individual sessions differs depending on various factors) should be all you need in your lifetime.
While a KonMari Consultant doesn’t hope to work with their clients ever again after completion (again: once in a lifetime!), regular Professional Organizers very often have repeat clients. This might be due to them doing most or all of the upkeep and organizing work and less so the client. It might be due to that the client is not able or willing to do it or that less focus was put on teaching. Or (as we KonMari Consultants might think), a tidy state can’t be kept up because of not applying a holistic approach which often leads to relapse.
Overall, investing in a KonMari Consultant costs you less in the long run than hiring a Professional Organizer repeatedly.
Beyond Tidying Your Belongings
While the KonMari Method™ is first and foremost a decluttering and organizing method, it actually is so much more. After all, the first and most important step in your KonMari journey is developing your vision. Your vision of your ideal home AND lifestyle! The perspective goes beyond just tidying the physical objects in your home (read how you can apply the KonMari Method™ in other areas of your life). Tidying and surrounding yourself with only meaningful and joyful items has a greater impact than one might think. Putting your home in order is often the first step to making space for a more joyful life, new opportunities and re-newed focus.
Most other organizational concepts don’t have the added lifestyle component (at least not that I know of). They’re more or less just that: a way to declutter and organize your things.
Did this post help you understand the differences between a KonMari Consultant and a regular Professional Organizer better? Let me know in the comments below! Also, if you’re interested in working with me (I provide in-person and virtual consulting services) schedule a FREE discovery call!
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