The life-changing magic of tidying up

Having read one of Marie Kondo's books previously and having watched her series on Netflix a lot of the content mentioned in this book was not new. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up focused on her history from a young child and how her passion has existed since a young age. What will be reassuring for many is the use of her own mistakes which can reassure you that an expert in the field of tiding makes mistakes and has since learnt from them. This could support people who may feel overwhelmed before, during or after the tiding process. The book is an easy listen and broken into 30 minute chapters at most making it easy to delve into. There are times during the book where I question her methods and I think that is perfectly fine. The overarching ideology is treating your belongings with respect and care. This is most likely why she suggests socks shouldn't be bundled (as it could stretch the elastic) or not leaving bags filled. Likewise our houses are often filled with items, but how many of them make us smile when we wear it or use it. This is where she refers to the 'does it spark joy' term. This helps us to appreciate what we have. As with any book there are elements you may wish to incorporate and disregard. What may reassure many is the fact that tiding up is not a daily chore but something that will become 'second nature' once a system has been organised. Finally I found it interesting that she mentioned how the health of her clients tended to improve after decluttering, sort of like a weight had been lifted. Perhaps once a declutter has started you look elsewhere on how to improve your lifestyle?

I found most of Kondo's tips helpful and easy to incorporate. I did find some of the pointers odd and hokey, like how she tended to personify inanimate objects, but most of her organization recommendations fit into how I already organized my home. Instead of forcing myself to incorporate everything she mentioned, I took what I felt was relevant to my house and family and did my best to tidy in a way that suited my style and needs. I was even able to get my seven-year-old son to tidy his room, which I never thought would happen; after watching me tidy throughout the house, he thought his room could use it -- and it certainly needed it.

There is also a great deal of repetition throughout this book, but I didn't find it tedious. I figured the consistent use of phrases and reiterations of particular tips was more a way to ensure the reader retained the information than a failure to edit out the filler.

If I can offer any advice, I'd recommend that other readers take away from the book what works for them rather than force themselves to incorporate something that seems silly or unnecessary to appease Kondo, who won't be checking in on them to determine whether their tidying session was successful anyway. There was a reason we picked up/listened to this book, so don't take it as gospel; throw out what doesn't speak to you and keep what does.

To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose. To throw away what you no longer need is neither wasteful nor shameful.

This was on my "wish I had time to read" list for a while and then I saw her Netflix show and then I finally read this. See my rating up there? I am definitely going to try her method to finally get rid of all the too-much-stuff I own.

It is a quick read and well worth looking at for anyone who has ever felt like they have too much stuff. I like her technique about getting together all your things by category in descending difficulty and then touching everything and seeing if the item "spark's joy".

The best sequence is this: clothes first, then books, papers, miscellaneous items (komono) and, lastly, sentimental items and keepsakes.

I also like how she imbues every item with its own purpose even when the purpose may have been to teach me that I didn't need it. This may come across weird to some, I guess, and it might put off some people. If the book doesn't explain well enough: watch a couple of episodes of the show.

If you missed your chance to read a particular book, even if it was recommended to you or is one you have been intending to read for ages, then this is your chance to let it go. You may have wanted to read it when you bought it, but if you haven’t read it by now, the book’s purpose was to teach you that you didn’t need it. There’s no need to finish reading books that you only got halfway through. Their purpose was to be read halfway. So get rid of all those unread books. It will be far better for you to read the book that really grabs you right now than one that you left to gather dust for years.


What the book lacks is the "where to get rid of all the stuff" because in Germany I cannot just throw 20-40 bags of unsorted items into the trash. Also, I would want to donate many of the things. I think some hints on how to organize that part would have been nice.

I read this book last year, and as a way to refocus a bit in 2019 I thought I'd reread it to cement some of the ideas in the book. The book is literally about tidying your house by getting rid of things that don't "spark joy." It's pretty straightforward, and I would say that in a general sense the tidying methodology is sensible and, at least to me, a bit obvious in retrospect. But more than that it's about being grateful for what you have, being mindful of how you use your space, and surrounding yourself with things that make you happy.

The first thing to note is that there's a bit of a cultural gap in this book that causes some people to view a lot of specific advice as strange or straight-up wrong. Japanese houses aren't like American houses. The climate in Japan is different from the climate in America. The relationship between Japanese people and their things is different from the relationship between Americans and theirs. So specific suggestions like drying your dishes on the veranda or only using the storage built in to your home aren't necessarily as useful for a western audience as it is in Kondo's home country. But nitpicking on such things is missing the forest for the trees; if I don't like a dish rack beside my sink, but I can't dry my dishes outside like it book suggests, it just means I have to think a little about my own solution. How horrible.

On a similar note, Kondo talks a lot about how she talks to her things. She tells her house that she's home when she gets in the door, she thanks her clothes for the job they've done when she's done with them for the day, stuff like that. It sounds a bit crazy, but there's two things going on that people seem to miss. First, it's not as unusual for Japanese people to believe that there are spirits residing in inanimate objects. So in a way, it's like thanking the spirit of the object. Secondly, the point is really not to be talking out loud like a crazy person to your socks. It's just being grateful for and mindful of the role that your socks play in your life. If you didn't wear them, you probably wouldn't be as happy. And if you would be happier without them, then maybe it's a reminder that you don't need them.

Honestly, this book is probably the best self-help book I've ever read by a fairly significant margin. Kondo is funny and personable, she talks a lot about how she came to her ideas and how it's better than other methodologies, and quite frankly, the Konmari method is so simple that it's hard to screw up once you get going. The only thing to be cognizant of is that you have to do a bit of work yourself. There isn't a simple, quantitative metric like "discard everything you haven't worn in three months." You have to take that shirt in your hand, look it over, and ask yourself if it brings you joy. Nothing else will do.

I actually listened to this as an audiobook.

As an avid M/M reader, I was shocked to find myself reaching out to a self-help book on tidying up. However, perhaps it was a chance meeting at the right time: currently arranging my life for an upcoming move, I needed something I could easily listen to while tidying up what has been my home for almost half a decade.

Marie Kondo describes a relationship between people and the things they own as something real. The objects themselves are alive in how she describes them. While the book isn't long by any means, there is a lot of very new perspectives and concepts the author introduces that, while might not be a life changer for everyone, can help broaden your own perception of the things laying in your home. The basic motto this book introduces is "does this item spark JOY?" And while a skeptic myself, I do find myself liking the idea of having a home that only has items that spark joy. By the end of the book, I am very well convinced with most of what this author teaches.

Overall, a great listen. It definitely redefined how I view the things I own and will definitely start implementing some of the practices Marie Kondo has described.