The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō
I recently watched Marie Kondō's Netflix Series and became mildly obsessed with the idea of decluttering and then reorganizing; so I decided to also read her book that started it all. Although a bit ridiculous at times-I'm not about to say hello and thank you to my clothes throughout the day- I did get some great advice from reading this book.
Kondō speaks a lot about her research on decluttering and her experience using other professional's methods. Of course, none of those other methods are as successful as Kondō's in her eyes and I could see how some of them don't work. For example, get rid of 1 item per day. I would never remember to do something like this each day and for me this would feel like a painfully slow process where I was never getting anything done. I much prefer purging a lot and quickly so I know I was productive.
One of the things that resonated with me most was Kondō's famous idea of only keeping those items that “spark joy":
Imagine yourself living in a space that contains only things that spark joy. Isn't this the lifestyle you dream of? Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. By doing this you can reset your life and embark on a new lifestyle.
Yes, Kondō, yes. I don't want a bunch of things in my apartment that are useless or never see the light of day, why do I have these things still? I could have so much more room for more books, or activities! Of course it's much harder in practice to get rid of things when you think you will need them later on. But, Kondō has some honest truths for that line of thinking, such as:
"You will never use spare buttons." My husband and I have lived in an apartment for 4 years, and she's right, I've never once taken out one of those buttons to sew onto a shirt. First, my buttons don't fall off willy-nilly, but also, if an item needs a new button it may have also been ripped beyond repair. I'm keeping a bowl of ~40 buttons when I may need 1 button in the course of 15 years. This is ridiculous, it's worth the extra few dollars to buy a button in that 1 case I ever need them.
She also touches in the subject of guilt; how we often feel guilty getting rid of perfectly good clothes when they fit and we haven't worn them that often. Although a little far-fetched, she explains that these clothes served a purpose even if it was just a thrill to buy them. I may not ask myself if every item in my apartment sparks joy when I choose to declutter one weekend, but I think I can be a bit more black and white and only keep those things I truly love and let go of the guilt for the rest.
A few of the tips I don't think I will be following;
- allowing your sponges to dry outside
- emptying your purse every single day to allow it a rest
- not having a shelf in the shower
So overall, some of the things she mentions resonated with my line of thinking and I can find useful in getting rid of more than I usually do. And in other ways I laughed because it was pretty hilarious.
Synopsis: Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?
Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo's clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).