The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

After reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, I feel like an organizing fairy godmother has flitted into my home, ready to help me transform my condo into a castle.  This slim little volume, which describes a set of principles for how to declutter and organize your home, has inspired me to roll up my sleeves and get to work.  I will fully admit that the whimsical approach Kondo takes to describe the process of organization isn't for everyone, but sure she spoke to me.

The KonMari method of tidying up has two distinct stages.  First, Kondo explains how to effectively declutter your home.  She advocates for tackling items by category rather than by room. For example, she recommends taking all of one type of item that you own, such as clothing, and lay it all out on the floor in front of you.  Next, you should handle every single item and ask yourself if the item gives you joy.  If the answer is no, then the item goes into the donate/discard pile.  After completing this process, the second stage of the method begins and you put everything you have left away neatly.  Then you move onto the next category of items.  As you move from category to category, you eventually get everything in its proper place and toss out tons of stuff you didn't really need.  This process, she believes, only needs to be done once in a lifetime.  If done correctly, it can transform your life.

I connected with Kondo's words because I found them to be both gentle and common sense.  Her writing comes across like the advice of a supportive friend, encouraging you and calling you out when necessary.  She explains how there's no need to feel shame in getting rid of items that are still "good."  She says that each item that comes into our lives had a purpose and once that item has served its purpose, it's okay to let it go.  I liked this reassurance because I definitely feel guilty at the thought of throwing away something I once spent money on or that I could still possibly use . . . maybe . . . one day . . . (probably not).

Kondo's easygoing logic makes me feel like I could really go through the whole process and change my life by simply tidying up.  That idea sounded weird to me when I first heard it, but Kondo's passion for organization made me a believer.  Some of her tips, like thanking your belongings after you use them, were a little hippy-dippy for me, but I love the idea of doing that.  It paints a lovely picture of the world, in which jackets are happy to stretch across our shoulders and purses enjoy when you clean them out.  I can't bring myself to honestly believe that, but I kind of wish it were true. 

I definitely enjoyed this book.  Its companion novel, Spark Joy, is next on my reading list.  I'm inspired to go through my own possessions and tidy up after reading, which I suppose it the best endorsement possible for a book about organization.  I'm going to try it.

I'll close with my favorite bit of advice  in the novel -- Kondo specifically mentions that you shouldn't let your mother see what items you are discarding during your cleanup. Mothers tend to try and rescue things from your trash pile.  So true.