The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, #1)

by Marie Kondo

Emily Woo Zeller (Narrator)

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The book that sparked a revolution and inspired the hit Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo: the original guide to decluttering your home once and for all.

ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOKS OF THE DECADE—CNN
 
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). 

With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

• ISBN10: 1494558947
• ISBN13: 9781494558949
• Publish Date: 6 January 2015 (first published 3 April 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 13 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Tantor Media, Inc
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 4 hours and 50 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[mbtc]

This book made some interesting points. I don't feel her technique is right for my home or my life right now, but I am incorporating some of her ideas into my homemaking.

[clementine]

Hmm. Definitely mixed feelings here.

This book was very easy to breeze through. It did give me an itch to continue on my decluttering process, and some of the advice was very helpful. However, it was a bit woo-woo for my tastes - I just could not deal with the idea of thanking your handbag for carrying your stuff around and treating your clothes like people. I also thought that her method was kind of impractical - there's no way most people can declutter their entire houses before they start putting anything back where it belongs, which is central to her method. Finally, the idea of emptying my purse every day and then putting the exact same things back into it is ridiculous. Maybe it's because I carry small bags that never end up with random crap in them, but NO.

Also, some of her methods were stiflingly prescriptive to me. I think that when it comes to organization and storage, it's most important to find a way to suit your own needs, and folding every sock however many times and finding your shirt's "sweet spot" when you're folding it is just... not necessary for every single human on the planet. I do wish some of her advice was a bit more flexible or generalized, rather than "YOU MUST LINE YOUR STOCKINGS UP IN A SHOE BOX FOLDED THIS SPECIFIC WAY."

That said, there were various tips and ideas that did resonate with me. In particular, I liked some of what she had to say about the organization process. I definitely agree that more storage =/= more organized, and I liked the idea of storing things where they are easy to put away, rather than where they're easy to take out. Kondo also really drilled home the idea of questioning why you think you need things, especially paper goods. I know I'm definitely guilty of holding onto manuals that will never get touched! Finally, the idea of keeping things that "spark joy" is definitely useful, to an extent. Obviously, there are some things you need to hold onto that will never spark joy because they are boring yet necessary, but it is a very freeing mentality when it comes to things like clothes and books. Even after a few pretty ruthless rounds of decluttering my clothes, I do have things that don't spark joy but that I hold onto because they're in perfectly good condition and there's no real reason to get rid of them. I also think the idea of primarily keeping objects that spark joy is useful to keep in mind when shopping, as well - do I want something because it's cute and trendy, or because it legitimately sparks joy?

Overall, I didn't find this book life-changing and there were definitely parts that annoyed me. But I think that most people can take a few useful things away from it. I certainly did.

[wyvernfriend]

Only keep things that give you joy, I must remember this and do it regularly. Not sure I'm ready to do it like she suggests, all in one go, but I think I will have to apply it in doses to things. I'd be inclined to donate more than bin things tho.

[adamfortuna]

These uncluttering books are great motivation to get things done. I especially appreciate this one, because it's targeting Japanese households which lack the space we tend to have here in the US. This helps with focus more on what you should keep and get rid of it. The main concept of this book is "Do you love it?". If yet, keep it, if not, then don't buy it or get rid of it.

[lex6819]

I loved this book sooo much! I have been on a minimalism/decluttering book binge for a while. This one is probably the best of the best (along with "The Joy of Less" by Francine Jay, "Simplify" by Josh Becker, "Almost Amish" by Nancy Sleeth, and Tammy Strobel's book). Marie Kondo's advice is really not typical of most decluttering tips books (which tend give sensible advice that never actually works in real life - at least not long-term). Her advice on managing your clutter from a psychological perspective is great, since it gets at the root of our relationship to material things.