The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever (Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, #1)

by Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo will help you declutter your life with her new major Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.

Transform your home into a permanently clear and clutter-free space with the incredible KonMari Method. Japan's expert declutterer and professional cleaner Marie Kondo will help you tidy your rooms once and for all with her inspirational step-by-step method.

The key to successful tidying is to tackle your home in the correct order, to keep only the things you really love and to do it all at once – and quickly. After that for the rest of your life you only need to choose what to keep and what to discard.

The KonMari Method will not just transform your space. Once you have your house in order you will find that your whole life will change. You can feel more confident, you can become more successful, and you can have the energy and motivation to create the life you want. You will also have the courage to move on from the negative aspects of your life: you can recognise and finish a bad relationship; you can stop feeling anxious; you can finally lose weight.

Marie Kondo's method is based on a 'once-cleaned, never-messy-again' approach. If you think that such a thing is impossible then you should definitely read this compelling book.

• ISBN10: 0091955106
• ISBN13: 9780091955106
• Publish Date: 3 April 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Ebury Publishing
• Imprint: Vermilion
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 256
• 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.