Review and notes from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo

Title: The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Author: Marie Kondo
Genre: House & Home
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Release Date: October 14, 2014
Format: Kindle e-book
Pages: 226

Presents a guide to cleaning and organizing a living space, discussing best methods for decluttering and the impact that an organized home can have on mood and physical and mental health.

Amazon

I originally picked this up on April 18th when my brother Steve had asked me if I could track down a copy for him. Last week another friend mentioned it at brunch with her recommendation, so I thought I’d give it a shot.

Kondo does an excellent job of highlighting the most important parts of the book as she goes along, so it’s rather easy to skim back through the book for important parts.

The basic gist is to get rid of everything in one’s home that doesn’t “spark joy” when physically holding it. It’s not too dissimilar to the philosophy set forward by designer/artist William Morris who once said, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

Most of the book is devoted to some of the basic philosophy as well as recommendations about how to go about paring things down and storing them. In particular I found some of her ideas about folding things interesting and I was a bit surprised at how one can differently fold things to not only save space in drawers, but to also make them easier to see and choose.

I went so far as to watch some videos about how she folds:

This series of short videos and a few longer talks do a relatively good job of encapsulating the contents of the book.

An interesting thing I find in what I’m supposing is a translation from Japanese is that though the translation is strong, the flavor of the writer’s Japanese culture still burns through the philosophy and story of the work. To me these were some of the most interesting parts of her story.

Reading Progress

05/06/17 started reading

05/06/17 72.0% done; “A quick and breezy read with some simple prescriptive actions.”

05/08/17 100.0% done

Finished book on 05/08/17

Highlights, Quotes, & Marginalia

Why can’t I keep my house in order?

If you tidy up in one shot, rather than little by little, you can dramatically change your mind-set.

Highlight (yellow) – Why can’t I keep my house in order? > Location 247

Added on Saturday, May 6, 2017

Tidying is just a tool, not the final destination. The true goal should be to establish the lifestyle you want most once your house has been put in order.

Highlight (yellow) – Why can’t I keep my house in order? > Location 300

Added on Saturday, May 6, 2017

Putting things away creates the illusion that the clutter problem has been solved. […] This is why tidying must start with discarding.

Highlight (yellow) – Why can’t I keep my house in order? > Location 320

Added on Saturday, May 6, 2017

…the space I live in is graced only with those things that speak to my heart.

Highlight (yellow) – Why can’t I keep my house in order? > Location 402

Added on Saturday, May 6, 2017

Finish discarding first

Start by discarding, all at once, intensely and completely

Highlight (yellow) – Finish discarding first > Location 407

Added on Saturday, May 6, 2017

The urge to point out someone else’s failure to tidy is usually a sign that you are neglecting to take care of your own space.

Highlight (yellow) – Finish discarding first > Location 620

Added on Saturday, May 6, 2017

In fact, that particular article of clothing has already completed its role in your life, and you are free to say, “Thank you for giving me joy when I bought you,” or “Thank you for teaching me what doesn’t suit me,” and let it go.

Highlight (yellow) – Finish discarding first > Location 698

\Added on Saturday, May 6, 2017

To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose.

Highlight (yellow) – Finish discarding first > Location 706

Added on Saturday, May 6, 2017

Tidying by category works like magic

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.

Highlight (yellow) – Tidying by category works like magic > Location 1013

This is essentially sacrilege to me, but then again most all books give me a spark of joy.

Added on Saturday, May 6, 2017

Storing your things to make your life shine

…storage “solutions” are really just prisons within which to bury possessions that spark no joy.

Highlight (yellow) – Storing your things to make your life shine > Location 1426

Added on Saturday, May 6, 2017

Never pile things: vertical storage is the key

Highlight (yellow) – Tidying by category works like magic > Location 1551

Added on Saturday, May 6, 2017

Never hang on to them in the belief that you might use them someday.

Highlight (yellow) – Tidying by category works like magic > Location 1602

Added on Monday, May 8, 2017

This is why I urge you to refrain from stocking up on things.

Highlight (yellow) – Tidying by category works like magic > Location ####

TOKUMNOTE

Added on Monday, May 8, 2017

This is why I urge you to refrain from stocking up on things.

Highlight (yellow) – Tidying by category works like magic > Location 1759

She’s talking about socks/stockings here. Pun intended? 🙂

Added on Monday, May 8, 2017

When you treat your belongings well, they will always respond in kind. For this reason, I take time to ask myself occasionally whether the storage space I’ve set aside for them will make them happy. Storage, after all, is the sacred act of choosing a home for my belongings.

Highlight (yellow) – Tidying by category works like magic > Location 1831

Added on Monday, May 8, 2017

The magic of tidying dramatically transforms your life

I truly believe that our possessions are even happier and more vibrant when we let them go than when we first get them.

Highlight (yellow) – The magic of tidying dramatically transforms your life > Location 2044

Added on Monday, May 8, 2017

Guide to highlight colors

Yellow–general highlights and highlights which don’t fit under another category below
Orange–Vocabulary word; interesting and/or rare word
Green–Reference to read
Blue–Interesting Quote
Gray–Typography Problem
Red–Example to work through