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Magic Cleaning #1
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
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 best seller featuring Tokyo's newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home - and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.
213 pages, Hardcover
First published December 27, 2010
About the author
Marie Kondō
37 books4,784 followersMarie Kondo (近藤 麻理恵) is a Japanese organizing consultant and author. Kondo's method of organizing is known as the KonMari Method, and one of the main principles is keeping only possessions which "spark joy."
Kondo's best-seller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing has been published in more than 30 countries.
She was listed as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in 2015.
Personal website: http://konmari.com/en/
Book website: http://tidyingup.com/
App website: http://konmari-media.com/
Kondo's best-seller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing has been published in more than 30 countries.
She was listed as one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in 2015.
Personal website: http://konmari.com/en/
Book website: http://tidyingup.com/
App website: http://konmari-media.com/
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January 17, 2015There is no rating low enough to compensate for the way this book has ruined my life. Whatever you do, don't read it as it will haunt you. This is a long review but it behooves you to stick with it.
To begin, you have to touch each and every possession and ask yourself if it brings you joy. If it doesn't, it needs to be discarded. Do you know how hard it is to summon joy for beige underwear or Neosporin? Yet summon you must. I like my carrot peeler but is joy too strong a word?
It gets tougher. Not only must you "apply hands" to every piece of clothing while checking for your joy response, you must fold your clothes in very specific ways in order to find each piece's "sweet spot". I never knew that "Every piece of clothing has it's own 'sweet spot' where it feels just right". This will lead to an historical moment when "your mind and the piece of clothing connect." Don't forget to thank your clothes for protecting your body. Thank your accessories for making you beautiful. "Express your appreciation to every item that supported you during the day."
Never, never "ball up your socks" as they can't get their much deserved rest that way. They need to breathe a sigh of relief. You must visit your off season clothes to "let them know you care and look forward to wearing them when they're next in season. This kind of communication helps your clothes stay vibrant and keeps your relationship with them alive longer."
Everything must be stored standing up rather than laid flat. "Stacking weakens and exhausts the things that bear the weight of the pile. Just imagine how you would feel if you were forced to carry a heavy load for hours?"
You must empty your hand bag every day."Being packed all the time, even when not in use, must feel something like going to bed with a full stomach." When you get a new phone, it is kind to text your old one with a message of thanks for its service.
Every single thing must be in its assigned place before you go to bed." Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have no fixed address?" It is equally important for our possessions to have "that assurance that there is a place for them to return to."
If we greet our house properly it will " be happy to tell me what the family no longer needs and where to put the things remaining so that the family can be comfortable and happy in this space." Not sure if you do this before or after applying hands and checking your joy response. It did come near the end of the book, if that helps.
So what do the things that get discarded for not sparking joy feel? "I think they simply want to leave. Lying forgotten in the closet, they know better than anyone else that they are not bringing you joy."
The people who tidy as this book recommend experience a change in their appearance. "Their figures are more streamlined, their skin is more radiant, and their eyes shine brighter."
Unfortunately, my eyes are crossed, I've gained 10 pounds, and I feel hives ready to pop. I had no idea when I picked up this pretty little book that it was going to necessitate my search for a live-in psychiatrist. I had NO freaking idea that I was squashing the self-esteem of my possessions. I can NOT find those folding sweet spots and everything in my drawers is in a mosh pit. My hand bag looks sad every time I walk by its nightly fullness. My socks are falling down. I'm not sure why. I hate the word joy now. I'm sleep deprived. My possessions call out to me for help but I don't know if they want me to summon joy or if they want to leave. The other day my husband heard me thanking my underwear for staying up all day. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be married.
To begin, you have to touch each and every possession and ask yourself if it brings you joy. If it doesn't, it needs to be discarded. Do you know how hard it is to summon joy for beige underwear or Neosporin? Yet summon you must. I like my carrot peeler but is joy too strong a word?
It gets tougher. Not only must you "apply hands" to every piece of clothing while checking for your joy response, you must fold your clothes in very specific ways in order to find each piece's "sweet spot". I never knew that "Every piece of clothing has it's own 'sweet spot' where it feels just right". This will lead to an historical moment when "your mind and the piece of clothing connect." Don't forget to thank your clothes for protecting your body. Thank your accessories for making you beautiful. "Express your appreciation to every item that supported you during the day."
Never, never "ball up your socks" as they can't get their much deserved rest that way. They need to breathe a sigh of relief. You must visit your off season clothes to "let them know you care and look forward to wearing them when they're next in season. This kind of communication helps your clothes stay vibrant and keeps your relationship with them alive longer."
Everything must be stored standing up rather than laid flat. "Stacking weakens and exhausts the things that bear the weight of the pile. Just imagine how you would feel if you were forced to carry a heavy load for hours?"
You must empty your hand bag every day."Being packed all the time, even when not in use, must feel something like going to bed with a full stomach." When you get a new phone, it is kind to text your old one with a message of thanks for its service.
Every single thing must be in its assigned place before you go to bed." Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have no fixed address?" It is equally important for our possessions to have "that assurance that there is a place for them to return to."
If we greet our house properly it will " be happy to tell me what the family no longer needs and where to put the things remaining so that the family can be comfortable and happy in this space." Not sure if you do this before or after applying hands and checking your joy response. It did come near the end of the book, if that helps.
So what do the things that get discarded for not sparking joy feel? "I think they simply want to leave. Lying forgotten in the closet, they know better than anyone else that they are not bringing you joy."
The people who tidy as this book recommend experience a change in their appearance. "Their figures are more streamlined, their skin is more radiant, and their eyes shine brighter."
Unfortunately, my eyes are crossed, I've gained 10 pounds, and I feel hives ready to pop. I had no idea when I picked up this pretty little book that it was going to necessitate my search for a live-in psychiatrist. I had NO freaking idea that I was squashing the self-esteem of my possessions. I can NOT find those folding sweet spots and everything in my drawers is in a mosh pit. My hand bag looks sad every time I walk by its nightly fullness. My socks are falling down. I'm not sure why. I hate the word joy now. I'm sleep deprived. My possessions call out to me for help but I don't know if they want me to summon joy or if they want to leave. The other day my husband heard me thanking my underwear for staying up all day. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be married.
December 25, 2021
How do I get into messes like this? Reading books that have words like "tidying" in their title, I mean. Well, there's a story behind it.
The Good Wife and I are trying to purge, to clean up after decades of marriage, kids, three moves, etc. "We've got to do something about all this stuff we keep bumping into or dusting," I keep saying, "something more than the penny ante efforts we're doing so far."
Enter a New York Times feature on THIS book, calling it the greatest thing since sliced sushi:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/gar...
"That does it," I told my wife. "We're both reading this on the Kindle."
"You first," she said.
I should've known right there. It was kind of like the puppy we picked out 10 years ago. "He's a little mouthy," the guy at the shelter said.
You'd think an English major would know foreshadowing when he heard it.
Anyway, I'm reading this book and reading this book and saying to myself, "The Times article IS the book. Free, too! Why am I reading all this filler, this clutter, these words in need of TIDYING up?"
That said, I should give the book a star back just for the punch line, "Does it spark joy?" It's what you say when holding some up-for-tossing item in your hand. "Does it spark joy?" If not, heave and ho, my friends.
Just now, I looked around the kitchen with my wife at my side. "Nothing in here sparks joy...," I said.
"I'm in the kitchen," she replied firmly.
"No, no. Stuff, I mean."
Anyway, that's the gist of the book. As for her system, Marie Kondo goes into houses (she does this for a living) and starts her ritual by singing its praises. Then she practices the praise of reduction.
She's grateful in her own home, too. For instance, she brings her purse home from work, empties it, puts stuff in its place (fear not, it has a place), then thanks her purse for another job well done. In the morning it all goes back in. Says it extends the life of her purse. You tell me -- "tidying" or tidying?
Marie also says to congregate everything by category in one spot. Start with clothes. Never room by room where clothes may be found, but ALL clothes from the WHOLE house in ONE spot on the floor (if you have a room big enough, and you don't). Now hold each piece of clothing, one by one. "Does this spark joy?" Bzzt.
(And that's just the clothes... you still have books, papers, mementos, and personal stuff ahead and in that order.)
The only other thing I recall is hanging stuff in the closet. Light clothes (color, material) left, darker and heavier right. That's after you've tossed 87.9% of it.
Anyway, my wife is getting cute now. "Done," I said. "Now you."
"Why don't you tell me the highlights instead," she said, already spooked by the "spark-any-joy?" talk.
"Wha-?"
Yep. Just like the former puppy that by now has consumed half the house because he's "a little mouthy." Should've seen it coming from the get-go -- the minute I got the "you first" line.
Bottom line: You can't "tidy" a house in ruthless Marie Kondo fashion when you're 40% of a pair (the other 60% having a Security Council Veto, among other super powers). But that's marriage... a very untidy thing.
The Good Wife and I are trying to purge, to clean up after decades of marriage, kids, three moves, etc. "We've got to do something about all this stuff we keep bumping into or dusting," I keep saying, "something more than the penny ante efforts we're doing so far."
Enter a New York Times feature on THIS book, calling it the greatest thing since sliced sushi:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/23/gar...
"That does it," I told my wife. "We're both reading this on the Kindle."
"You first," she said.
I should've known right there. It was kind of like the puppy we picked out 10 years ago. "He's a little mouthy," the guy at the shelter said.
You'd think an English major would know foreshadowing when he heard it.
Anyway, I'm reading this book and reading this book and saying to myself, "The Times article IS the book. Free, too! Why am I reading all this filler, this clutter, these words in need of TIDYING up?"
That said, I should give the book a star back just for the punch line, "Does it spark joy?" It's what you say when holding some up-for-tossing item in your hand. "Does it spark joy?" If not, heave and ho, my friends.
Just now, I looked around the kitchen with my wife at my side. "Nothing in here sparks joy...," I said.
"I'm in the kitchen," she replied firmly.
"No, no. Stuff, I mean."
Anyway, that's the gist of the book. As for her system, Marie Kondo goes into houses (she does this for a living) and starts her ritual by singing its praises. Then she practices the praise of reduction.
She's grateful in her own home, too. For instance, she brings her purse home from work, empties it, puts stuff in its place (fear not, it has a place), then thanks her purse for another job well done. In the morning it all goes back in. Says it extends the life of her purse. You tell me -- "tidying" or tidying?
Marie also says to congregate everything by category in one spot. Start with clothes. Never room by room where clothes may be found, but ALL clothes from the WHOLE house in ONE spot on the floor (if you have a room big enough, and you don't). Now hold each piece of clothing, one by one. "Does this spark joy?" Bzzt.
(And that's just the clothes... you still have books, papers, mementos, and personal stuff ahead and in that order.)
The only other thing I recall is hanging stuff in the closet. Light clothes (color, material) left, darker and heavier right. That's after you've tossed 87.9% of it.
Anyway, my wife is getting cute now. "Done," I said. "Now you."
"Why don't you tell me the highlights instead," she said, already spooked by the "spark-any-joy?" talk.
"Wha-?"
Yep. Just like the former puppy that by now has consumed half the house because he's "a little mouthy." Should've seen it coming from the get-go -- the minute I got the "you first" line.
Bottom line: You can't "tidy" a house in ruthless Marie Kondo fashion when you're 40% of a pair (the other 60% having a Security Council Veto, among other super powers). But that's marriage... a very untidy thing.
August 17, 2015
"You will never use spare buttons." WORDS WE ALL NEED TO HEAR.
I really thoroughly loved this book. I've always been interested in minimalism - trying to stop material goods being the things that bring us happiness, and not owning more than we need - and picked this book up after hearing a few people around me enjoy it. I was hoping it would give me a few tips on how to lead a more clutter-free existence, and while it accomplished that, it also did so much more.
The thing that most stuck me about this book was the immense respect that the author, (who feels like my friend after reading this, a gentle companion through this process), shows to all possessions. She understands that this is an emotional process, and her ideas are not about guilt. She isn't saying "You're a fool for allowing all of this garbage into your life! Get rid of it all at once!" Instead she's saying "All of these things came into your life for a reason, take your time considering them, and then thank them and let them go onto the next stage of existence." It's all so kind and loving and made me not feel guilty or fear the process.
I also really liked the structure of this book. It has a solid introduction, a clear process, a section of tips, and then a conclusion. It's very straightforward and doesn't feel complex or gimmicky. It all feels like common sense. It also had key points in bold which helped in figuring out the main thesis of different sections.
The book focuses on tidying your house, but for me (and most of the people reading this) we don't own a house, we own one room. I don't think this matters for two reasons. Firstly, the ideas and methods in this book can be perfectly applied to your space, no matter how extensive it is. It's all about creating the most positive space imaginable, and that is very achievable with just one room. Secondly, this book was very much a philosophy. It's about learning to reflect on the relationship between you and your possessions and is something I will carry with me moving forward in life. Someday I will move out of my parents house and into my own house/apartment and I am extremely grateful that I have read this book and will be able to start that journey with this knowledge.
Thank you, Marie, for sharing what you've learned, I'm very excited to start my journey of only surrounding myself with things that I love and bring me joy.
I really thoroughly loved this book. I've always been interested in minimalism - trying to stop material goods being the things that bring us happiness, and not owning more than we need - and picked this book up after hearing a few people around me enjoy it. I was hoping it would give me a few tips on how to lead a more clutter-free existence, and while it accomplished that, it also did so much more.
The thing that most stuck me about this book was the immense respect that the author, (who feels like my friend after reading this, a gentle companion through this process), shows to all possessions. She understands that this is an emotional process, and her ideas are not about guilt. She isn't saying "You're a fool for allowing all of this garbage into your life! Get rid of it all at once!" Instead she's saying "All of these things came into your life for a reason, take your time considering them, and then thank them and let them go onto the next stage of existence." It's all so kind and loving and made me not feel guilty or fear the process.
I also really liked the structure of this book. It has a solid introduction, a clear process, a section of tips, and then a conclusion. It's very straightforward and doesn't feel complex or gimmicky. It all feels like common sense. It also had key points in bold which helped in figuring out the main thesis of different sections.
The book focuses on tidying your house, but for me (and most of the people reading this) we don't own a house, we own one room. I don't think this matters for two reasons. Firstly, the ideas and methods in this book can be perfectly applied to your space, no matter how extensive it is. It's all about creating the most positive space imaginable, and that is very achievable with just one room. Secondly, this book was very much a philosophy. It's about learning to reflect on the relationship between you and your possessions and is something I will carry with me moving forward in life. Someday I will move out of my parents house and into my own house/apartment and I am extremely grateful that I have read this book and will be able to start that journey with this knowledge.
Thank you, Marie, for sharing what you've learned, I'm very excited to start my journey of only surrounding myself with things that I love and bring me joy.
December 12, 2014
Do you like talking to furniture? Do you believe shirts have souls? Are you insane? This might be the book for you.
May 21, 2022
This book did not spark joy. Therefore, I am discarding it.
Read
January 2, 2015The book is short and sweet, and the author is bat-shit crazy. But. Here are two take-aways that will stay with me:
If it does not spark joy, throw it out.
And:
"My basic principle for sorting papers is to throw them all away."
Believe me - I have been throwing away (and selling, and donating to Goodwill) with a vengeance for the past few days, and tidying. I refuse to fold my socks though. Folding socks is for people with all the time in the world.
If it does not spark joy, throw it out.
And:
"My basic principle for sorting papers is to throw them all away."
Believe me - I have been throwing away (and selling, and donating to Goodwill) with a vengeance for the past few days, and tidying. I refuse to fold my socks though. Folding socks is for people with all the time in the world.
February 6, 2015
"Personally, I recommend hanging sponges outside, such as on the veranda."
Quite possibly the funniest line I have ever read in a book. Because she is dead serious.
Although there were several helpful sections about how to declutter and organize your home, much of this book is ridiculously funny.
This woman obviously has no children (and no life) as she speaks to all her inanimate objects daily, empties her purse EVERY SINGLE DAY, and doesn't own a dish rack, preferring instead to put all her dishes "on the veranda" to dry. She's also afraid of hurting her socks' feelings.
I gave it two stars because I do like the idea of getting rid of things that don't bring you joy and I like the idea of stacking things vertically.
And I'm taking Marie Kondo's advice and getting rid of this book. It most definitely does not spark joy. Well. . . maybe in an ironic way. :)
Quite possibly the funniest line I have ever read in a book. Because she is dead serious.
Although there were several helpful sections about how to declutter and organize your home, much of this book is ridiculously funny.
This woman obviously has no children (and no life) as she speaks to all her inanimate objects daily, empties her purse EVERY SINGLE DAY, and doesn't own a dish rack, preferring instead to put all her dishes "on the veranda" to dry. She's also afraid of hurting her socks' feelings.
I gave it two stars because I do like the idea of getting rid of things that don't bring you joy and I like the idea of stacking things vertically.
And I'm taking Marie Kondo's advice and getting rid of this book. It most definitely does not spark joy. Well. . . maybe in an ironic way. :)
January 17, 2015
This book just spoke to me, for whatever reason, although I can see why others might not get much out of it. No matter what the subject is, I love reading books by people that are truly passionate about the subject matter, and one thing is for sure: Marie Kondo is passionate about tidying.
Despite all of that, this book isn't really about tidying, at its core. It's about living very intentionally and allowing your surroundings and possessions to become an expression of yourself. If that last sentence made you roll your eyes, skip this book, but if you like the idea of finding meaning in the things that you own, you'll enjoy this.
Despite all of that, this book isn't really about tidying, at its core. It's about living very intentionally and allowing your surroundings and possessions to become an expression of yourself. If that last sentence made you roll your eyes, skip this book, but if you like the idea of finding meaning in the things that you own, you'll enjoy this.
April 26, 2015
This review was delayed because I was busy tidying up.
Yesterday I finished this charming little book about the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing, and this morning I woke up filled with ENTHUSIASM and was ready to open up every drawer and every closet and to simplify, simplify, simplify.
Of course, such projects always take longer than you expect. I was trying to follow the spirit of Marie Kondo's guidelines, which involve handling each one of your possessions and asking: Does this spark joy? If it gives you happiness, keep it. Otherwise, get rid of it.
After spending most of the day doing that, my donation pile had grown to several bags of clothes, a big bag of kitchen items, and a hefty stack of books. The most difficult things to sort were the books (a problem I bet most people reading this can relate to) and fortunately, Marie had some good advice on this:
I have many, many books that make me happy, and I will keep those. But when I looked more closely at my shelves, I do have a fair number of books that I can pass on because they have served their purpose.
Which brings me to one of my favorite aspects of Marie's advice, which is that when you get rid of something, you take a moment to appreciate the item and how it served you.
Marie is apparently a very successful and sought-after organizing consultant in Japan, and her book has numerous stories about her clients' efforts to declutter. Marie says many of her clients have a life-changing experience doing this. For example, after getting rid of all the books that didn't spark joy, one of Marie's clients realized that all of the books she kept were about social work, and that what she truly enjoyed in life was helping others, so she changed her career. Marie said this kind of epiphany often ocrrus because once we clear away the clutter in our lives, we can better see what truly matters to us.
The anecdotes and guidelines were helpful, and this was a pleasant read, even though the Japanese-to-English translation was a bit stilted at times. I doubt I will take every piece of advice Marie gives —- for example, she recommends putting all of your clothes on the floor, and then sorting them — but I appreciated the spirit of it.
Now I have to decide whether or not to keep this book: Does it spark joy?
Yesterday I finished this charming little book about the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing, and this morning I woke up filled with ENTHUSIASM and was ready to open up every drawer and every closet and to simplify, simplify, simplify.
Of course, such projects always take longer than you expect. I was trying to follow the spirit of Marie Kondo's guidelines, which involve handling each one of your possessions and asking: Does this spark joy? If it gives you happiness, keep it. Otherwise, get rid of it.
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.
After spending most of the day doing that, my donation pile had grown to several bags of clothes, a big bag of kitchen items, and a hefty stack of books. The most difficult things to sort were the books (a problem I bet most people reading this can relate to) and fortunately, Marie had some good advice on this:
The most common reason for not discarding a book is "I might read it again." Take a moment to count the number of favorite books that you have actually read more than once ... In the end, you are going to read very few of your books again ... So when deciding which books to keep, forget about whether you think you'll read it again or whether you've mastered what's inside. Instead, take each book in your hand and decide whether it moves you or not. Keep only those books that will make you happy just to see them on your shelves, the ones that you really love.
I have many, many books that make me happy, and I will keep those. But when I looked more closely at my shelves, I do have a fair number of books that I can pass on because they have served their purpose.
Which brings me to one of my favorite aspects of Marie's advice, which is that when you get rid of something, you take a moment to appreciate the item and how it served you.
Each object has a different role to play. Not all clothes have come to you to be worn threadbare. It is the same with people. Not every person you meet in life will become a close friend or lover. Some you will find hard to get along with or impossible to like. But these people, too, teach you the precious lesson of who you do like, so that you will appreciate those special people even more.
When you come across something that you cannot part with, think carefully about its true purpose in your life. You'll be surprised at how many of the things you possess have already fulfilled their role. By acknowledging their contribution and letting them go with gratitude, you will be able to truly put the things you own, and your life, in order. In the end, all that will remain are the things that you really treasure.
Marie is apparently a very successful and sought-after organizing consultant in Japan, and her book has numerous stories about her clients' efforts to declutter. Marie says many of her clients have a life-changing experience doing this. For example, after getting rid of all the books that didn't spark joy, one of Marie's clients realized that all of the books she kept were about social work, and that what she truly enjoyed in life was helping others, so she changed her career. Marie said this kind of epiphany often ocrrus because once we clear away the clutter in our lives, we can better see what truly matters to us.
The anecdotes and guidelines were helpful, and this was a pleasant read, even though the Japanese-to-English translation was a bit stilted at times. I doubt I will take every piece of advice Marie gives —- for example, she recommends putting all of your clothes on the floor, and then sorting them — but I appreciated the spirit of it.
Now I have to decide whether or not to keep this book: Does it spark joy?
May 13, 2021
Looking for a new book but don't want to commit? Check out my latest BooktTube Video: One & Done - all about fabulous standalones!
Now that you know this one made the list - check out the video to see the rest!
The Written Review :
By no exaggeration, Marie Kondō has spent her entire life tidying.
The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.
She tidied when she was a child up until her adulthood - and over those decades, she's learned a thing or two about keeping a house clean.
The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.And the secret? Joy.
That's right. The key to a clean house is joy - what makes us happy and how can we bring that more fully into our lives.
She's taken on clients from all over the world and has developed the "Konmarie Method" to tidying - starting with the impersonal (clothing) and proceeding into the memorable (keepsakes/heirlooms).
She's dealt with a wide variety of clients over the years, and has developed instincts for the best way to clear a house. And (more importantly) how to keep a house clean.
Clutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong. Therefore, storage should reduce the effort needed to put things away, not the effort needed to get them out.She wants to make the world a happier, healthier and (above all) a tidier place.
Overall - I liked this one!
For as long as I could remember, my closet(s) practically overflowed with clothing (from years and years of keeping outfits "just-in-case").
But when we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.After reading her book/watching her Netflix series, I was able to cut out all those extra clothes and really make my wardrobe manageable!
One thing I found uniquely associated with her method is the way she integrates joy into her tidying. According to Marie, everything in your house should bring you joy - even the little things.
And while that seems impractical when first thinking of it (who ever thought "joy" when they look at a potato peeler?), the more I thought about it...the more I realized she was right.
Taking the potato peeler example (which I saw a few GR reviewers throwing it around), if you don't feel joy holding it...try getting rid of it.
Next time you want to make mashed potatoes...think about how fun it is to use a knife to skin them. How many nicks you get on your hands. The loss of potato because of your awkward peeling.
A few rounds of that and gosh darn, you'll become grateful (even joyful) to have a potato peeler in your hands again.
And if you don't? Then I guess you never needed it in the first place and now your house has one less useless gadget.
Some of her methods seem...questionable...especially to westerners.
For example, she recommends thanking each piece of clothing that you get rid of for a job well-done.
It seems silly, right? Utterly ridiculous.
And yet...it works.
At the end of my clothing un-haul, I was left with several shirts that I honestly didn't want...but I also didn't want to give them away. (You know the type. They hang out in the back of your wardrobe for years...and yet no matter how little you wear them...they're always still there).
So, I tried the Konmarie method. I held each one in my hand - thinking, Does this bring me joy?
If the answer was yes, I kept it.
If the answer was no, I thanked the article of clothing for being in my life and for giving me what I needed when I first bought it. And then I let it go.
And yes, I felt silly doing it - and I locked the bedroom door so that the hubby didn't know I was doing it - but at the same time, I felt closure.
I was accepting that the clothes had no part in my current life and that holding onto them any longer wasn't helping them or me. It was time to set them free.
The only thing I disagreed upon was books. Marie believes (strongly) that books go in and out of lives and they aren't really to be kept.
For books, timing is everything. The moment you first encounter a particular book is the right time to read it. To avoid missing that moment, I recommend that you keep your collection small.Hmmm...does (literally) having a bookshelf in every room of the house (excluding the bathroom) count?
(And note: the only reason the bathroom doesn't have its own bookcase is because I worry about the damp)
My life is so intertwined with books that I honestly cannot see a time where my novels aren't the focal point of every room.
Perhaps rereading the book will give me some perspective...
All in all - I loved learning her secrets to a tidy life. My kitchen is wholly organized and I'm going to tackle the basement next.
There's something truly wonderful about stepping back from a long tidying session and just admiring how nice the house looks!
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January 28, 2020
"Be careful whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth." --Mary Schmich.
I'm trying, Mary. I really am.
Oh, screw it.
This was the most stressful book I've ever read. I haven't been thrown into such a fucking frenzy of hatred since The Book Thief, and as with The Book Thief, I'm astounded that audiences en masse are embracing such codswollop.
I'm baffled as to why this is a bestseller. My best guess is that Marie Kondo targeted the most materialistic generation in the history of humanity, and they've since passed the book on to their equally superficial, spiritually empty, and stuff-obsessed grandchildren, who have made the fucking thing go viral.
At this point, we should just accept the fact that when our fellow countrymen gobble up 4 million copies of a book, it's garbage.
Seriously. Stupid just hit a whole new level.
But before I go tearing the book and its semi-literate fans to pieces, let's be fair: I'm not the intended audience. Other than the fact that I'm an unduly harsh critic of everything I read (I like to call that using my brain, but whatever), I already live minimally: I live in one of the rainiest cities in the country, but I will never buy an umbrella; except for 4 absolute favorites, all of my books are in the Cloud; knick-knacks make make me want to smack someone, the mismatched mess of an "eclectic" decorating style nauseates me, and I never buy anything unless I need it or love it. My house is almost always immaculate, and I don't do clutter. Excess "stuff" stresses me out to no end.
As I read Kondo's book, I realized that I'm not the typical American drowning in an excess of useless crap. (Living in Europe and trading continents 4 times in your 20s can do that to a person). So why wasn't I nodding in agreement with her guide to decluttering?
You mean it's not obvious? Come on, people!
Good God. When Americans' capacity for critical thinking has reached the level of blindly adopting all things Marie Kondo/KonMari, we've got bigger problems than "too much stuff."
Look. There's no such thing as the "KonMari method for tidying up." Her ideas should only strike you as new if you've ignored the folding techniques of every retail store you've ever entered, or you've never poked through a Feng Shui catalog. Saying that you follow the "KonMari method for tidying up" is like saying you follow the "Harpo method for finding your spirit" or the "Martha Stewart Omnimedia method" of crafting Christmas ornaments out of pinecones and pipe cleaners.
There is no KonMari method, you idiots. This isn't some ancient Japanese art of decluttering put forth by one diminutive woman from Tokyo. Marie Kondo was manufactured by a Japanese publishing outlet, and KonMari isn't a method, it's a media company.
I'm not bothered by the woman-as-the-face-of-a-media-company thing. It's been done before. (Oprah and Martha Stewart, anyone?) What disgusts me about this book is the deception behind it. I don't dig Oprah, but at least she got people talking about uncomfortable topics like sexual assault and racism, among other things. And at least Martha Stewart was candid about her perfectionism and relentless focus on her business functioning as coping mechanisms during an ugly divorce. But Kondo? This chick is packaging her brand of crazy as the path to joy.
I mean, peddling your mental illness as the new normal? Damn, that's cold.
Look. If you're an American with an abundance of junk, you're normal. You're fine. Marie Kondo wants you to have a problem with your junk so she can make money. Dealing with her issues doesn't make her rich -- selling you her psychosis does.
Do you really believe Kondo found joy in decluttering when she says her cleaning obsession started at age 5, and was a "custom [she] maintained even after entering high school," as she "sat on the floor for hours sorting things"? If you're going to ignore the fact that Kondo chose cleaning over normal after-school activities--a job, calling boys, playing sports--it's easy to brush aside her mention of having a teenage breakdown because her room wasn't clean enough. (Um, that's not a happy kid). Path to joy indeed.
But we don't need to psychoanalyze the early years. Kondo admits that her passion for tidying "was motivated by a desire for recognition from [her] parents," and that she "had an unusually strong attachment to things" rather than people. (Hi, sad). But is a childless 20-something/former souvenir salesperson, fresh out of an unhappy childhood, really the one you want leading you down the supposed path to joy? Think about what this chick is saying:
"The purpose of a letter is fulfilled the moment it is received. By now, the person who wrote it has long forgotten what he or she wrote and even the letter's very existence."
Jesus. That's a bleak outlook on life.
But I guess Kondo is right. My grandma doesn't give a shit about the letters she wrote me--she's dead. Then again, I don't hold on to letters from grandma for her sake.
"Aim for perfection."
Jesus CHRIST. The only thing I hate more than knick-knacks and the eclectic is a living space created with "perfection" in mind. "Perfect" living spaces are stressful. They're goddamned mausoleums void of character and humanity. There's a little genius in a (small) organized mess. A tad bit of clutter is humanizing. There can be beauty in a bit of chaos.
Hey, Marie, here's an idea: get outside more. Perfection is a fleeting organic moment: a newborn baby, a sunset, the Fibonacci sequence in the florets of a flower. It's not some state you declutter your way into.
"Move all of your storage units into your closet. This is where I usually put steel racks, bookcases, and cupboards or shelves, which can also be used to store books."
This. Right here.
This is exactly why I found this book so goddamned irritating. Passages like this made my immaculate and clutter-free city apartment feel like it wasn't good enough.
Take my bookcase. I hate bookcases. I view them as a way of storing junk, and in my 30-something years, I've only seen one bookcase done well. But I have a bookcase for my 6 year-old. (No goddamn way am I going to put his books on the Cloud, giving him another excuse to stare at a screen).
I was never bothered by the bookcase until I read Kondo's book, but now I can't wait until we can throw the damn thing away. And moving it out of sight will magically make me hate it less?
Yeah, no. This is my son's house, too.
Sorry, Marie, I'm not going let your book make me miserable about a kid's bookcase. I'll go back to not noticing it. Thanks.
Never, ever tie up your stockings. Never, ever ball up your socks.
God! Who the fuck cares about how they fold their socks? I'd love to scribble all over Kondo's walls just to see what she'd do.
"Transform your closet into your own private space, one that gives you the thrill of pleasure.
Heh. An organized closet sparking a "thrill of pleasure"? I'd recommend another human being or a battery-powered...never mind, get your "thrill of pleasure" wherever, it's not my business.
"When you stand in front of a closet that has been reorganized...your heart will beat faster and the cells in your body buzz with energy."
Isn't it weird that Kondo describes an organized closet with words generally associated with falling in love/physical intimacy? Well, that's...fucked up, but whatever.
I had an altogether different experience.
When I upgraded to a new apartment a few months ago, I organized my hall closet. Afterwards, I stood there wondering if I'd accomplished anything or just wasted a bunch of time. When my 6 year-old wandered up and, near tears said, "When you clean, we don't get to play," I went ahead and decided on the latter.
This is the routine I follow every day when I return home from work. First, I unlock the door and announce to my house, 'I'm home!' Picking up the pair of shoes I wore yesterday...I say, 'Thank you very much for you hard work,' and put them away...I put my jacket and dress on a hanger, say 'Good job!'...I put [my handbag] on the top shelf of the closet, saying 'You did well. Have a good rest.'"
Um. She's talking to her stuff. What the f%$#?!?!
And why are Americans so quick to dismiss Kondo's talking to inanimate objects as some cultural quirk? No one talks to their shit in Japan unless they're certifiably nuts.
"The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one's hand and ask: 'Does this spark joy?'"
LOL, the "wisdom" of people under 30.
Anyone who has kids (or a general understanding of life) knows this is fucking ridiculous.
I mean, give me a break! Going all slash and burn on your life, save for items that "spark joy?" I wonder what people who've lost everything in a fire would say about that? I'm sure people who survived major disasters would *totally* enlighten you about the *joy* sparked from their stuff.
Obviously, if your mountain of junk makes you miserable, your stuff owns you. But if you Kondo-ize your house until you only have things that "bring you joy," your reduced pile of stuff still owns you.
Face it. If you're looking for joy in the material, you don't need Marie Kondo--you need to reevaluate your life.
Okay, fine. Maybe I'm being unfair.
People are indeed affected by their environment, and decluttering can feel satisfying, even cleansing. But look who's telling you how to go about it: a chick whose childhood obsession with cleaning came from trying to please others, whose sole work experience includes selling junk at shrines, and whose descriptions of "joy" include rules, repetition, ritual, and talking to inanimate objects.
Yeah. They make medication for that.
At this point, I should pick up Marie Kondo's book and ask myself whether it sparks joy. Well, no, it actually sparks rage. To the trash with it, then!
SUCKED.
I'm trying, Mary. I really am.
Oh, screw it.
This was the most stressful book I've ever read. I haven't been thrown into such a fucking frenzy of hatred since The Book Thief, and as with The Book Thief, I'm astounded that audiences en masse are embracing such codswollop.
I'm baffled as to why this is a bestseller. My best guess is that Marie Kondo targeted the most materialistic generation in the history of humanity, and they've since passed the book on to their equally superficial, spiritually empty, and stuff-obsessed grandchildren, who have made the fucking thing go viral.
At this point, we should just accept the fact that when our fellow countrymen gobble up 4 million copies of a book, it's garbage.
Seriously. Stupid just hit a whole new level.
But before I go tearing the book and its semi-literate fans to pieces, let's be fair: I'm not the intended audience. Other than the fact that I'm an unduly harsh critic of everything I read (I like to call that using my brain, but whatever), I already live minimally: I live in one of the rainiest cities in the country, but I will never buy an umbrella; except for 4 absolute favorites, all of my books are in the Cloud; knick-knacks make make me want to smack someone, the mismatched mess of an "eclectic" decorating style nauseates me, and I never buy anything unless I need it or love it. My house is almost always immaculate, and I don't do clutter. Excess "stuff" stresses me out to no end.
As I read Kondo's book, I realized that I'm not the typical American drowning in an excess of useless crap. (Living in Europe and trading continents 4 times in your 20s can do that to a person). So why wasn't I nodding in agreement with her guide to decluttering?
You mean it's not obvious? Come on, people!
Good God. When Americans' capacity for critical thinking has reached the level of blindly adopting all things Marie Kondo/KonMari, we've got bigger problems than "too much stuff."
Look. There's no such thing as the "KonMari method for tidying up." Her ideas should only strike you as new if you've ignored the folding techniques of every retail store you've ever entered, or you've never poked through a Feng Shui catalog. Saying that you follow the "KonMari method for tidying up" is like saying you follow the "Harpo method for finding your spirit" or the "Martha Stewart Omnimedia method" of crafting Christmas ornaments out of pinecones and pipe cleaners.
There is no KonMari method, you idiots. This isn't some ancient Japanese art of decluttering put forth by one diminutive woman from Tokyo. Marie Kondo was manufactured by a Japanese publishing outlet, and KonMari isn't a method, it's a media company.
I'm not bothered by the woman-as-the-face-of-a-media-company thing. It's been done before. (Oprah and Martha Stewart, anyone?) What disgusts me about this book is the deception behind it. I don't dig Oprah, but at least she got people talking about uncomfortable topics like sexual assault and racism, among other things. And at least Martha Stewart was candid about her perfectionism and relentless focus on her business functioning as coping mechanisms during an ugly divorce. But Kondo? This chick is packaging her brand of crazy as the path to joy.
I mean, peddling your mental illness as the new normal? Damn, that's cold.
Look. If you're an American with an abundance of junk, you're normal. You're fine. Marie Kondo wants you to have a problem with your junk so she can make money. Dealing with her issues doesn't make her rich -- selling you her psychosis does.
Do you really believe Kondo found joy in decluttering when she says her cleaning obsession started at age 5, and was a "custom [she] maintained even after entering high school," as she "sat on the floor for hours sorting things"? If you're going to ignore the fact that Kondo chose cleaning over normal after-school activities--a job, calling boys, playing sports--it's easy to brush aside her mention of having a teenage breakdown because her room wasn't clean enough. (Um, that's not a happy kid). Path to joy indeed.
But we don't need to psychoanalyze the early years. Kondo admits that her passion for tidying "was motivated by a desire for recognition from [her] parents," and that she "had an unusually strong attachment to things" rather than people. (Hi, sad). But is a childless 20-something/former souvenir salesperson, fresh out of an unhappy childhood, really the one you want leading you down the supposed path to joy? Think about what this chick is saying:
"The purpose of a letter is fulfilled the moment it is received. By now, the person who wrote it has long forgotten what he or she wrote and even the letter's very existence."
Jesus. That's a bleak outlook on life.
But I guess Kondo is right. My grandma doesn't give a shit about the letters she wrote me--she's dead. Then again, I don't hold on to letters from grandma for her sake.
"Aim for perfection."
Jesus CHRIST. The only thing I hate more than knick-knacks and the eclectic is a living space created with "perfection" in mind. "Perfect" living spaces are stressful. They're goddamned mausoleums void of character and humanity. There's a little genius in a (small) organized mess. A tad bit of clutter is humanizing. There can be beauty in a bit of chaos.
Hey, Marie, here's an idea: get outside more. Perfection is a fleeting organic moment: a newborn baby, a sunset, the Fibonacci sequence in the florets of a flower. It's not some state you declutter your way into.
"Move all of your storage units into your closet. This is where I usually put steel racks, bookcases, and cupboards or shelves, which can also be used to store books."
This. Right here.
This is exactly why I found this book so goddamned irritating. Passages like this made my immaculate and clutter-free city apartment feel like it wasn't good enough.
Take my bookcase. I hate bookcases. I view them as a way of storing junk, and in my 30-something years, I've only seen one bookcase done well. But I have a bookcase for my 6 year-old. (No goddamn way am I going to put his books on the Cloud, giving him another excuse to stare at a screen).
I was never bothered by the bookcase until I read Kondo's book, but now I can't wait until we can throw the damn thing away. And moving it out of sight will magically make me hate it less?
Yeah, no. This is my son's house, too.
Sorry, Marie, I'm not going let your book make me miserable about a kid's bookcase. I'll go back to not noticing it. Thanks.
Never, ever tie up your stockings. Never, ever ball up your socks.
God! Who the fuck cares about how they fold their socks? I'd love to scribble all over Kondo's walls just to see what she'd do.
"Transform your closet into your own private space, one that gives you the thrill of pleasure.
Heh. An organized closet sparking a "thrill of pleasure"? I'd recommend another human being or a battery-powered...never mind, get your "thrill of pleasure" wherever, it's not my business.
"When you stand in front of a closet that has been reorganized...your heart will beat faster and the cells in your body buzz with energy."
Isn't it weird that Kondo describes an organized closet with words generally associated with falling in love/physical intimacy? Well, that's...fucked up, but whatever.
I had an altogether different experience.
When I upgraded to a new apartment a few months ago, I organized my hall closet. Afterwards, I stood there wondering if I'd accomplished anything or just wasted a bunch of time. When my 6 year-old wandered up and, near tears said, "When you clean, we don't get to play," I went ahead and decided on the latter.
This is the routine I follow every day when I return home from work. First, I unlock the door and announce to my house, 'I'm home!' Picking up the pair of shoes I wore yesterday...I say, 'Thank you very much for you hard work,' and put them away...I put my jacket and dress on a hanger, say 'Good job!'...I put [my handbag] on the top shelf of the closet, saying 'You did well. Have a good rest.'"
Um. She's talking to her stuff. What the f%$#?!?!
And why are Americans so quick to dismiss Kondo's talking to inanimate objects as some cultural quirk? No one talks to their shit in Japan unless they're certifiably nuts.
"The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one's hand and ask: 'Does this spark joy?'"
LOL, the "wisdom" of people under 30.
Anyone who has kids (or a general understanding of life) knows this is fucking ridiculous.
I mean, give me a break! Going all slash and burn on your life, save for items that "spark joy?" I wonder what people who've lost everything in a fire would say about that? I'm sure people who survived major disasters would *totally* enlighten you about the *joy* sparked from their stuff.
Obviously, if your mountain of junk makes you miserable, your stuff owns you. But if you Kondo-ize your house until you only have things that "bring you joy," your reduced pile of stuff still owns you.
Face it. If you're looking for joy in the material, you don't need Marie Kondo--you need to reevaluate your life.
Okay, fine. Maybe I'm being unfair.
People are indeed affected by their environment, and decluttering can feel satisfying, even cleansing. But look who's telling you how to go about it: a chick whose childhood obsession with cleaning came from trying to please others, whose sole work experience includes selling junk at shrines, and whose descriptions of "joy" include rules, repetition, ritual, and talking to inanimate objects.
Yeah. They make medication for that.
At this point, I should pick up Marie Kondo's book and ask myself whether it sparks joy. Well, no, it actually sparks rage. To the trash with it, then!
SUCKED.
November 19, 2015
I laughed out loud four times reading this book. Otherwise, it's the ravings of a lunatic. Funniest moments include the author bursting into tears when she discovers a smudge of bathroom slime on the bottom of her shampoo bottle and that she believes if you have 80 rolls of toilet paper in your house, you are a hoarder instead of a Coscto member. This is a woman who has her entire bookshelf in her clothes closet; if I walk into your house and you do not have 200 books laying around that you haven't read yet, I simply don't trust you as a human being. Because you are not. Three stars for unintended humor.
September 11, 2015
I so agree that it is life-changing magic when everything has been tidied up. But I don't need to read the book as I already have this magic. Her name is Cynthia and she comes every other Thursday morning.
Admittedly she costs a "bit" more than this book and wants a computer lesson during her time but she Fabuloso's my floors, the airing cupboard is stacked with neatly-folded linens and once in a while we go at a place (like my son's room) that lacks 'magic' and garbage-bag everything. This is a boring job alone and I can't bear to throw things away. But Cynthia can. She has no emotional attachment to anything and couldn't care less if my son might object to having something or other thrown away. Not that he ever remembers when he comes back from college.
I bet you with all the money the sales of this book engenders that the author will no longer be cleaning and tidying up her house herself but also get a magic Cynthia of her own.
Admittedly she costs a "bit" more than this book and wants a computer lesson during her time but she Fabuloso's my floors, the airing cupboard is stacked with neatly-folded linens and once in a while we go at a place (like my son's room) that lacks 'magic' and garbage-bag everything. This is a boring job alone and I can't bear to throw things away. But Cynthia can. She has no emotional attachment to anything and couldn't care less if my son might object to having something or other thrown away. Not that he ever remembers when he comes back from college.
I bet you with all the money the sales of this book engenders that the author will no longer be cleaning and tidying up her house herself but also get a magic Cynthia of her own.
November 9, 2014
Because I have such admiration for the Japanese aesthetic, I picked up this book with interest. In fact, I was delighted to discover that my lifetime habits of tidying are roughly in line with Marie Kondo's, the expert's, except for a brilliant bit of advice relative to clothes that I can't wait to try. Kondo's basic mantra is "keep things that bring you joy; discard everything else," and that is so cool that I'm going to try it, because it goes further than what I had thought, but along the same lines. My goal is to have a house as clear and clutter-free as a Japanese tea-ceremony room or house. I've got a ways to go, but lots of joy to discover. If you're a pack rat, read this book now, and get started. If you're already on the tidy brigade, this book will help you up your game.
Additional thoughts: there is a third category, beyond "things that bring you joy," and "things that don't," and that is "things that you gotta have but can't really be expected to bring you joy." I have a couple of garden hoses, hung on a bracket in my garage. They don't bring me joy; they bring me chores, occasionally. But I would be foolish to get rid of them. I wish Kondo had addressed this third category. Much as I delighted in this book, and appreciate its goals, it seems utopian now after wrestling with the ideas in it for a few weeks.
Additional thoughts: there is a third category, beyond "things that bring you joy," and "things that don't," and that is "things that you gotta have but can't really be expected to bring you joy." I have a couple of garden hoses, hung on a bracket in my garage. They don't bring me joy; they bring me chores, occasionally. But I would be foolish to get rid of them. I wish Kondo had addressed this third category. Much as I delighted in this book, and appreciate its goals, it seems utopian now after wrestling with the ideas in it for a few weeks.
May 7, 2023
Nimic nu e magic în această carte, doar banalitatea ei înfricoșătoare...
Am crezut multă vreme că a-ți face ordine în odaie și a arunca din lucrurile inutile („a duce gunoiul”, cum se spune) este un obicei care nu mai are nevoie de nici o justificare. Nu cred că există cineva care să-l conteste. Și, totuși... Marie Kondo sugerează că aruncarea gunoiului, acest obicei banal, presupune o metafizică abisală, de sorginte japoneză. Trebuie să ne pătrundem de filosofia vidului, de înțelepciunea nimicului...
Totul e banal (și facil) în acest mult lăudat volum. Ideea principală („Tot ceea ce posezi sfîrșește prin a te poseda”) a fost exprimată cu milenii în urmă de înțelepții greci. Citez din Epicur (secolele IV-III î. Hr.): „Dacă nu te poți mulțumi cu puțin, nu te poți mulțumi cu nimic”.
Japonezii păstrează o mînă de lucruri în casă dintr-un motiv mult mai puțin filosofic decît bănuim. Țara e într-o zonă seismică. Iar „experții” au observat că, la un cutremur de 8 pe Richter, nu mori pentru că-ți cade tavanul în cap, ci pentru că vine șifonierul (de mahon) peste tine și te strivește. Minimalismul japonez (odăi aproape goale, tatami, paravane în loc de uși etc.) e pragmatic. Nu trebuie să fii un gînditor profund ca să înțelegi asta. Și să rămîi în viață...
Toate recomandările consemnate în acest volum se adresează celor avuți, colecționarilor de fleacuri. Moda Kondo la ei a prins, ei au ridicat-o în slăvi pe autoare, ei au transformat-o într-o vedetă. Un om sărac nu prea are ce să arunce din casă (cînd are o casă). Și nici ce să lase moștenire. El nu posedă un parc de mașini, o vilă cu 3 bucătării și un morman de blănuri. Pentru sărac „depozitarea șosetelor” (pp.72-73) nu poate fi o problemă încîlcită, de vreme ce are, să zicem, doar 3 perechi. Pe prima o poartă luni și miercuri, pe a doua marți și joi, ultima e pentru zilele de vineri și duminică. Sîmbăta nu iese din casă. Respectă sabatul.
Ideea de a păstra cît mai puțin e etern valabilă (cu asta sînt perfect de acord), dar mă îndoiesc că „a-ți face ordine în casă aduce noroc” (p.165). Și cei dezordonați pot cîștiga la Loto...
În fine, tot ceea ce spune Kondo despre cărți (pp.77-83) mi se pare profund greșit. E observația unui om care nu are obiceiul de a citi. Marie Kondō ne îndeamnă să renunțăm la cărțile pe care le-am străbătut doar parțial. Sau deloc. „Dacă ai citit numai jumătate dintr-o carte, de fapt, atît merita să parcurgi din ea”. Deci, cartea e de vină pentru lenea noastră de a citi. Kondo nu bănuiește că poți păstra o carte în biblliotecă și 5 ani fără să o consulți. Din fericire, interesele și pasiunile noastre se modifică destul de frecvent și cartea odinioară „inutilă” își găsește brusc locul pe masa ta și îți oferă sugestii la care nu te-ai așteptat...
P. S. Îmi scapă cu totul motivul pentru care un astfel de product a ajuns bestseller în Occident. Poate pentru că e pe înțelesul tuturor și nu pretinde nici un efort mintal...
Am crezut multă vreme că a-ți face ordine în odaie și a arunca din lucrurile inutile („a duce gunoiul”, cum se spune) este un obicei care nu mai are nevoie de nici o justificare. Nu cred că există cineva care să-l conteste. Și, totuși... Marie Kondo sugerează că aruncarea gunoiului, acest obicei banal, presupune o metafizică abisală, de sorginte japoneză. Trebuie să ne pătrundem de filosofia vidului, de înțelepciunea nimicului...
Totul e banal (și facil) în acest mult lăudat volum. Ideea principală („Tot ceea ce posezi sfîrșește prin a te poseda”) a fost exprimată cu milenii în urmă de înțelepții greci. Citez din Epicur (secolele IV-III î. Hr.): „Dacă nu te poți mulțumi cu puțin, nu te poți mulțumi cu nimic”.
Japonezii păstrează o mînă de lucruri în casă dintr-un motiv mult mai puțin filosofic decît bănuim. Țara e într-o zonă seismică. Iar „experții” au observat că, la un cutremur de 8 pe Richter, nu mori pentru că-ți cade tavanul în cap, ci pentru că vine șifonierul (de mahon) peste tine și te strivește. Minimalismul japonez (odăi aproape goale, tatami, paravane în loc de uși etc.) e pragmatic. Nu trebuie să fii un gînditor profund ca să înțelegi asta. Și să rămîi în viață...
Toate recomandările consemnate în acest volum se adresează celor avuți, colecționarilor de fleacuri. Moda Kondo la ei a prins, ei au ridicat-o în slăvi pe autoare, ei au transformat-o într-o vedetă. Un om sărac nu prea are ce să arunce din casă (cînd are o casă). Și nici ce să lase moștenire. El nu posedă un parc de mașini, o vilă cu 3 bucătării și un morman de blănuri. Pentru sărac „depozitarea șosetelor” (pp.72-73) nu poate fi o problemă încîlcită, de vreme ce are, să zicem, doar 3 perechi. Pe prima o poartă luni și miercuri, pe a doua marți și joi, ultima e pentru zilele de vineri și duminică. Sîmbăta nu iese din casă. Respectă sabatul.
Ideea de a păstra cît mai puțin e etern valabilă (cu asta sînt perfect de acord), dar mă îndoiesc că „a-ți face ordine în casă aduce noroc” (p.165). Și cei dezordonați pot cîștiga la Loto...
În fine, tot ceea ce spune Kondo despre cărți (pp.77-83) mi se pare profund greșit. E observația unui om care nu are obiceiul de a citi. Marie Kondō ne îndeamnă să renunțăm la cărțile pe care le-am străbătut doar parțial. Sau deloc. „Dacă ai citit numai jumătate dintr-o carte, de fapt, atît merita să parcurgi din ea”. Deci, cartea e de vină pentru lenea noastră de a citi. Kondo nu bănuiește că poți păstra o carte în biblliotecă și 5 ani fără să o consulți. Din fericire, interesele și pasiunile noastre se modifică destul de frecvent și cartea odinioară „inutilă” își găsește brusc locul pe masa ta și îți oferă sugestii la care nu te-ai așteptat...
P. S. Îmi scapă cu totul motivul pentru care un astfel de product a ajuns bestseller în Occident. Poate pentru că e pe înțelesul tuturor și nu pretinde nici un efort mintal...
October 11, 2017
I think the word "tidy" or "tidying" was used in the book at least a 100 times, and that's being conservative. Talk about some clutter...
Anyway, I definitely didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. And I certainly didn't enjoy this as much as The Joy of Less.
Maybe it was the fact that I had read that book prior to this or the fact that I have been reading a lot of minimalist blogs and sites that already extrapolated the best parts of this book and the KonMari Method...but I just found myself very underwhelmed here.
I can definitely appreciate the message and the process here, but listening to her talk about how she was in tears as a 5 year old when she couldn't figure out the best way to organize her closet had me like...
And don't get me started on the suggested anthropomorphism of my underwear drawer...
Anyway, I definitely didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. And I certainly didn't enjoy this as much as The Joy of Less.
Maybe it was the fact that I had read that book prior to this or the fact that I have been reading a lot of minimalist blogs and sites that already extrapolated the best parts of this book and the KonMari Method...but I just found myself very underwhelmed here.
I can definitely appreciate the message and the process here, but listening to her talk about how she was in tears as a 5 year old when she couldn't figure out the best way to organize her closet had me like...
And don't get me started on the suggested anthropomorphism of my underwear drawer...
January 30, 2021
Edit: Apparently thntn is very upset and thinks it’s racist of this white woman not to like this book (I like Kondo as a person just fine) because the author isn’t white. Well, that’s bullshit, obviously. If thntn doesn’t like a book by an author that is of a different race than her’s... I guess that makes thntn a racist herself. It appears that I have to make a correction. I’m told that Ms. Kondo never said to get rid of hangers. I apologize. It must have been the word ‘tidy’ echoing in my brain on a loud enough level that I missed it.
Forgive me.
Terrible. Ridiculous. Repetitive.
If you took the words, tidy, tided, and tidying, out of this book you would be left with a pamphlet. I have this thing called misophonia and I made the crucial error of listening to this book on audio. Repetitive stuff can really get under my skin and there were a few instances when listening to this book that I had to stop myself from throwing my phone out of my moving vehicle. “Say tidy one more time! Do it!” Crunch.
This isn’t the type of book I would normally pick up and I think I did because of something a friend mentioned. I’ve been thinking of go through all my stuff and simplifying. So much crap accumulates around a house over the years and it starts to make one feel a little anxious. I thought that maybe this book might have some helpful tips to get it done.
Nope.
This is the book broken down once all the ‘tidy’ words have been removed.
1. The whole damn house must be done in one go. (Hahahaha)
2. You have to touch each item you own and ask yourself if it brings you joy. (Riiiight)
3. If the item does not bring you joy, thank the item for it’s service (I’m not kidding) and discard it.
4. Don’t ball up your socks or tie your hose together (who does that?) because it hurts their feelings (I’m still not kidding), your supposed to put them together and roll them up like sushi and stand them in shoe boxes.
5. Fold all your clothing, no hangers of any kind EVER! Because it’s very important to touch everything you own as often as possible….but I have to touch my clothes to hang them, right?
6. Store things vertically. This means, don’t lay your shirts down flat in the drawer, but file them (I guess) like you would files in a file drawer….?.....
7. Women, always choose pretty clothing to wear even while lounging around the house or going bed. (Um, no)
Seriously, how much time does this woman have? There was more ridiculousness I’m sure, but I think I blocked it out, or I missed things whilst yelling ‘no no no no’ to block out the ‘tidies’. As a experiment, I started going through my stuff. I didn’t ask the stuff any questions. I worked diligently, though I took breaks here and there, and after two days of sorting, purging, loading up the car and running the stuff to be donated, I got trough….drum roll please….. One. Closet.
Don’t bother with this book unless you love the words, tidy, tidied, and tidying and you need a good laugh.
Forgive me.
Terrible. Ridiculous. Repetitive.
If you took the words, tidy, tided, and tidying, out of this book you would be left with a pamphlet. I have this thing called misophonia and I made the crucial error of listening to this book on audio. Repetitive stuff can really get under my skin and there were a few instances when listening to this book that I had to stop myself from throwing my phone out of my moving vehicle. “Say tidy one more time! Do it!” Crunch.
This isn’t the type of book I would normally pick up and I think I did because of something a friend mentioned. I’ve been thinking of go through all my stuff and simplifying. So much crap accumulates around a house over the years and it starts to make one feel a little anxious. I thought that maybe this book might have some helpful tips to get it done.
Nope.
This is the book broken down once all the ‘tidy’ words have been removed.
1. The whole damn house must be done in one go. (Hahahaha)
2. You have to touch each item you own and ask yourself if it brings you joy. (Riiiight)
3. If the item does not bring you joy, thank the item for it’s service (I’m not kidding) and discard it.
4. Don’t ball up your socks or tie your hose together (who does that?) because it hurts their feelings (I’m still not kidding), your supposed to put them together and roll them up like sushi and stand them in shoe boxes.
5. Fold all your clothing, no hangers of any kind EVER! Because it’s very important to touch everything you own as often as possible….but I have to touch my clothes to hang them, right?
6. Store things vertically. This means, don’t lay your shirts down flat in the drawer, but file them (I guess) like you would files in a file drawer….?.....
7. Women, always choose pretty clothing to wear even while lounging around the house or going bed. (Um, no)
Seriously, how much time does this woman have? There was more ridiculousness I’m sure, but I think I blocked it out, or I missed things whilst yelling ‘no no no no’ to block out the ‘tidies’. As a experiment, I started going through my stuff. I didn’t ask the stuff any questions. I worked diligently, though I took breaks here and there, and after two days of sorting, purging, loading up the car and running the stuff to be donated, I got trough….drum roll please….. One. Closet.
Don’t bother with this book unless you love the words, tidy, tidied, and tidying and you need a good laugh.
July 13, 2015
I give this one 2 stars because I took a few things from it that I think are great ideas to help me organize. But about a third of the book was spent repeating itself and when it wasn't doing that...it was just weird to me. I wondered at times if the book was satire or a memoir of OCD disguised as the middle child syndrome. Some examples that had me wondering if this was satire or not include:
I would have probably taken more from this book if there was less of the above type of examples. Now I just think the book is a bit kooky.
1) She talked as though inanimate objects have feelings or as though they are alive so you have to say goodbye to them and a nice thought before throwing them away. You don't want to hurt their feelings since they no longer bring you joy. She thinks that socks shouldn't be balled up because they deserve to rest comfortably since they are a medium being rubbed between your feet and your shoes. Poor socks.
2) When she goes to someone's house to help "tidy" (organize) she bows in the middle of the room and greets it and also thanks it for allowing her to tidy it up. Basically she and the room connect at an intimate level before she goes stripping it down to its bareness. Oh, and she wears a dress and blazer when tidying to show respect to the house (not its occupant) and thinks you should too. Sweat pants are a big no-no ladies! And don't forget to clean out your purses on a daily basis. No bloated purses for you.
3) She claims that tidying rids the body of toxins and that she sees it quite often. She claims that it clears the skin and trims the waistline. So don't be alarmed if after purging you get a pimple or your belly starts to rumble. She said that after one of her clients tidied up her space she immediately had diarrhea (yes, she went there) as though her body was purging its junk out too.
4) Once when she replaced her cell phone, she was sure to send her previous phone a text message thanking it for its service. When she did this, her phone (that always worked properly) died and never worked again. It was like it knew it's job was done.
I would have probably taken more from this book if there was less of the above type of examples. Now I just think the book is a bit kooky.
April 4, 2017
Consejos útiles como el de organizar por categorías. Para gente desordenada como yo, es genial. Eso sí, los comentarios machistas son como patadas en mi útero. "Si eres mujer, ponte algo femenino o elegante para dormir. Lo peor que puedes hacer es usar unas mallas desgastadas." "Si las mallas son tu atuendo cotidiano, acabarás por ser como ellas, lo cual no resulta muy atractivo".
Actualización: después de hacer todo lo que esta señora decía en pocos días (porque ella así lo recomienda) mi piso entró en un efecto rebote brutal. Después de leer un blog, que no sé si conocéis (se llama Orden y Limpieza) entendí todo un poco mejor.
La autora del blog se llama Alicia, es una mujer española experta en organización (ordenar casas, ayudar en mudanzas, rutinas...). En una entrada, habló de los fallos que ella ve al método de Marie.
Para empezar, hay una diferencia de base cultural. Eso es así. Marie es japonesa, la gran mayoría de sus clientes también lo son, y las diferencias culturales están ahí. La vida mediterránea es muy distinta a la vida japonesa.
En otro punto trata el tema de ordenar del tirón vs ordenar poco a poco y comenta el temido efecto rebote, que fue justamente lo que me pasó a mí. Me pegué la panzada a tirar, organizar, en muy poco tiempo y al poco el piso estaba más desordenado que nunca. He cambiado el método, y me he hecho un horario de organización y limpieza para ir desglosándolas en varios días. Así me siento muuuucho mejor, más tranquila y el piso está perfecto. De hecho, es lo que hacía antes.
Concluye su post explicando que cada uno debe organizarse en base a su vida. Nuestra casa debe adaptarse a nosotros y no al revés, y lo que a algunos sirve, a otros no. Os dejo el link del blog para que lo visitéis si queréis, tiene muchos tips de organización, incluso para el coche: http://www.ordenylimpiezaencasa.com .
Marie me ha ayudado en muchas cosas, sí, pero como bien dice Alicia, estos temas hay que adaptarlas a uno mismo y no frustrarse por no conseguir la perfección.
Actualización: después de hacer todo lo que esta señora decía en pocos días (porque ella así lo recomienda) mi piso entró en un efecto rebote brutal. Después de leer un blog, que no sé si conocéis (se llama Orden y Limpieza) entendí todo un poco mejor.
La autora del blog se llama Alicia, es una mujer española experta en organización (ordenar casas, ayudar en mudanzas, rutinas...). En una entrada, habló de los fallos que ella ve al método de Marie.
Para empezar, hay una diferencia de base cultural. Eso es así. Marie es japonesa, la gran mayoría de sus clientes también lo son, y las diferencias culturales están ahí. La vida mediterránea es muy distinta a la vida japonesa.
En otro punto trata el tema de ordenar del tirón vs ordenar poco a poco y comenta el temido efecto rebote, que fue justamente lo que me pasó a mí. Me pegué la panzada a tirar, organizar, en muy poco tiempo y al poco el piso estaba más desordenado que nunca. He cambiado el método, y me he hecho un horario de organización y limpieza para ir desglosándolas en varios días. Así me siento muuuucho mejor, más tranquila y el piso está perfecto. De hecho, es lo que hacía antes.
Concluye su post explicando que cada uno debe organizarse en base a su vida. Nuestra casa debe adaptarse a nosotros y no al revés, y lo que a algunos sirve, a otros no. Os dejo el link del blog para que lo visitéis si queréis, tiene muchos tips de organización, incluso para el coche: http://www.ordenylimpiezaencasa.com .
Marie me ha ayudado en muchas cosas, sí, pero como bien dice Alicia, estos temas hay que adaptarlas a uno mismo y no frustrarse por no conseguir la perfección.
December 3, 2014
I have just experienced the life-changing magic of discarding two-thirds of my clothes, shoes, and accessories! One category down, a whole house to go. It's so fun to get dressed now; all I have to do is reach in and anything I pull out "sparks joy" in my heart. After going up three sizes and then back down again within the last 2 years, you'd think I wouldn't have anything left to discard, but that wasn't true. So many items were hiding the good stuff, dragging me down with bad memories, worn out associations, and/or poor lines and fit.
After reading a few chapters, my husband has already begun with his own clothes, and miracle of miracles, he immediately bought some new work pants in his own style, of his own choosing, the kind that "spark joy" for him. And this man hates to shop.
So, life-changing? Yes! Does the book coincide with everything I've learned in the last 40 years of studying the energetic nature of human beings and all life as we know it? Yes! Do I love this book? Yes!
Am I the kind of person who, even though I recently undertook another de-cluttering project, still lived amid stashes of things that weighed me down with guilt and obligation and insecurity? Yes! My husband and I experienced some scary poverty years early in our lives together. It's been difficult ever since to resist the urge to keep more than we need. As the youngest in our respective families, we also shared the habit of accepting whatever was given to us, hand-me-downs that might or might not have suited us. The concept of wearing, using, or keeping only items that "spark joy" makes brilliant sense to me now, and feels like wonderful liberation.
I am very excited and inspired by Marie Kondo's work, and I'm equally enthusiastic about continuing throughout the house until we are living a much smaller, less encumbered, joyously infused material existence here in our happy home. I love the way she characterizes the impact of our thoughts on our things, and vice versa. I just love her entire outlook.
Oh yes, one more life-changing aspect (already): I hated to fold things. Just like she says, after following her instructions (and watching her demonstrate on YouTube) it's become a fun game for me. Weird, but true. You have to experience this to believe it. I recommend reading the entire book before you begin any "tidying-up," though, so you get the full effect of Marie Kondo’s charismatic, inspirational advice.
After reading a few chapters, my husband has already begun with his own clothes, and miracle of miracles, he immediately bought some new work pants in his own style, of his own choosing, the kind that "spark joy" for him. And this man hates to shop.
So, life-changing? Yes! Does the book coincide with everything I've learned in the last 40 years of studying the energetic nature of human beings and all life as we know it? Yes! Do I love this book? Yes!
Am I the kind of person who, even though I recently undertook another de-cluttering project, still lived amid stashes of things that weighed me down with guilt and obligation and insecurity? Yes! My husband and I experienced some scary poverty years early in our lives together. It's been difficult ever since to resist the urge to keep more than we need. As the youngest in our respective families, we also shared the habit of accepting whatever was given to us, hand-me-downs that might or might not have suited us. The concept of wearing, using, or keeping only items that "spark joy" makes brilliant sense to me now, and feels like wonderful liberation.
I am very excited and inspired by Marie Kondo's work, and I'm equally enthusiastic about continuing throughout the house until we are living a much smaller, less encumbered, joyously infused material existence here in our happy home. I love the way she characterizes the impact of our thoughts on our things, and vice versa. I just love her entire outlook.
Oh yes, one more life-changing aspect (already): I hated to fold things. Just like she says, after following her instructions (and watching her demonstrate on YouTube) it's become a fun game for me. Weird, but true. You have to experience this to believe it. I recommend reading the entire book before you begin any "tidying-up," though, so you get the full effect of Marie Kondo’s charismatic, inspirational advice.
March 4, 2015
I hesitated to read this book because I thought it might not have much to offer beyond what's written on its back cover: get rid of any belongings that don't "spark joy." That is really the essence of Kondo's advice, but she has more to offer in the rest of the book too, and it's surprisingly eccentric and Japanese. No American book would advise praying to your house before tidying it, for example, or suggest that objects just want to help you and that, once released from your possession, they will continue reflecting their helpful energy back to you from wherever they are.
It seems that these suggestions make Kondo unusual even in Japan, but her Shinto-influenced outlook is so much like what my mother raised me with that it was exactly what I needed to work through the guilt that keeps me clinging to objects I don't use or even particularly like. Because she spoke my language, I decided to take her suggestions literally, even the odd ones. So I lit some incense, clapped a couple of times, and prayed to my apartment. A breeze blew in through my crappy vertical blinds, and I could imagine my apartment feeling glad for the recognition.
It seems that these suggestions make Kondo unusual even in Japan, but her Shinto-influenced outlook is so much like what my mother raised me with that it was exactly what I needed to work through the guilt that keeps me clinging to objects I don't use or even particularly like. Because she spoke my language, I decided to take her suggestions literally, even the odd ones. So I lit some incense, clapped a couple of times, and prayed to my apartment. A breeze blew in through my crappy vertical blinds, and I could imagine my apartment feeling glad for the recognition.
Shelved as 'reviews-of-books-i-didnt-read'
February 27, 2023I got hooked on watching a show from around ten years ago called Hoarders. As you may imagine from the title, this is about people who are the polar opposite of tidy. If you, dear Goodreader, exploded a bomb inside your house, the resulting vista of destruction would still be 100% more organised than these hoarders.
I realised that I myself hoard books. But very neatly. Most of them are in the loft. The first section is fiction, arranged, obviously, by author’s last name. I’ve read all these. I am thinking that Marie Kondo might possibly give me a hard time about that. She could reasonably ask why I need to keep those, since there is no possibility I could ever have the time to reread any of them, and in any case, I rated quite a few of them one or two stars, so why would I ever want to. This is where me and the hoarders are not so far apart. They keep stuff they won’t ever use, they seem to imagine vaguely that they will be able to live another hundred years and be able to get round to all these projects and sort out all these towering piles of broken furniture and rain damaged guitars and patch all those rat-gnawed doileys.
In the fiction section those names beginning with Mc give me mild anxiety – should I assume there is an A between the M and the c? If I don’t those authors will find themselves exiled from their clan members whose names begin Mac. So I assume, but trepidaciously. The short story collections come at the end of the fiction section. There is no sensible way of ordering them. Very sorry but no one remembers who edits an anthology so their names are useless. After fiction comes Memoirs, Politics, Theology and History. These have their own idiosyncrasies which I shan’t bore you with. After those comes some great shelves of graphic novels and then science fiction followed by my Shelf of Shame : true crime. I��m sure Ray Bradbury shudders to find himself within arm’s reach of John Wayne Gacy (whereas Kurt Vonnegut smiles sardonically) but I am not running Borges’ Library of Babel here. So that is the loft.
Downstairs you will find bookcases dedicated to biographies (arranged alphabetically by subject name not by author name), books about books, and books about music. There are memoirs and biographies in the music book section – I know! What a contradiction! Shouldn’t the music biographies be shelved with all the other biographies? Should Joni Mitchell come between Grace Metalious and Anais Nin? How delicious!. Should Captain Beefheart interpose himself between Samuel Beckett and Saul Bellow? Perish the thought. So after much head scratching I assigned the musicians to their own ghetto. Then finally I have some shelves dedicated to those most intimidating books of all – the To Be Reads. They glower at me every day. I know what they are thinking – why haven’t you read me yet? Eight years I have been patiently waiting! Am I no longer pretty enough? Some of the older ones watch newer arrivals plucked off the tbr shelf almost immediately – I can hear their pages gnashing.
I’m almost sure Marie Kondo would tell me point blank to get rid of half of these books. So I’ll put my copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up carefully on my tbr shelf and benignly ignore it for a few years.
I realised that I myself hoard books. But very neatly. Most of them are in the loft. The first section is fiction, arranged, obviously, by author’s last name. I’ve read all these. I am thinking that Marie Kondo might possibly give me a hard time about that. She could reasonably ask why I need to keep those, since there is no possibility I could ever have the time to reread any of them, and in any case, I rated quite a few of them one or two stars, so why would I ever want to. This is where me and the hoarders are not so far apart. They keep stuff they won’t ever use, they seem to imagine vaguely that they will be able to live another hundred years and be able to get round to all these projects and sort out all these towering piles of broken furniture and rain damaged guitars and patch all those rat-gnawed doileys.
In the fiction section those names beginning with Mc give me mild anxiety – should I assume there is an A between the M and the c? If I don’t those authors will find themselves exiled from their clan members whose names begin Mac. So I assume, but trepidaciously. The short story collections come at the end of the fiction section. There is no sensible way of ordering them. Very sorry but no one remembers who edits an anthology so their names are useless. After fiction comes Memoirs, Politics, Theology and History. These have their own idiosyncrasies which I shan’t bore you with. After those comes some great shelves of graphic novels and then science fiction followed by my Shelf of Shame : true crime. I��m sure Ray Bradbury shudders to find himself within arm’s reach of John Wayne Gacy (whereas Kurt Vonnegut smiles sardonically) but I am not running Borges’ Library of Babel here. So that is the loft.
Downstairs you will find bookcases dedicated to biographies (arranged alphabetically by subject name not by author name), books about books, and books about music. There are memoirs and biographies in the music book section – I know! What a contradiction! Shouldn’t the music biographies be shelved with all the other biographies? Should Joni Mitchell come between Grace Metalious and Anais Nin? How delicious!. Should Captain Beefheart interpose himself between Samuel Beckett and Saul Bellow? Perish the thought. So after much head scratching I assigned the musicians to their own ghetto. Then finally I have some shelves dedicated to those most intimidating books of all – the To Be Reads. They glower at me every day. I know what they are thinking – why haven’t you read me yet? Eight years I have been patiently waiting! Am I no longer pretty enough? Some of the older ones watch newer arrivals plucked off the tbr shelf almost immediately – I can hear their pages gnashing.
I’m almost sure Marie Kondo would tell me point blank to get rid of half of these books. So I’ll put my copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up carefully on my tbr shelf and benignly ignore it for a few years.
August 16, 2016
I know a secret. If you have too much stuff and it’s bugging you then get rid of it. All of it. Well, nearly all of it. Save a few things but only the things you absolutely love, the things that spark joy within your being (you’ll know it when you feel it, says the author) and don’t bring more things into the house unless you love and/or need them. Don’t think you can do that? Well, never mind then.
This author wants you to be absolutely ruthless with your possessions and do it in one fell swoop. Don’t dilly-dally and put certain unpleasant things off. Absolutely do not waste money buying “storage solutions”. Just get rid of your stuff and you won’t have to store it or dust it or leave it there to feel bad for itself. Now, none of this is a bad thing (though the last might be a wee bit kooky) and honestly I’m all for it. I had way too much crap lying about and it was driving me crazy. Broken crap, ugly crap, gifted crap, crap that had been there so long it was invisible to me. But this book has a problem and it is a BIG one that I’m betting many of you here on this site may take issue with as well.
Step #2, you see, is books. BOOKS! Step freaking two is BOOKS. As you can probably easily imagine, I am stuck here on step #2 because, well, it’s a call to action to rid myself of my precious books! I’ve been collecting books since I was twelve years old. I have a lot of books but I’m afraid I may love them all.
#1 was clothes, shoes, accessories and that was a breeze. Who needs clothes taking up space that could hold a few books? This was easy, thought I. My closet was done in an hour or so. Everything culled, sorted and color coded and folded all nice and tidy-like. I could blow through this, thought I. A zen and clutter-free life was within my grasp. I had this. Then step #2 happened and I was instructed to rid myself of all of the books I have loved before (but may not love again) and all of the books I have not read yet. Uh oh. I was told to remove my TBR pile(s) from my life. Forever. And almost always. She’ll allow you to re-buy digitally if you are pining away and dying of sadness for it. I was instructed to touch each one and see if it sparked that apparently not-so-elusive feeling of joy within me. Trouble is they all kind of did. I suppose I am broken. I tried folks, I truly did. I took pictures and even posted them online in an attempt to humiliate myself into following through. I even went so far as removing a gigantor bookshelf, stocked three piles deep, floor-to-ceiling, from my room as well as an armoire I no longer needed. I have to admit my room looks and feels calms and free and spacious. The bookshelf now neatly resides in my basement. I pulled off all of the books and starting sorting them but it made me incredibly sad to think about tossing them out of my house where they might potentially end up in a trash/recycle bin (according to the author everything has feelings so how could I allow this? Better they be a little lonesome on my shelf than DEAD, right?!). Instead of tossing them into bags, I started arranging them by color (which she wants you to do with clothes) and then I put all but a dozen or so back up on the shelves. They look happy and pretty and they brighten the back wall of the basement. I have decided that I am keeping them. They are my one and only vice and I work hard. They are not clutter.
I think I shall pretend that step 2 was nothing but a fever dream.
After I was revived with sniffing salts I got back to business. So next comes all of the other stuff which I can easily part ways with; the paper, the stuff no one ever eats, the gadgets (my days of bread baking are over), the broken things that we’ve been thinking we’ll fix someday, the mementos, pictures and all the other useless crapola that has been residing in the basement since we moved in a million years ago. I’ve removed countless bags of trash and several car loads of “stuff” and hauled them to Goodwill and I miss none of it. It is so much easier to clean my house now. I haven’t followed this plan as written, it’s difficult when you live with several other people, so we still have some bins and crud to get to but now I'm inspired to keep at it.
This book will give you some unique tools and I do recommend it if you skip step two or perhaps save it for last, if you’re anything like me. She has a nifty way of folding clothes that helped me fit everything into a few drawers and will keep me in check if I decide I need more yoga pants. You really do see just how much of each clothing category you own when you pile them all on the bed/floor and separate them into their own little categories. She doesn’t declutter by room but by category. This stops you from getting stuck (on pictures or mementos which are left for the end) and forces you to deal with an entire category and actually finish the job so you never have to do it again. She also tells you to start with a clear vision of your end result. That bit of advice has helped me tremendously.
The author clearly has an obsession with tidying. She does not deny this. Apparently, she’s been this way since she was a wee, strange child and goes into great detail at the beginning of book about her childhood hobby of “tidying”. This makes the start a bit of a slog. I found some of her beliefs a little quirky and I will not be emptying my bag out each night so my stuff can “breathe” only to put everything back in come morning (what the?!) but if you can overlook some of the odd things she says, you’ll more than likely find something here to help you out.
April 7, 2015
What will I take away from this "life changing" book on tidying up?
1. If you name a method after yourself, you conjure up instant credibility as an "expert".
2. If you are a neurotic nutcase with an obsessive-compulsive disorder, try to turn it into a virtue, or even better, a lucrative career.
3. If you use the words "spark joy", "feel happiness" and "reduce anxiety" enough times, people will want to follow your lead and pay you good money for your advice.
and on a practical level I've learnt that
1. you can apply origami skills to any item of clothing (it may take years to master the art of folding your stockings, but apparently it will save you lots of time in the long run)
2. you ought to store everything vertically, whether that's knickers, pencils or a waffle iron (but only if that waffle iron *sparks joy* in you, obviously).
3. the ideal situation is to live in a bare, sterile home, and should anyone dare to give you an ornament or any other tangible gift, discard it at the earliest opportunity by saying "thank you, object X, for teaching me that I'm better off without you".
4. "reading clouds your judgment".
and for future reference:
You thought there was no space in Switzerland? Well, don't ever think about moving to Japan, unless you are ready to throw out everything you have, and that probably includes your children.
Yeah, you guessed it, this Marie Kondo won't be coming to my house in her frilly dresses any time soon to have that dialogue with my house, clothes and handbags about how hard they work for me. No thanks. I rather continue to live happily with all my clutter and mess.
----------------------------------------------------
After posting my review I checked out what other people had to say about the KonMari craze, and the first review I read is so brilliant and hit the nail on the head, so here is the link:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
1. If you name a method after yourself, you conjure up instant credibility as an "expert".
2. If you are a neurotic nutcase with an obsessive-compulsive disorder, try to turn it into a virtue, or even better, a lucrative career.
3. If you use the words "spark joy", "feel happiness" and "reduce anxiety" enough times, people will want to follow your lead and pay you good money for your advice.
and on a practical level I've learnt that
1. you can apply origami skills to any item of clothing (it may take years to master the art of folding your stockings, but apparently it will save you lots of time in the long run)
2. you ought to store everything vertically, whether that's knickers, pencils or a waffle iron (but only if that waffle iron *sparks joy* in you, obviously).
3. the ideal situation is to live in a bare, sterile home, and should anyone dare to give you an ornament or any other tangible gift, discard it at the earliest opportunity by saying "thank you, object X, for teaching me that I'm better off without you".
4. "reading clouds your judgment".
and for future reference:
You thought there was no space in Switzerland? Well, don't ever think about moving to Japan, unless you are ready to throw out everything you have, and that probably includes your children.
Yeah, you guessed it, this Marie Kondo won't be coming to my house in her frilly dresses any time soon to have that dialogue with my house, clothes and handbags about how hard they work for me. No thanks. I rather continue to live happily with all my clutter and mess.
----------------------------------------------------
After posting my review I checked out what other people had to say about the KonMari craze, and the first review I read is so brilliant and hit the nail on the head, so here is the link:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Read
December 8, 2014Notes as i read:
Things I like:
-the idea of tidying by category
-the joy factor
-"we should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of."
-she's not very judgemental
-the sweet Japanese anthropomorphizing of objects
-her approach to clothes and thanking the objects for their service
-her order and suggestion that tidying needs to be done just once in a big swoop and in a certain order: discard first, figure out where things go after
-like the idea of seeing what you need/don't need as an act of vulnerability and strength growing
Things that don't jive:
-She has no concept of the archive
-one problem i have with the method is that there are things i have to own that don't bring me joy...i can't get rid of my interview clothes. do they bring me joy? no. Do i need them for when i am seeking a new job? yes.
- The book is also very gendered, i feel. Not in a totally offensive way, but in a noticeable way.
-hahahaha like I'm going to get rid of books hahahaha (skimmed this section)
-hahahaha like I'm going to get rid of paper hahahaha (skimmed this section)
-she's not an artist. I can't really apply her theory to my art supplies. I mean, i can to a point, but hello...i have millions of pieces of metal type. The studio is off limits to her. sorry.
-class. This assumes you have the money to replace what is broken but still usable or not hold onto outgrown kids clothes that could be used for the next kid.
-finding the last section of the book tedious and a bit eye roll-y
The book was probably written when the author was 25...or younger. I'm not going to take her method to gospel but i do think that I will give it a go, esp. in terms of clothing. It's mostly charming, though there are things I'm just not willing to let go of and that's ok too. It's my choice
Things I like:
-the idea of tidying by category
-the joy factor
-"we should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of."
-she's not very judgemental
-the sweet Japanese anthropomorphizing of objects
-her approach to clothes and thanking the objects for their service
-her order and suggestion that tidying needs to be done just once in a big swoop and in a certain order: discard first, figure out where things go after
-like the idea of seeing what you need/don't need as an act of vulnerability and strength growing
Things that don't jive:
-She has no concept of the archive
-one problem i have with the method is that there are things i have to own that don't bring me joy...i can't get rid of my interview clothes. do they bring me joy? no. Do i need them for when i am seeking a new job? yes.
- The book is also very gendered, i feel. Not in a totally offensive way, but in a noticeable way.
-hahahaha like I'm going to get rid of books hahahaha (skimmed this section)
-hahahaha like I'm going to get rid of paper hahahaha (skimmed this section)
-she's not an artist. I can't really apply her theory to my art supplies. I mean, i can to a point, but hello...i have millions of pieces of metal type. The studio is off limits to her. sorry.
-class. This assumes you have the money to replace what is broken but still usable or not hold onto outgrown kids clothes that could be used for the next kid.
-finding the last section of the book tedious and a bit eye roll-y
The book was probably written when the author was 25...or younger. I'm not going to take her method to gospel but i do think that I will give it a go, esp. in terms of clothing. It's mostly charming, though there are things I'm just not willing to let go of and that's ok too. It's my choice
December 19, 2014
I've read a lot of organization books over the years, but this is a book that might actually change your relationship with your possessions. Instead of focusing on categories, fiddly buckets, or accessories from Bed Bath and Beyond, Marie Kondo asks us to reevaluate the way we relate to our homes and belongings. The question, "does this spark joy?" seems pat, but it truly liberates you to think critically why you keep something around. By the end of the book, you'll understand that we keep things that don't enhance our current lives because we are not fully living in the present - that we cannot let go of the past, or are not yet ready to make room for something new in our future. A transformative look at consumerism and its discontents in the 21st century, with extremely helpful tips to help you make deliberate decisions about what to keep, and what to thank and let go of.
February 7, 2017
This book has actually changed my life. I'm now in the middle of category 4 out of 5 of her decluttering/tidying process and honestly y'all i have never felt so good. Thanks KonMari!
December 6, 2014
The Office Kat brought this book to my attention, and it became my plane read for a trip to Australia in November 2014. Doubtless the Kat had an ulterior motive (the office is a stacked up mess) but this book offers more than tips on tidying.
The author, Marie Kondo, has made tidying up her life since she was a small child, and shares many anecdotes about her early days as a stealth clutter-control operative in her family home, as well as some of the false starts she had on her way to her tidying method.
I will not steal her thunder by revealing her unorthodox methods, but will say it has already worked a magic on one kitchen that I used to dread entering. If one has the will, the method works, and she is also right that I have no desire to go back to my old ways in that kitchen.
I think I will apply this method to my clothing and office.
Books and papers? well, I may need to build up to that!
The author, Marie Kondo, has made tidying up her life since she was a small child, and shares many anecdotes about her early days as a stealth clutter-control operative in her family home, as well as some of the false starts she had on her way to her tidying method.
I will not steal her thunder by revealing her unorthodox methods, but will say it has already worked a magic on one kitchen that I used to dread entering. If one has the will, the method works, and she is also right that I have no desire to go back to my old ways in that kitchen.
I think I will apply this method to my clothing and office.
Books and papers? well, I may need to build up to that!
February 17, 2018
I picked up this book because so many people talk about it, but I'm not necessarily a hoarder or someone who has too many things that I need to tidy up. This was only four hours long on audiobook so I flew through it in two sittings (while cleaning my room, coincidentally). And although I don't agree with Marie a ton about thinning down on your things (ie. for sentimental items, she's like "throw them away!! it had value to you once and now it's gone!!" like, no. im keeping everything i've touched until i die lol), I do think a lot of her advice is helpful. Some testimonies about weight loss and having people's life turn around after tidying seemed a liiiittle far fetched, but still, if this method helped some people get in a good headspace, I'm not discounting that.
The thing I didn't expect from this book and I think is really valuable is the discussion about appreciating your things. This isn't a book about tidying so much as a book about only keeping the things that matter to you. America is such a materialistic society and this book is a good reminder to be nice to the things you own and to find value in everything, otherwise it isn't worth keeping. I don't think i'll be saying to my clothes, "thank you for keeping me warm" like Marie does, but it was a nice nudge to recognize that owning a lot of things is a privilege, and you can pass on any stuff that has already fulfilled its purpose in your life.
The thing I didn't expect from this book and I think is really valuable is the discussion about appreciating your things. This isn't a book about tidying so much as a book about only keeping the things that matter to you. America is such a materialistic society and this book is a good reminder to be nice to the things you own and to find value in everything, otherwise it isn't worth keeping. I don't think i'll be saying to my clothes, "thank you for keeping me warm" like Marie does, but it was a nice nudge to recognize that owning a lot of things is a privilege, and you can pass on any stuff that has already fulfilled its purpose in your life.
April 19, 2020
The book started out in a fairly logical and reasonable manner but quickly descends into quirky rules and instructions. I believe there are useful ideas to be gleaned from Marie Kondo’s methods and it is sort of a fun read to see what kooky thing she’ll suggest next. Read it and take what you can from it.
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