The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Having read one of Marie Kondo's books previously and having watched her series on Netflix a lot of the content mentioned in this book was not new. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up focused on her history from a young child and how her passion has existed since a young age. What will be reassuring for many is the use of her own mistakes which can reassure you that an expert in the field of tiding makes mistakes and has since learnt from them. This could support people who may feel overwhelmed before, during or after the tiding process. The book is an easy listen and broken into 30 minute chapters at most making it easy to delve into. There are times during the book where I question her methods and I think that is perfectly fine. The overarching ideology is treating your belongings with respect and care. This is most likely why she suggests socks shouldn't be bundled (as it could stretch the elastic) or not leaving bags filled. Likewise our houses are often filled with items, but how many of them make us smile when we wear it or use it. This is where she refers to the 'does it spark joy' term. This helps us to appreciate what we have. As with any book there are elements you may wish to incorporate and disregard. What may reassure many is the fact that tiding up is not a daily chore but something that will become 'second nature' once a system has been organised. Finally I found it interesting that she mentioned how the health of her clients tended to improve after decluttering, sort of like a weight had been lifted. Perhaps once a declutter has started you look elsewhere on how to improve your lifestyle?

I have one or more friends currently reading/planning to read it; so, I finally had to know what the hype was about. I've been yelling at the book throughout.

I was in professional organizing and productivity training for 7 years. I've read a broad range of authors on the subject, participated in professional development, belonged to NAPO, and practiced in many homes and businesses.

Here are a few thoughts:

There is nothing ground-breaking or new in the book. Most of the book is the same thought or two repeated over and over. It's tedious, at best.

Also, the fact that she's been tidying over half her life isn't all that impressive, as she keeps insisting that she started when she was 5 years old. Give me a break! As far as I can tell, she is a single woman, living alone. If I lived alone, my house would look different (and be a whole lot more peaceful), too. [See below, if you desire elaboration.]

Getting rid of (discretionary) items that don't bring you joy has been the standard for years.

The author of this book dictates that the discarding work should be done all at once; but many seem to have missed the part where she said it could take 6 months.

The thanking every item for its service before discarding it or putting it away for the day is obnoxious. I don't believe that my socks have hurt feelings. Neither am I willing to dismantle existing photo albums to hold each individual photo in my hands to see if it sparks joy. She writes as if we all still get incredible numbers of photographs printed. I haven't printed envelopes full of images since digital cameras came out (over 10 years ago). I print as I need.

The only thing I might consider trying is standing my folded clothes in the drawer so I can see all of them. Again, though, this is not new or exclusive to her--I've read that tip several times long before she came on the scene.

I can't begin to understand why this book is all the rage. Mostly, reading this book makes me want to stab someone, which is as far from my character as can be.

As a postscript to my comment above about how my house would be different if I were single and living alone: I strive for the public areas of the house to be company-ready at all times (both because I like to host my people, and because I prefer that level of neatness on a daily basis, and I spend more time in the house than anyone). We have a bit of a daily battle with the foyer, kitchen, and basement--the rooms that some number of us use daily. But, the rest of the common areas are generally in excellent shape. As far as private areas, my only requirement is that they be safe and healthful. That my roommates don't share my neatness preferences in their private spaces is up to them.

Too, people shouldn't worry about situational disorganization (e.g. at times of illness, death in the family, and other big life changes). If we have an environment that generally suits us well, we can return to that when life returns to normal.