This was a long-pending book on my reading list that I eventually read. After finishing the book, the sole thought I had was that I should implement the knowledge I gained as soon as possible. I am convinced that this book is one of the most read books on tidying since it is life changing, as stated by the clients in the book. This is a guide book on tidying that can be used to tidy your home and workspace. In this blog, “Book Review : The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” you can find some of the major points of the book highlighted. I am eager to put the knowledge I have learnt here into practice.

Marie Kondo, the author of this book runs an acclaimed consulting business in Tokyo helping clients transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity and inspiration. The author began reading home and lifestyle magazines at five, inspiring her to study tidying seriously from age of fifteen. From the author’s exploration of the art of organizing, she can say with confidence that “A dramatic reorganization of the home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspective. It is life transforming.”

Changing the Thinking

The general assumption, in Japan or any other country, is that tidying doesn’t need to be taught but rather picked up naturally. Many have spent years using ineffective conventional methods, leading to cluttered homes and struggles with storage. Usually, a short time after tidying, the spaces will become a disorganized mess again. This is not due to lack of skills but rather due to lack of awareness and inability to make tidying a regular habit. In other words, the root cause of the problem lies in the mind. The method suggested in this book ,i.e, the Konmari method will help anyone to acquire the right mindset for creating order and become a tidy person.

Awareness about tidying

A person’s awareness and perspective are far more important than any skill at sorting, storing or whatever. In Japan, and I guess even in India people believe that keeping your house clean will bring good luck. Changing lifestyle habits acquired over a span of many years is generally extremely difficult. It is a known fact that people cannot change their habits without first changing their way of thinking. Tidying is just a physical act that can be broadly divided into two kinds: deciding whether or not to dispose of something and deciding where to put it. The author mentions that anyone can do this and achieve perfection.

There is a famous saying that goes as follows; “a messy room equals a messy mind.” When a room becomes cluttered the cause is more than just physical. However, when your room is clean and uncluttered, you have no choice but to examine your inner state. The author suggests that tidying must start with discarding regardless of the personality type. To avoid a negative spiral, grasping the overall volume becomes important. So the author suggests tidying by category and not by place. Once you have put your house in order, tidying will be reduced to the very simple task of putting things back where they belong, which becomes an unconscious habit.

Start with Discarding

As mentioned earlier, there are only two things involved – discarding and deciding where to keep things. Just two, but discarding must come first. Failure to follow the order is one of the reasons many people never make permanent progress. But before starting with discarding, begin by identifying your goal. Think in concrete terms so that you can vividly picture what it would be like to live in a clutter-free ideal lifestyle. Next step is to identify why you want to live like that. Ask yourself “why?” again, for each answer three to five times. As you continue to explore the reasons behind your ideal lifestyle you will come to a simple realization that the whole point in both discarding and keeping things is to be happy. When you find this or any other answer you are ready to move on to the next step of examining what you own.

Rules for discarding and keeping

Regarding the standard to use to decide what to get rid of, the author suggests the best way would be to take each item in one’s hand and ask: “Does this spark joy?” If it does keep it else dispose of it. Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest. Before choosing what to keep, collect everything that falls within the same category at one time and lay it in one spot. Then pick each item and see if it sparks joy. Those are the only ones to keep. Dealing with just one category at a time speeds up the tidying process. The best sequence of categories suggested by the author is clothes first, then books, papers, komono (misc), and lastly, mementos. This order has proven to be the most efficient in terms of the level of difficulty for the subsequent task of storing.

The first step is to confront your own stuff. To quietly work away at disposing of your own excess is actually the best way of dealing with a family that doesn’t tidy. This may set off a chain reaction. The best time to start is early morning. To get rid of what you no longer need is neither wasteful nor shameful. When you come across something that you cannot part with, think carefully about its true purpose in your life. If the things have already fulfilled their role, acknowledge their contribution and let them go with gratitude. In the end, all that will remain are the things that you really cherish.

The author found a significant similarity between meditating under a waterfall and tidying. The clear, refreshed feeling gained after standing under a waterfall can be addictive. Similarly with tidying, once you put your space in order, you will be overcome with the urge to do it again.

Tidying by Category

The first step is to check every closet and dresser in the house and gather all your clothes in one spot. At this point, the author advises to start with off-season clothes since it is much easier to apply the simple criterion of whether or not they bring joy. Once you have gotten the knack of choosing what you love for the above category, you can move on to each subcategory of in-season clothing. It seems a waste to get rid of something that is still perfectly usable. In this situation, the author suggests breaking the habit of downgrading clothes that don’t thrill you to lounge wear. It makes far more sense to reinforce a positive self-image by wearing clothes you love.

There are two storage methods for clothes: one is to put them on hangers and hang from a rod and the other is to fold them and put them away in drawers. Just hanging can’t compete with folding for saving space. By neatly folding your clothes, you can solve almost every problem related to storage. Once the laundry is done and ready to be put away, folding seems like extra work, especially as the clothes will be worn again soon anyway. The first step would be to visualize followed by organizing the contents of drawers or cupboards so that you can see where every item is at a glance, just as you can see the spines of the books on your bookshelves.

Clothes

The key is to store things standing up rather than laid flat. However, to store clothes standing, they must be made compact, which means more folds. The number of folds should be adjusted so that the folded clothing when standing on edge, side by side, fits the height of the drawer. Each piece of clothing has its own “sweet spot” where it feels just right – a folded state that best suits that item so that it stands properly. The author shares a secret for maintaining the neatness of closets,i.e, arrange your clothes so that they rise to the right. To do so, hang heavy items ,i.e, heavyweight/lengthy/dark coloured items on the left side of the closet and light items on the right. By category it would be, coats on the far left, followed by dresses, jackets, pants, trousers. But one should not forget to reduce the wardrobe to only those clothes that you really love.

Socks

Folding socks is easier. Place one sock on top of the other and follow the same principles as those for folding clothing. You can adjust the number of folds to achieve the height that best suits the drawer. Store the socks on the edge, just as you did for clothing. It was a common practice to store and unpack seasonal clothes in a year. However, currently, this custom is behind the times. With AC and heater, our homes are less subject to the weather outside. So, the author suggests a few points to keep all our clothes ready to be used year-round, regardless of the season. The trick is not to over categorize. Divide your clothes roughly into “cotton-like” and “wool-like” materials when you put them in the drawer.

Books

In case of books, once you pile all of them, take one by one in your hand and start asking whether you need that book or not. Imagine what it would be like to have a bookshelf filled only with books that you really love. There are situations wherein you bought a book to read long back, but haven’t read it by now or you might have half read. It is far better to read a book that really grabs you right now than one that you left to gather dust for years. Get rid of them today.

Papers

Regarding papers, the author recommends you to dispose of anything that does not fall into the three categories: currently in use, needed for a limited period of time, or must be kept indefinitely. As for the papers to keep, the author suggests them to be organized into 3 categories: needs attention, should be saved (contractual documents), and should be saved(others). In other words, you need only 3 vertical organizers or containers or folders. One should aspire to keep the “needs attention” box empty.

Komono

Unlike clothes or books, sorting and organizing komono or miscellaneous items may seem daunting. The author suggests a basic order for sorting komono to make it simple. The order being ; CDs/DVDs, skin care products, valuables like passport and credit cards, electrical equipment, household supplies, kitchen goods, others. The point here is to take stock of komono and save only those that bring joy. Regarding a komono like the boxes and manuals of electrical appliances, discard or recycle them as soon as you unpack it. Spare bedding takes a lot of room so disposing of them is suggested by the author. Similarly with expensive unused health care items that you never fully utilized.

Sort by category, in the correct order and keep only those things that inspire joy. Do this thoroughly and quickly, all in one go. As you reduce your belongings through the process of tidying, you will come to a point where you suddenly know how much is just right for you. Believe what your heart tells you when you ask, “Does this spark joy?”. If you act on that intuition you will be amazed at how things will begin to connect in your life and the dramatic changes that follow.

Storing to Make Things Shine

In this section the author writes about having a designated spot for each item. Once you choose a place for your things after you finish using them, you can keep your house in order. This results in keeping your space tidy becoming a second nature. It is surprising to see the author mention that she is yet to find a house that lacked sufficient storage space. The real problem is we have more than what we need. The point is to choose your belongings properly which results in the items to fit into your space perfectly. If you live with your family, first clearly define separate storage spaces for each family member. This is the most effective way to keep storage tidy.

Organizing and storage hacks

The author lays out a simple rule for better organizing and storing your things. When you are choosing what to keep, ask your heart; when you are choosing where to store something, ask your house. One more hack on storage is to store your items vertically as much as possible. This applies to books, clothes, papers etc. As for bags, purses and handbags, the best way to store is to first make sets according to the material, size and frequency of use and to store them one inside the other. Regarding the bag in use, the author suggests to empty daily and make a place for the things inside it. Another point for efficient storage is to move all your storage units into your closet. Also refraining from stocking up on things and buying what is needed followed by removing them from their packages immediately is suggested.

Start by removing the product seals from your storage containers. This is absolutely essential, just as you remove the tags from new clothes to welcome them as your personal belonging. By eliminating excess visual information that doesn’t inspire joy, you can make your space much more peaceful and comfortable. Expressing gratitude is an important point that needs to be inculcated towards the happenings in our everyday life. This same rule applies to possessions as well. When you treat your belongings well, they will always respond in kind. Storage, after all, is the sacred act of choosing a home for your belongings.

Tidying Transforms Life

Tidying increases the awareness of what one really likes and as a result daily life becomes more exciting. The author believes tidying is the best way to understand ourselves, more effective than self-analysis or listening to others. Tidying is a way of taking stock that shows us what we really like. The lives of those who tidy thoroughly and completely, in a single shot, are without exception dramatically altered.

Honing your decision-making skills

Tidying means taking each item in your hand, asking yourself whether it sparks joy, and deciding on this basis whether to keep it or not. By repeating this process hundreds and thousands of times, we naturally hone out decision making skills.

When we 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. These reasons guide your choices in every aspect of your life, including your relationships with people and your job. The best way to find out what we really need is to get rid of what we don’t. However, there are 3 approaches we can take towards our possessions: face them now, face them sometime, or avoid them throughout our life. With confidence and enthusiasm, we can achieve much more. In other words, if you are going to put your house in order do it now.

Opportunity to express gratitude towards your possessions

Life becomes far easier once you know that things will still work out even if you are lacking something. Selecting and discarding one’s possessions is a continuous process of making decisions based on one’s own values that hones one’s decision-making skills. It is by putting one’s own house in order that one’s mindset is changed. Also, tidying is our opportunity to express our appreciation to our home for all it does for us. The author suggests to put our house in order from the perspective of what would make it happy. This smoothens the decision-making process. Getting rid of those things that no longer spark joy, should be a parting ceremony to launch them on a new journey. According to the author, what you part with will return in the same amount when it desires to. Hence while parting it is a good practice to use words like “Thank you for finding me” or “Have a good journey. See you again soon”.

Other positive effects

When our space is clean, we can focus on other important things in our lives without thinking about tidying. We amass material things for the same reason that we eat – to satisfy our craving. The author noticed that when her clients shed excess, their tummies slim down, minds clear, and skin smoothens. The philosophy of Feng-shui is about living in accordance with the rules of nature. The purpose of tidying is also the same ,i.e, to live in the most natural state possible. Hence owning what we love and what we need is the most natural condition. By putting our house in order, we can live in our natural state.

As per the author, things that are cherished shine. True joy resides in the body and possessions of the owner and can’t be concealed. If you truly like something and are proud of it, ignore what others think. There is no greater happiness in life than to be surrounded only by the things you love. The author suggests to pour your time and passion into what brings you the most joy, your mission in life. Putting your house in order will help you find the mission that speaks to your heart.

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