The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up in hopes it might help me un-clutter my life. I first came across Kondo on Tim Ferriss's podcast with her. It definitely did the trick. Marie Kondo is a Tidying Up consultant in Japan, and she's put together a very simple system. I'm away from home right now, but I look forward to tackling my apartment when I get back! Kondo gives life to every object, and treats it with respect. The book is equal parts instruction manual and philosophical text. That fact is what makes it so fascinating.

Key Takeaways

• It's simple, but hard work, to tidy up once and for all.
• You need to tackle your tidying up all at once otherwise you will slide back into your old ways.
• Keep like things together.
• Keep only the things that give you joy.
• When discarding, say thank you to that item for its service.

Memorable Quotes

• The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.
• 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.
• 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.
• The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.
• 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?” If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it. This is not only the simplest but also the most accurate yardstick by which to judge.
• Imagine what it would be like to have a bookshelf filled only with books that you really love. Isn’t that image spellbinding? For someone who loves books, what greater happiness could there be?
• No matter how wonderful things used to be, we cannot live in the past. The joy and excitement we feel here and now are more important.
• 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.
• People cannot change their habits without first changing their way of thinking.
• The true purpose of a present is to be received.
• Visible mess helps distract us from the true source of the disorder.
• We should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of.
• The process of assessing how you feel about the things you own, identifying those that have fulfilled their purpose, expressing your gratitude, and bidding them farewell, is really about examining your inner self, a rite of passage to a new life.
• 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. To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose.

Rating: 8.5/10
This is a very easy read that can help you tidy up your space in a small period of time. In theory, it's not hard to put into practice, and it even points out the pitfalls to avoid in your tidying. In the end, you'll fill your life with only the most joyful objects. Your mind will also be free from the cruft of old and useless items.