Book Review – The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Image: Tidying Up by Lucy Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
3.5 out of 5 stars
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo is a unique, welcoming narrative of how a young woman came to her revolutionary ideas about tidiness and an in-depth explanation as to how you can achieve your own tidy space. Kondo spent years trying to maintain order in her space using various methods and eventually came to a conclusion that contradicts many popular cleaning methods. Kondo instructs her readers to embark on a tidying marathon, discarding items that bring them no happiness and finding a place for everything.
Kondo’s book is divided into five main sections. The first and last sections address why we struggle to maintain tidiness and the unexpected gifts that a tidy house can bring. Throughout her book, Kondo tells the stories of her clients - the parts of tidying they struggled with, the mistakes they made, and the peace and happiness that a finally organized house brought them. Kondo’s work is inarguably impressive, as not one of her clients has relapsed into disorder since they completed her course.
The three middle sections of the book entail the process of properly tidying your home. Kondo writes that you must discard the items that do not “spark joy.” Sparking joy is the term she uses to describe the happiness you feel when you hold an outfit or book that you love. Kondo says that you must finish the process of discarding before you begin organizing. She has many helpful recommendations for storage, each of which is designed to make it easy to keep your space orderly. She also explains that it is more effective to organize by category rather than by room. Most people keep similar items in different rooms, resulting in a cycle of clutter when they attempt to clean room by room.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was an enjoyable, enlightening read. While I believe that most people could benefit from reading it, there are certain aspects of the book that could turn some readers off. I found her writing a bit repetitive. Kondo believes that there is a right way to do every part of tidying, so the book is very much a one-size-fits-all approach. She also has an unusual view of possessions, describing them as having thoughts and desires, something that might make some readers uncomfortable. Overall, this book is extremely useful, and I would rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
