The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Ratings424
Average rating3.6
DNF. I read about a third of the book and got nothing out of it I hadn't already learned from reviews of this book. Further, I'd say the reviews I've read were probably more interestingly written.
I did not find this very helpful. The home I was told to want isn't what I want and that made the tone patronising at times.
I read this book years ago, but for whatever reason I'm seeing it pop up on a daily basis right now. Maybe it was featured on some prominent TV show or something. Anyway, it's a good excuse to tell the world why I didn't really like it. I don't mean other people shouldn't like it, only that I found this book roughly in the same category as The Secret or literally anything by Deepak Chopra.
Her advice has all of the efficacy of these New Age or self-help gurus. That is to say, it's pages of empty platitudes with not nearly enough meaty tips for actually decluttering. It would be like writing a book on changing careers and simply rephrasing “follow your passion” over and over. Or perhaps a diet book that tells you only to eat things that are green. I mean, yeah, that would probably work for enlightened beings on a different plane of spiritual awareness, but not for most of us.
If you are like me, you aren't a hoarder and have no actual problem letting go of legitimate clutter. However clutter happens and you need real strategies for mitigating the mild chaos it produces. You need helpful tips for how to not let a drawer full of dead pens and batteries accumulate. You want solid advice for container and shelving solutions or how best to manage recycling. You want to know helpful tactics for telling your spouse the thing they want to keep doesn't actually spark joy in your life.
This book is just not that. It is for people who strive to live in an empty room save for a single desk with a favorite pen and moleskine notebook full of things they want to throw out next. This is the kind of book that helps you for exactly one week and then it's right back to junk mail piling up on the coffee table the moment life becomes more hectic than the state of transcendence you were in while reading the book.
Decluttering is about regular trips to Goodwill, the recycling center, and the landfill. It's about having a place for everything, whether it sparks joy or not. It's about spending 15 minutes a day cleaning up rather than waiting to do a massive Spring cleaning that never comes. Much like getting in shape, it's about consistency and not freaking when there is a setback. This book offers little of that and offers far too much weird animism and advice for folks who already have their shit together.
I'm not actually going to leave a rating for this, because I feel like the reason I gave up is because this isn't a book I need. I see why people would be drawn to Marie Kondo's methods. I'm just part of the group who is already tidy in their own right, and listening to this didn't spark anything within me. So I'm moving on.
This book is absolutely ridiculous, but very thoughtfully so. Also, balling up your socks is the only reasonable way to store them.
not a fan. Some ideas are nice. In general keep less junk. But otherwise, the stereotypical roles women must play or dress in gets tiring. The incessant need to try and find deep meaning or spiritualism as if throwing out shoes is a revelatory event is exhausting to listen to. Maybe I’m too cynical but it’s a drag to listen to her go on about bullshit. Here’s a quote:
“Incidentally, there is a notice difference in the way woman and men treat loose change, men tend to put coins in their pocket or place them in plain sight such as on a dresser or a table, women on the other hand tend to put them in a box or bag and stow this away in a drawer it is almost as if the male instinct to be ready for action in response to danger, and the female instinct to protect the home manifests itself in their treatment of loose change. This thought causes me to pause and ponder the mystery of life and dna as I spend yet another day sharing the magic of cleaning.”
What a load of shit. If you are like me and think what a crock of shit then avoid this book and just google cleaning tips. And if you are in need to clean. Be ruthless.
My take- this book has some major drawbacks like not everything sparks joy some things are a necessity and you need them so asking ‘if I am going to use them 100 times (idk my clothes are pretty sturdy and they last pretty long even after using them for a long time since I have stopped growing) before it gets worn down' is a more effective way of dealing with them.
Also, I have less stuff since I have been practicing the prototype of minimalism for a few years now so discarding is easy for me, but it is pretty difficult for a
hoarder to discard an item by asking if it sparks joy l or not and then it would be like “yeah, everything sparks joy here
It's a useful book with some very useful tips.
Although she sometimes gives you these tips for a very stupid reasons.
So ignore this crap of reasons and enjoy the techniques and the book for what they are
My second time reading this book. I love the way she personifies her objects, it's so charming. I think every piece of advice in this book has a lot of value even if you don't intend to follow each one literally, it still makes you think about your things in a new way and consider new possibilities for your relationship to physical space.
For real the only self help book, i have every picked up. On top of that it remained entirely engrossing. Unfilled with pretentious drivel, it at no point offers any sort of judgement or condescension. Which in turn makes it feel both welcoming and motivating in an all together difficult to describe way. I have never once been motivated to clean or tidy out of anything but sheer necessity and yet I'm ready to deep clean and organize my entire house.
The title is accurate, this really is a life changing book and a surprisingly easy read. Was kind of on the edge of my seat the whole time.
My mother is not a reader. So when - over our visit home to Texas for Christmas - she told me that she read this book, she LOVED this book, she loved Marie Kondo's TV show, she was reading the book a second time, I had to read it immediately, yes yes I should buy my own copy on my Kindle right this second ... her enthusiasm rubbed off on me (though I didn't actually start it until I'd gotten back to Virginia after the holidays).My mom has only ever loved one other book/author that I know of, and that is Don Aslett and his book [b:Clutter's Last Stand: It's Time to de-Junk Your Life! 11610 Clutter's Last Stand It's Time to de-Junk Your Life! Don Aslett https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1405976290l/11610.SY75.jpg 520647]. I grew up with her reading and rereading that book every few years, and subsequently, we both enjoy - and are good at - getting rid of things. OR SO I THOUGHT.It took me 30% of the book or so to get on board with Kondo's plan, but well before that, I was already imagining things I could eliminate, donate, recycle that hadn't even occurred to me that I didn't need. Like: tights. I have a bazillion pairs of tights, most of which I bought or received five years ago when we moved to Virginia. Because it gets cold in Virginia. Except that I realized this year that except for the like, three times a year I need to get dressed up for something, I wear jeans exclusively for work and play. I don't need a bazillion pairs of tights, especially because I have long underwear that I do use that serves the same purpose of keeping my legs warm. Storing all those tights in the ugly plastic bin in our bedroom brings me no joy; but out of sight, out of mind.I'm not 100% with Kondo on everything, but I was surprisingly in agreement with most of what she said. I had heard a lot of people scoffing at this book and Kondo herself on the internet before my mom's recommendation, talking about how Kondo must be awful if she demands you get rid of all your books and unload your purse every day, but that's not the point of this at all. She asks that if your books bring you joy, you keep them, and you get rid of the ones that don't make you happy anymore. I just bought brand-new custom wood bookcases for the little library I'm creating, and every time I look in that room and see my neat bookcases, it makes me so happy. But I also know that several of the books I have were hand-me-downs from my grandmothers, who are in altogether too many book clubs, and are not valuable nor necessarily things I'm really interested in reading. So I should donate those. And the handbag thing? Yes, it seems crazy. But you know what is also crazy? That I hang my purse and coat off the back of one of the dining room chairs every night, and go back and forth to it continually moving my coat to access my phone, my wallet, the book(s) and notebook I carry around everyday ... and that doesn't make me happy either. So why not designate a place where my things should go? To me, it seem at least worth trying out some of these ideas.Altogether, I enjoyed Tidying Up a lot, for the ideas it sparked and the peek into other people's lives and homes. If you have laughed at it or been outraged about this book without actually giving it a chance, I encourage you to borrow it from the library and see for yourself what all the fuss is about. I'll be over here, donating tights and Nana's book club picks from 2008.
Half memoirs of an obsessive tidier (the noun?) and half self-help book about how to clean one's mind by putting one's house in order. This book might not be for everyone, but if you're someone who gets an energy rush after a little tidying, then Kondo's tips and tricks will sound very helpful.
-Doing it all at once instead of gradually, for the ultimate mental boost.
-Only keeping the objects that spark joy, and building a better relationship to your belongings.
-Don't pile, store vertically so you can see everything at once.
I finally got around to this one, in preparation for this year's spring cleaning. So now I just have to wait for a proper spring. Looking forward to decluttering :)
Terminada a primeira leitura do ano, este é realmente o livro e espírito que quero ter durante todo o ano 2019. Tal como meio mundo, também eu ando maluca com a Marie Kondo e a sua magia da organização. Quero ir a correr para casa e despejar todo o meu armário sobre a cama e mandar tudo e mais um par de botas fora. Isto tá grave gente.
Só não leva 5 estrelas porque o capítulo dela sobre os livros, me deu vontade de me atirar ao chão e largar a chorar.
Just read this for the second time. It genuinely did transform my life the first time around - but upon second reading, I'm amazed at how much of the book is properly barmy!
A bit conflicted about this one. On one hand, I think she has solid advice and that the actions she advises are - for the most part - excellent. I can see why the method is so effective, and I have already started to implement it.
However, there was most definitely way too much personification of inanimate objects. How am I supposed to take you seriously if you're telling me my shirts will, quite literally, be happier in one configuration over another? Will I be happier? Absolutely. Will my shirts? ...
Also, it felt a bit out of touch with reality. For one, because some items are essential to life, but they're not going to “spark joy.” For another, because it definitely felt geared toward people with some extra money to toss around. “Never worry about throwing out too much - you can always buy more!! Buying in bulk may be cheaper, but it's never worth the clutter!!”
(Also, you can't call yourself a “book lover” and then a couple paragraphs later, say that you habitually RIPPED THE PAGES OUT OF BOOKS because writing down the quotes you liked took too long. You just can't. Take a picture. I guarantee that how offended she was by balled up socks, you could multiply it by fifty and reach the level of indignation I felt at this. Plus her entire attitude toward books simply didn't jive with me at all.)
All that said, though, I really do think she has some excellent ideas! I like the logic behind each step (minus the bit where you talk to your possessions. I like that this made me more aware of my things, but I certainly won't be striking up a conversation with my handbag anytime soon). If you took all the advice in this book and married it with a healthy dose of practicality, I feel like you would have an absolutely perfect, definitive guide to tidying.
I didn't really want to mark this as read, but I need to shelve it so it doesn't show on my currently reading bookshelf.
This is a GREAT book. It is more than decluttering or organizing, it is about changing, so you won't become cluttered and disorganized again.
A year after I began reading, I am using the techniques (although personalized for me) and will continue to use them for my lifetime.
As I am currently looking to move, it has been very helpful again.
Even if you're not into the magical aspects of this, there are some very good tips about getting your things (and life) in order.
This is the book that sparked my quest for a minimal life, and as such will hold a special place for me. While I don't think I need to re-read it, I would recommend it to anyone who is new to the process of decluttering or getting organized.
Marie Kondō definitely has her quirks, but I find her likable and sweet. There's nothing preachy about her, and she does her best to express that everyone's journey with minimalism is different.
this seemed to get worse as i went along. some of the tips were great, but it was generally not my thing. i'd stick to the youtube videos on the tidying method.
Contains some useful tips but is very consumerist. Some of the advice seems to be to get rid of stuff for the sake of getting rid of it because you can always but it again later. While that may be true, it's also very wasteful. There is a balance between the two.
I'm also not a fan of the idea of thanking my possessions for doing their job, it's ridiculous