So about that promised review of Marie Kondo’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I suppose it is past due. And those promised photos? Didn’t happen. Here’s why. I didn’t find the book as helpful as I had hoped. I didn’t like reading the book, it took me six months to finish and it would have been longer if I hadn’t been trying to beat my friend (see his book blog here) in our annual book challenge. The very top of the trees concepts of only keeping things or buying things that truly bring you joy were certainly worth some meditation. The writing in this book? Left much to be desired, I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to “lost in translation”. I believe this book is better classified as a memoir than an actual self-help book. Most of the book is spent reflecting on Kondo’s own life and thoughts rather than the practical application of her technique.

The most helpful part of the book was the revelation that some (read: many) of us were never actually taught how to tidy. This point was a bit of a gut check as I recalled how often I reprimanded my sons for not tidying their rooms well enough. Shortly after reading this passage, I did a little decluttering session with my 9 year old and his dresser drawers. I sensed he was keeping some clothes only because he thought I wanted him to keep them, so I set the record straight. I told him to clean out all his drawers and only keep the items he knew he would wear and the ones he really liked. We went through each piece of clothing together and when I thought he was keeping it to please me, I reminded him he would not offend me by making his room more pleasing to him. We got rid of a lot of clothes! It also helped me to see what sort of style he preferred.

We were so successful with his clothes, my husband and I set to work on all the books in both of our sons’ rooms. We emptied both of their bookshelves onto the kitchen table. MOUNDS of books! I knew we had a lot, but it was a little shocking to see it all laid out. And wouldn’t you know, we had duplicates! Books, especially books in the library of my growing and varied children, are hard for me to let go of, however by making my boys part of the process we got rid of two paper boxes of books. This lead to them reading more on their own since their book shelves weren’t busting at the seams, ready to spill on top of them lest a jenga tile be removed too quickly.

Speaking of books, Kondo’s whole section dedicated to books was one section that provided a new outlook on decluttering my library. A couple of Kondo’s observations worth mentioning:

“You read books for the experience of reading. Books you have read have already been experienced and their content is inside you, even if you don’t remember it.” Page 89

Books to Keep “The most difficult ones are those that give you moderate pleasure–those with words and phrases that moved your heart and that you might want to read again.” Page 93

Since starting this blog (and my reading notebook, the source of most of this content), it has become much easier to pass along a book. I have captured the emotions the book made me feel. And I have a very tangible, detailed list of what I have ready, why I have read it, what it has taught me. My bookshelves are lighter since starting this blog because I am able to “keep” those parts of the books  that have changed me.

“The moment you first encounter a particular book is the right time to read it.” Page 95

The final word:
This is not a book I particularly enjoyed reading. It is only because of writing this post that I realize how much I did in fact learn. Ideally, Marie Kondo’s newest book, Spark Joy will address some of the practical implication parts that were missing from this book. This book is a good fit for someone just getting started with decluttering or who does not have a lot of practice with minimalism.
Other Selected Quotes:
“Order is dependent on the extremely personal values of what a person wants to live with.” Page 6

“I’m sure many of us have been scolded (during our childhoods) for not tidying up our rooms, but how many of our parents consciously taught us how to tidy as part of our upbringing?” Page 10

“You only have to experience a state of perfect order once to be able to maintain it.” Page 30

“We should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of.” Page 41

“It is actually our rational judgement that causes problems.” Page 59 Malcolm Gladwell wrote an entire book on this concept Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. I listened to it as an audiobook in 2014.

“The true purpose of a present is to be received. Presents are not “things”, but a means for conveying someone’s feelings.” Page 108

“Things that are cherished shine.” Page 200

Sunmark Publishing 2013