Monday, February 02, 2015

The life-changing magic of tidying up, a review


The premise of this book is... keep in your home only what brings you joy.  So simple but I doubt few people follow that rule.  It is something I have been working on for the past few months.

If you have long wanted to declutter your home, I suggest reading this book.  Especially if you have tried doing so before and found the clutter all returning... much like losing fifty pounds on a diet and gaining it all back and more.

One good thing about the book is the author has given a lot of advice on "how to" declutter your home (or workplace).  Practical suggestions to help you not only form a plan but actually do it!

She provides excellent ideas about decluttering everything in your home, suggesting we begin with clothing as it tends to be the easiest to decide what to keep and what to give away.  Her chapter on changing the way one folds clothing is worth the price of the book alone.

I do have a few thing I would tend to disagree about and all of them are cultural differences.  I don't think every suggestion she gives works well for homes and home keepers in Western cultures.  Not only the suggestions such as thanking your items for letting them be used but our homes tend to be much larger than in Japan (she suggests getting rid of everything at one time) and most of us have goals of what we consider decluttered that are far less minimalist than Miss Kondo suggests.

Having said that... this book has enough practical suggestions that even if you only decide to take on a few of them, it is worth the price!

Further information can be found on Amazon.com... here.*

This book was provided by Blogging for Books for the purpose of review but the opinions are my own.

*All links to Amazon.com are Associate links.

4 comments:

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I like the title! Life Changing Magic!

I have found that when we keep our home tidy and in order there is such peace. I can enjoy my home and family more with order. It can get out of control. My desk still has items I need to figure out what to do with, but the room overall there is cleanliness and order.

Deanna

Heather said...

I have this on hold with my library system. Have you ever listened to the Curious Handmade podcast. She has been discussing this in her last few podcasts. I have been working on decluttering and simplifying for the last couple of months too! I crave order and peace! :-)

Heather LeFebvre said...

my thoughts exactly...this books seems to be making the rounds among people I know right now. Just read "Essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less" and thought it was an excellent follow up book.

Jean said...

Oh my goodness . . . Heather (LeFebvre), So thrilled to see your comment. I just began reading "Essentialism" after recently finished Marie Kondo"s "tidying" masterpiece. I loved her book and didn't want it to end; it is magical :-)

As I completed the first two chapters of "Essentialism" this morning, I thought how perfectly it segued from Marie's book. These were both blessings to receive and have brought a beautiful sense of order and peace to my surroundings.