The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Review!
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing By Marie Kondo Translated by Cathy Hirano Ten Speed Press, 2014
The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.
Here we go: let’s dive into the KonMari method and talk about the book that sparks joy! The tiny hardcover has no images, only text, and does stray from the “design” lean of the media I’ve reviewed thus far. However, it certainly is found in the Home section of many libraries, and ultimately does respond to one of my main queries with the DesignMod page, that is: how do we relate to the material objects around us, and how do they relate to us? The space of a home is certainly connected to your heart space and mental space.
Overall, this book gets 5 of 6 joyful geese. Without pictures, I got a little cerebral while reading, taking notes and asking questions like I do when I’m researching for a paper/article. This isn’t what threw me off, however. While Marie Kondo is ridiculously charming and her acknowledgement of the precious relationship between people and our things is truly key (*chef’s kiss), I can’t help but get frustrated at how she talks about throwing things ‘away’. More on this after the positives.
Many people around the world are familiar with the name Marie Kondo. The first things that come to mind are often a) neat folding techniques, and b) the question, “does it spark joy?”. There are many nuggets of wisdom across these pages. Here are some of my faves:
Do not even think about putting your things away until you have finished the process of discarding.
...we should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of.
...always think in terms of category, not place.
To quietly work away at disposing of your own excess is actually the best way of dealing with a family that doesn’t tidy.
The key is to store things standing up rather than laid flat.
The point in deciding specific places to keep things is to designate a spot for every thing.
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.
...arrange your storage so that you can tell at a glance where everything is…
As someone who grew up in the USA, I appreciate the KonMari method’s attention to reducing excess. Kondo also discusses the benefit of individually honing decision making skills as well as the ability to articulate your preferences. Her process asks that you hold each of your possessions one by one, an incredibly intimate opportunity to listen to why you are holding onto it. Being able to do this is definitely a skill; I’m sure you know someone who “loves” practically anything, or perhaps someone who is rarely satisfied. Asking if an item sparks joy is a good alternative to more proscriptive decluttering solutions, which necessitate that you keep a fixed number of items, or that you buy specific items. The KonMari method instead is very subjective, which I think is fab.
The book includes biographical anecdotes from Kondo in addition to a detailed explanation of the very specific process that is the KonMari method. She doesn’t shy from bragging about her business’s success, which leads me to my first critique. It must be understood that the KonMari method is heavily branded. She is a true phenomenon, starting from working with clients in Japan to a series on Netflix, a collection with The Container Store, and beyond. The website includes items like storage bins that one should purchase for a tidy home, even though her content suggests using old shoeboxes. This is something that she has worked very hard to develop. I think this book is a good resource for people wanting to learn about Kondo’s story as well as the particulars of her approach to tidying. However, I can’t help but notice capitalist vibes in how much is being sold.
My main critique lies in the discussion of waste, or lack thereof. It is positive that the method focuses on deciding what to keep in contrast to what to get rid of. The process is definitely more joyful that way. However, a huge part of the excess we possess is the excess we discard. We can consume so much because it’s so commonplace to throw things away, whether it’s because they are broken or because we now like something else. I’ve learned a lot about the institutionalized systems profiting off of waste production from the Slow Factory Foundation. Simply “recycling” or even “donating” items does not assume much responsibility, especially because many items designated for ‘charity’ end up in landfills, burned, or shipped to poorer countries to deal with.
Maybe you’ve heard the term fast fashion, which refers to business models in which inexpensive clothing is produced rapidly by mass-market retailers to keep up with trends. These systems exist in the Global North and usurp communities in the Global South by ways of landfills, under-paid labor, and general pollution. In many ways, the production behind any home item has become fast. Ask yourself, “how many items do I own that I can name the person who made it?” It’s a tough question for the average American. I’m Italian, and the situation there is similar, although home spaces in Italy are much much smaller.
I’m curious about the perspective on waste in Japan. Kondo developed her method when working with Japanese clients, primarily middle-aged, professional women. My point with this criticism is simply a worry regarding people living in the Global North who are less invested in minimizing waste, that they will take this book and discard things without acknowledging that there is no “away” when you throw something out. Kondo briefly touches upon how discerning what sparks joy should also be considered before buying anything after the big tidy. Nonetheless, I wish there were more consideration of class and economic status, that for many people with limited resources, they don’t have the luxury of getting rid of things they simply don’t like.
Once you learn to choose your belongings properly, you will be left only with the amount that fits perfectly in the space you currently own.
Overall, the book is very helpful and easy to read. Kondo’s approach is clear but also subjective, an excellent recipe for a deep transformation to restore balance and harmony in the home.
With loving curiosity,
DesignMod
