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: letâs 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 âdesignâ lean of the media Iâve 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 Iâm researching for a paper/article. This isnât 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 (*chefâs kiss), I canât help but get frustrated at how she talks about throwing things âawayâ. 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, âdoes it spark joy?â. 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.Â
...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 doesnât tidy.Â
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.Â
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 isâŠ
As someone who grew up in the USA, I appreciate the KonMari methodâs 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; Iâm sure you know someone who âlovesâ 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.Â
The book includes biographical anecdotes from Kondo in addition to a detailed explanation of the very specific process that is the KonMari method. She doesnât shy from bragging about her businessâs 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 Kondoâs story as well as the particulars of her approach to tidying. However, I canât help but notice capitalist vibes in how much is being sold.Â
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 itâs so commonplace to throw things away, whether itâs because they are broken or because we now like something else. Iâve learned a lot about the institutionalized systems profiting off of waste production from the Slow Factory Foundation. Simply ârecyclingâ or even âdonatingâ items does not assume much responsibility, especially because many items designated for âcharityâ end up in landfills, burned, or shipped to poorer countries to deal with.
Maybe youâve 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, âhow many items do I own that I can name the person who made it?â Itâs a tough question for the average American. Iâm Italian, and the situation there is similar, although home spaces in Italy are much much smaller.Â
Iâm 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 âawayâ 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 donât have the luxury of getting rid of things they simply donât 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. Kondoâs approach is clear but also subjective, an excellent recipe for a deep transformation to restore balance and harmony in the home.Â