The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever by Marie Kondo

Summary

The main premise of “The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying” is to fill your home only with things that bring you Joy. Marie Kondo goes on to state that when you have a tidy home, it can bring about other profound changes in thinking.

 
I already enjoy the catharsis of clearing out, so a lot of the information felt quite old news. Yet there were some pieces of insight into how I can better organise my space.
 
I felt there were one too many “people think you should” statements. Marie asserts the many false beliefs we have about tidying. These false beliefs are likely more related to Japanese than western culture. Yet this didn’t take away from the impact of the book, you can skip them for faster reading.

Main personal insights

  • Store things vertically – Storing things on top of each other allow them to accumulate. You want to be able to easily see everything you own.
  • Things have a purpose – When we buy an item, it has a purpose and that purpose could be to give you joy in that moment. Since the moment has passed, so has the purpose and the reasoning for keeping the item.
  • Tidy in a single go – Sort all items in one single go. Put everything in a pile and individually go through each item.
  • Everything must have a place – You should return each item to it’s original place. Each item in the home should have a natural resting place.

Snippets

Why Marie Kondo does what she does (Purpose, Why)
I want to help others who feel the way I once did, who lack self-confidence and find it hard to open their hearts to others, to sense how much support they receive from the space they live in and the things that surround them. This is why I spend my time visiting people’s homes and instructing them in how to tidy
The benefits of making decisions about what to keep
People who lack confident in their judgement, lack confidence in themselves
Finding your passion and how she found hers
Think back to your own school days and the things you enjoyed doing. At their core, the things we like do not change over time.
Having independence over space
Having your own space makes you happy. Everyone needs a sanctuary
Creating a space for our future selves
The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past
Reading and the timeliness of information
For Books, timing is everything. The moment you first encounter a particular book is the right time to read it.
Organising space vertically
The goal should be to organise content so that you can see where every item is at a glance, just as you see the spines of the books on your bookshelf
The mindset of tidying
We should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of
How tidying affects the mind
When your room is clean and uncluttered, you have no choice but to examine your inner state
 
Lou Bichard
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