How to create a magical and peaceful home is the main theme in “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”? Marie Kondo may have the answer and presents the best way to organize your life, simplifying processes like cleaning and rearranging clothes, books, papers, mementos, and everything else. Her methods are effortless – room-by-room, little-by-little.
Watch the full episode of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Who is it for?
Best suited for everyone ready to learn the simplest methods to tidy their space and transform their home.
In “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” you’ll learn:
- How to keep your home in order.
- What the importance of discarding and tidying is.
- What the methods for successful tidying are.
Marie Kondo Biography
Marie Kondo is a Japanese organizing consultant, TV show host, and author. Together with her husband, Takumi Kawahara, she established KonMari Media in 2015. She became quite popular as the author of the No. 1 New York Times bestseller guide “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” The book was the inspiration for the Netflix hit “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo.”
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Book
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Book Reading
I’m glad you enjoyed my book. I hope you will enjoy the rest of the books I recommend.
It has everything — philosophical wisdom, Japanese culture, and practical advice based upon a lot of real experience.
I had heard about Marie Kondo and her book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” before reading her book. I knew she had a process for decluttering and organizing your house. I thought I could just follow her steps and get rid of all my stuff. I didn’t realize I was missing out on something important.
She‘s a bit of a character! She’s definitely got a personality, but I’m not entirely sure if it’d translate well to other languages.
Marie Kondo is an expert at organizing. Her books have sold millions of copies worldwide and her method has been adopted by many companies and individuals. She has also appeared on Oprah and Good Morning America.
A quick summary of The Life-ChangingMagic of Tidying Up:The Japanese Art of Declutteringand Organizing by Marie Kondowhich includes tips for decluttering and organizing your home.
If you only have time for one quote, here’s the book summary in seven short sentences:
- “In this guide, I have summarized how to put your space into order in a way that would change your life forever.
- “Essentially, tidying ought to restore balance among people, their belongings, and the house they reside in.”
- “I’m going to tell you the secret of success, start by discarding everything you own. Organize your space thoroughly, completely, in just one go. If you follow this method, you will never revert to clutter again!”
- “In the end, tidying is just a physical act, and the work involved can be broadly broken down into two categories: deciding whether or not something should be disposed of and deciding where to put the item once it is decided that it should be thrown away. If you can do both of these things, then you can achieve perfection. ”
- “If you want to get rid of clutter, start by sorting everything by category, in the right order, and keeping only those things that inspire you. Do this thoroughly and fast, all at once. You will dramatically reduce the volume and weight of things you own, feel an exhilaration you have not felt before, and gain confidence about your life.”
- “I hope that through the magic of organizing, more people will be able enjoy the joy and contentment that comes from living surrounded by the things that they love.”
- “You will be able to achieve the lifestyle you want and live in an orderly space of your choice.”
She even has a description of slow living: “Slow Living”
- “I am grateful for the many days I spent cleaning without seeing any real change. Now, however, I feel happy and at peace. I have time to enjoy the beauty of my surroundings, where even the air seems fresh and clean. I have time to sit and sip tea while I reflect on the day. As I look about, my gaze falls on a painting that speaks to my heart, bought overseas, and a vases of fresh flowers in one area. Although not large, my living space is graced only with items that bring me joy. My lifestyle brings me happiness.”
Marie Kondo’s Credentials
Marie Kondo is an expert at organizing and decluttering. She has spent years studying the art of tidying and has written several books about it. Her method is simple: she starts with your home and works her way outwards.
She claims to have spent 80% of her life working on the subject. She started to think about storage systems when she had just turned 5 years old, and found her passion for discarding at the age of 15.
She has helped thousands of clients declutter their homes and lives. Her clients report feeling lighter, happier, and more organized after using the KonMari Method.
Marie Kondo Debunked Other Decluttering Methods
I love this aspect of the book because she acknowledges other decluttering and organizing systems, and explains why they don’ t work. She’ s been there, done that! She’s tried everything.
Some methods that don’t work: getting rid of things one by one, decluttering one room or space at a time, doing it bit by bit, listening to music or watching TV while you declutter (although it might help), trying to get your possessions to a certain number, trying to get rid of something you haven’t used for a set period of time (although it might be helpful), getting rid of something you’ve bought recently, and most storage solutions (although they might be helpful).
- “If you think about it, there are many ways to tidy your house. You could get rid of all the clutter, or just one thing each day. Or you could start small and gradually increase the amount of time you spend doing it.”
- “Don’t aim to be perfect. Start off slowly and get rid of one thing a day.” These words are a great encouragement to those who feel overwhelmed by the task of tidying.
- “Tidiness by location is a fatal error.”
- “Most methods give clearly defined numerical targets, such as ‘Throw away anything you haven’ t used for two years, ‘Seven jackets and 10 blouses is the perfect number,’ ‘Every time you buy something new, get rid of one thing.’ But I think this is why these methods often result in rebound.’”
- “Those storage solutions are really just prisons within where to hide possessions that don’t spark joy.”
Why People Clutter, Hoard, and Stockpile
- “People who hoard tend to feel like they don’t have enough when they really do. They may not realize it because they are comparing themselves to others who seem to have more than they do. But the truth is that they have plenty. They just don’t see it.”
- “When we really look at the reasons why we can’ t let something go, there’s only two: an attachment or fear for the future.
- “I think that tidying is the perfect way to get to know yourself better. You can see what you really like and dislike about your personality, your habits, and your lifestyle. You can also see what you need to change.”
- “When we buy something, we often think about what we will get out of it. We may also consider its functional value, informational value, and emotional value. If we can’t easily get those things elsewhere, we might hold onto them longer than we should.”
- “We can either face our possessions now, or we can wait until we die. There is no third option.” (Note : You have no choice)
9 Top Themes from “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo
1) It Starts and Ends with your Mindset
- “It takes time to change your habits. You need to think differently before you can act differently.”
- “The KonMari Method I described in this book is not just a set of rules on how you should sort, organize, and store your belongings. It is a guide on how to acquire the right mindset for creating an orderly environment.”
- “If you clean your room completely, you will feel like you are living in a different world. You will see everything differently and feel inspired to keep going. This will affect your mind and make you feel an aversion to returning to the old state.”
2) Your Home is a Sacred Space
- “Everyone needs a sanctuary.”
- “The one theme underlying my method of cleaning is transforming the home into an energy-filled sacred space.”
- “By removing unnecessary visual clutter, you can make your room much more peaceful and comfortable.”
3) And your Things are Alive
- “When I was a high school senior, I began to treat my possessions as if they were alive.”
- “Just like when we shake someone awake, we can stimulate their belongings by physically moving them and exposing them to fresh air.”
- “People in Japan believe that things like cleaning their rooms and keeping their bathrooms clean brings them good luck. But if their houses are messy, the effect of cleaning the toilets will be limited. The same goes for the practice of Feng Shui. It is only once you get your house in order that you can start decorating and furnishing it.”
- “Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice that focuses on harmonizing your environment with the natural laws of the universe. Feng Shui is all about living in harmony with nature. The philosophy behind feng shui is that everything has its unique energy and that each object should be treated in a manner that suits its characteristics. For example, if you have a desk that is too big for your space, then you may not feel comfortable sitting at it. If you have a desk that doesn’t fit your needs, then you will probably end up feeling unhappy and unfulfilled.”
4) Treat Decluttering as a One-Time Celebration
- “Tidying is a special event, not something you should do every day.”
- Tidying is a celebration, an event that marks the end of something.
- “In Japanese the phrase is いちきに, or ‘in a single stroke.’”
- “The ultimate secret of success is this:” If you clean up everything at once, rather than gradually, you can dramatically change the way you think.
- “Tidying up is not the purpose of your life. You should spend your time doing what you love.”
5) The KonMari Method Outline
- “Discard what you don’t need. Then decide where to put what you keep.”
- “We need to exercise self-discipline and resist storing our belongings before we have finished identifying what items we really want and need.”
- “Asking yourself why you did something is an effective way to get clarity about your actions. It helps you understand what you were thinking when you made a decision. You may not always come up with the right answer, but at least you will have asked yourself why.”
- “I think you should start with your wardrobe, because if you get rid of all your clothes, you will have nothing left to read, write, or collect.”
- “The Japanese word for healing is ‘iste-ate,’ which literally means ‘apply hands.’”
7) The selection criteria is not just “spark joy”
It’s important to remember that spark joy isn’t just one thing. Marie Kondo uses a number of different words when describing what you need to keep. Spark joy, inspire joy, thrill of pleasure, speak to your heart, moves you, and love.
- “Selection criterion: does it spark joy?”
- “The criterion is, of couse, whether or not it makes you feel good when you touch it.”
- “There are books that move me, and there are books that don’t. You’ve already read the ones that moved you. Now, pick up the ones that didn’t.”
- “Keep things not just because they’re valuable but because you love them.”
- “Sorting out your life will go smoothly, and you will feel amazed at your ability to choose on the basis that gives you pleasure.’
- “Keep only the ones that inspire joy”
8) It’s Not Disengaging — It’s Engaging with What You Love
KonMari is a Japanese term meaning “organize my belongings”. It’s a method of organizing your possessions that helps you get rid of items you don’t need anymore. It’s not about getting rid of everything you own, but rather about focusing on what you keep and letting go of the rest.
- “I wish I could say that I learned something about myself when I threw out all my old clothes. But I didn’t. I just got rid of them.”
- “When I first started decluttering my house, I had a lot of stuff. I didn’t realize how much stuff I had until I started going through it all. I realized that I had a lot of items that didn’t bring me any joy. I decided to start throwing them out. I found that it was easier to get rid of things than to try to figure out what to keep.”
- “After all, what is the purpose of tidying? If it isn’t so that we can feel happy when we walk through our rooms and see everything neat and tidy.”
- “Don’t keep anything that doesn’t serve you. If you do, you will never move forward. You will always be stuck in the past.”
- “There is nothing better than to be surrounded only with the things you love. What about you?”
8) Next Comes Organizing
- “It’s important to start by discarding. Once we have done that, it becomes easier to decide where things should be placed because our possessions will have been reduced by half or even a quarter.”
- When you’re deciding which things to keep, ask yourself if they bring you joy. If so, keep them. If not, get rid of them.
- “Storage is a problem because we keep things around longer than we need them. We also keep things around longer than they need us.”
- “The secret for keeping a clutter-free room is to pursue ultimate simplicity in storage so that you know at a glance how much stuff you have.”
- “I have two rules: keep all items of the same kind together and don’t spread out storage space.”
9) Transform Your Home to Transform Your Life
- “It is life changing.”
- “It” refers to the fact that when we reduce what we possess and essentially “detox” our homes, it has a detoxifying effect on our bodies as a result.
- “Tidying is a great way to get rid of all your stuff and start fresh. It helps you to focus on what matters most to you. You will feel happier and more fulfilled after you tidy.”
- “I call this the ‘Just Right Click Point’. When you get to this point, you feel like you have everything you need. You have enough money to pay your bills, enough time to enjoy life, enough energy to keep going, and enough resources to meet your needs. You feel satisfied and complete.”
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