The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

By Marie Kondo

Japanese organizational consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly declutter your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Whereas most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, the KonMari Method's category-by-category, all-at-once prescription leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo's clients have been repeat customers (and she still has a three-month waiting list of new customers!). With detailed guidance for every type of item in the household, this quirky little manual from Japan's newest lifestyle phenomenon will help readers clear their clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home--and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

This was a very interesting read for a girl who loves to organize. What Marie Kondo claims is that if you follow her method you’ll never be cluttered again or find yourself in a mess of ‘stuff’. While I laud her approach (which is a good one) it really isn’t going to work for everyone. Especially if you have a family with more than one or two kids. I just can’t envision this working unless you’re a dictator with your kid and follow them around making sure that they put things in their place. I somehow think that would brainwash a child to be OCD. I have, however, incorporated certain aspects of her book and it has been very nice. Her folding technique is one that I now use and love. I also use her disposal method for my clothes, which was amazing because I was finally able to just get rid of junk I’d had in my closet forever that wasn’t doing anybody any good (except for perhaps dust bunnies). If you’re a cleaning enthusiast, I would say read this just for the experience and try it out. It’s worked for a lot of people, and it has some really great ideas inside it. One thing that endears me to it was how it approached possessions. It encourages people to only keep those things that bring them joy. Don’t keep something because so-and-so gave it to you and you can’t get rid of it, or simply because it still works but you have always hated it. You should surround yourself with beauty and the things that make you happy. Loved that concept, and incorporated it as well.

I give it a 3.75 out of 5