The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Apr 16, 2016 s_evan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: self-help, audio-version

This was not what I expected! I had picked up and ready a page or two awhile back and liked the element of keeping what sparks joy - but it helped more in the realm of acquiring new things.

Seems this book is all over the place so I wanted to see what other tidbits I could learn.

In terms of cleaning and storing there were bits that were helpful, but Kondo is so rigid in her method (rules), I had a hard time not getting annoyed. She says many times that "no one misses things," but I have missed s ...more

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Mar 14, 2015 Katie rated it liked it

Shelves: it-s-good-for-me

First impression: this woman is a Froot Loop.
Second impression: there is no way in hell I'm emptying my purse every evening.
Third impression: is some of this getting lost in translation?
Final impression: the off-putting superlatives (this book is magic, it will clear your skin, flatten your tummy, and bring brightness to your eyes!) become sweet somehow, and there are some truly fantastic ideas in this beautiful little book. She made me think about possessions differently than I ever have. Abo ...more

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Mar 12, 2017 Mary rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: format-audio, format-ebook

4-5 stars for the chapters on sorting through your things. 2-3 for those about storing everything in a closet (and oh my I can't imagine ever getting everything folded so the stacks are vertical instead of horizontal). Still - a worthwhile read - even if you don't think you have any tidying to do! ...more

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Oct 14, 2015 CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio, asian, non-fiction, library-audio

When I first saw this book at the library, I knew I wanted it. But first I read some reviews, because that's how I do it. Reviews for this book are all over the place, loathing and/or scathing to ecstatic raving or solid recommendations. When reviews are so scattered, my curiousity is usually piqued, so now I had to read it.
I am really glad I picked this up. I often get distracted when attempting to listen to (non-biographical) nonfiction in the car, but this book held my attention the whole ti When I first saw this book at the library, I knew I wanted it. But first I read some reviews, because that's how I do it. Reviews for this book are all over the place, loathing and/or scathing to ecstatic raving or solid recommendations. When reviews are so scattered, my curiousity is usually piqued, so now I had to read it.
I am really glad I picked this up. I often get distracted when attempting to listen to (non-biographical) nonfiction in the car, but this book held my attention the whole time. I did stop the recording frequently during my drive to ponder steps and techniques the author was recommending/ explaning/ discussing and/or to ponder how best to enact such a step. But overall I was charmed by the eccentric organizing lady. I was not, as many American readers seem to be, put off by her strongly Japanese and Shinto world views. I didn't stress about her speaking to homes and pieces of clothing, mementos, etc. While I won't run out and acquire talismans to hang at a shrine--it's against my own particular religious beliefs, anyway--I don't find her tips any less practical because of her practices and beliefs. Does the author seem a tad bit eccentric? yes. She's lived a long and seemingly lonely life, focused mainly on tidying and organization. But that lifestyle seems to bring her joy, and who am I to criticize her for it? Especially since she seems able to help so many other people find peace by teaching them her methods.
In fact, I found Marie Kondo's method of tidying up, as described in her book, to truly be life-changing. I know that if I can follow through properly on her instructions, internalize the lesson on only retaining items that truly make me happy/ serve a purpose, and assign a specific place for all the remaining items to be in at all times, then I too can become neat and tidy. Not perfectly clean. I'll never manage that. But not surrounded by the clutter that threatens to choke so many of us. I've had success in one bathroom in our house so far--the organization has remained for several months now. I'd love to apply this to every area of my life, successfully, and become one less of those cluttered Americans owned by their possessions instead of the other way around.
The only caveat I had with this book was the author's constant refrain of throwing things in the garbage. Just because you don't want a box of books or a bag of clothing does not mean that they need to go into a landfill. Some items can be recycled. Most can be donated, to libraries or thrift stores or charities. No need to make your peace by cluttering the earth with more garbage that won't decompose for hundreds of years. So, if you would like, read this book, and learn from the Kon-Mari method. Just find a different way to dispose of items without being so wasteful (and without dumping it on your mom or younger sibling. If you've read this book, you know what I mean.)
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Aug 12, 2016 April rated it it was ok

Shelves: nonfiction, domesticity, kindle, library

I read this because a part-time librarian we interviewed recommended it. She has good book talking skills.

Like a lot of things in this genre, I can pull some useful information from it. Yeah, I Kondo'ed my shirt drawer and it looks like a miracle. And I like the general idea of letting go of things that have served their purpose, whether they still have use in them or not, or tossing things that don't "spark joy" as she puts it. I also think Marie Kondo would be a blast to meet in person, if a l ...more

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Jun 01, 2015 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015

I really enjoyed reading this book. I should check in in 6 months to see if I follow through.

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Mar 21, 2016 Sarah left GR added it

Shelves: nonfiction, ebooks, abandoned

I'm developing a hypothesis that "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" and "Getting Things Done" are actually the same book. (Different expressions of the same work, if my librarian friends will permit the bad FRBR analogy). I've only read the first chapters of each, so maybe I'm full of it. We shall see. ...more

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Dec 30, 2015 Cassandra Moore rated it really liked it

I learned a lot from this book and have put much of it into practice. I will say I had to basically skip the whole thing on books though! When you have around 1500 books, the idea of narrowing it down to 20 is crazy talk and ripping pages out is just sacrilegious.

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