The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (Magic Cleaning #1)

by Marie Kondō

If you tidy up in one shot, rather than little by little, you can dramatically change your mind-set.

Visible mess helps distract us from the true source of the disorder. The act of cluttering is really an instinctive reflex that draws our attention away from the heart of an issue.

If you can’t feel relaxed in a clean and tidy room, try confronting your feeling of anxiety. It may shed light on what is really bothering you.

When you tidy your space completely, you transform the scenery. The change is so profound that you feel as if you are living in a totally different world. This deeply affects your mind and inspires a strong aversion to reverting to your previously cluttered state. The key is to make the change so sudden that you experience a complete change of heart. The same impact can never be achieved if the process is gradual.

The whole point in both discarding and keeping things is to be happy. It may seem obvious, but it is important to experience this realization for yourself and let it sink into your heart. Before you start tidying, look at the lifestyle you aspire to and ask yourself, “Why do I want to tidy?” When you find the answer, you are ready to move on to the next step: examining what you own.

Gathering every item in one place is essential to this process because it gives you an accurate grasp of how much you have.

clothing. The most important points to remember are these: Make sure you gather every piece of clothing in the house and be sure to handle each one.

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.

If you have storage space that should be sufficient yet falls short, try standing things vertically. You’ll find that this solves most problems.

If you do not make a habit of unpacking your bag, you are also quite likely to leave something inside when you decide to use another bag, and before you know it, you will have forgotten what you have in each one.

So start by removing the product seals from your storage containers. This is absolutely essential, just as you remove the tags from new clothes to welcome them as your personal belongings.

By eliminating excess visual information that doesn’t inspire joy, you can make your space much more peaceful and comfortable.

I give my clients is to appreciate their belongings. For example, I urge them to try saying, “Thank you for keeping me warm all day,”

Possessions that have a place where they belong and to which they are returned each day for a rest are more vibrant.

At their core, the things we really like do not change over time. Putting your house in order is a great way to discover what they are.

letting go is even more important than adding.”

But when we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.

made. This is why I am against both letting things pile up and dumping things indiscriminately. It is only when we face the things we own one by one and experience the emotions they evoke that we can truly appreciate our relationship with them.

You may think that this ritual could only have a placebo effect, but I have noticed a real difference in the speed with which tidying occurs when I perform it.

I believe that tidying is a celebration, a special send-off for those things that will be departing from the house, and therefore I dress accordingly.

lessons. Just as you would greet your family or your pet, say, “Hello! I’m home,” to your house when you return.

you do this repeatedly, you will start to feel your house respond when you come home. You will sense its pleasure passing through like a gentle breeze. Then you will gradually be able to feel where it would like you to tidy and where it would like you to put things.