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

by Marie Kondō

there is no point whatsoever in changing your approach to suit your personality.

it makes far more sense to categorize people by their actions rather than by some generalized personality trait.

people who can’t stay tidy can be categorized into just three types: the “can’t-throw-it-away” type, the “can’t-put-it-back” type, and the “first-two-combined” type.

90 percent fall into the third category—the “can’t-throw-it-away, can’t-put-it-back” type—while the remaining 10 percent fall...

Effective tidying involves only two essential actions: discarding and deciding where to store things. Of the two, discarding must come first.

Tidying is a special event. Don’t do it every day.

the work of tidying should be completed once and for all within a single period of time.

There are two types of tidying—“daily tidying” and “special event tidying.” Daily tidying, which consists of using something and putting it back in its place, will always be part of our lives

the purpose of this book is to inspire you to tackle the “special event” of putting your house in order as soon as possible.

By successfully concluding this once-in-a-lifetime task, you will gain the lifestyle you aspire to and enjoy a clean a...

Until you have completed the once-in-a-lifetime event of putting your house in order, any attempt to tidy on a daily basis is doomed to failure.

once you have put your house in order, tidying will be reduced to the very simple task of putting things back where they belong.

once you have completed this dramatic cleanup, you will have no difficulty whatsoever in putting things back where they belong or in deciding where to keep new things.

All you need to do is take the time to sit down and examine each item you own, decide whether you want to keep or discard it, and then choose where to put what you keep.

When you tidy, you are dealing with objects. Objects are easy to discard and move around. Anyone can do it. Your goal is clearly in sight. The moment you have put everything in its place, you have crossed the finish line.

never tidy my room. Why? Because it is already tidy. The only tidying I do is once or sometimes twice a year, and for a total of about one hour each time.

I have time to experience bliss in my quiet space, where even the air feels fresh and clean;

As I look around, my glance falls on a painting that I particularly love, purchased overseas, and a vase of fresh flowers in one corner. Although not large, the space I live in is graced only with those things that speak to my heart. My lifestyle brings me joy.

As time goes by, you collect more things, and before you know it, your space has reverted to its previous state. This rebound effect is caused by ineffective methods that tackle tidying only halfway.

When you tidy your space completely, you transform the scenery.

This deeply affects your mind and inspires a strong aversion to reverting to your previously cluttered state.

From my experience with private individual lessons, “quickly” means about half a year. That may seem like a long time, but it is only six months out of your entire life.

Tidy in the right order.

discarding must come first. Be sure to completely finish the first task before starting the next. Do not even think of putting your things away until you have finished the process of discarding.

To summarize, the secret of success is to tidy in one shot, as quickly and completely as possible, and to start by discarding.

visualizing the ideal lifestyle you dream of.

Think in concrete terms so that you can vividly picture what it would be like to live in a clutter-free space.

“Well, when I come home from work, the floor would be clear of clutter … and my room, as tidy as a hotel suite with nothing obstructing the line of sight.

I’d have a pink bedspread and a white antique-style lamp. Before going to bed, I would have a bath, burn aromatherapy oils, and listen to classical piano or violin while doing yoga and drinking herbal tea. I would fall asleep with a feeling of unhurried spaciousness.”

identify why you want to live like that.

As you continue to explore the reasons behind your ideal lifestyle, you will come to a simple realization. The whole point in both discarding and keeping things is to be happy.

the moment you start focusing on how to choose what to throw away, you have actually veered significantly off course.

“Look more closely at what is there.”

we should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of.

I had been so focused on what to discard, on attacking the unwanted obstacles around me, that I had forgotten to cherish the things that I loved, the things I wanted to keep.

the best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand and ask: “Does this spark joy?” If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it.

the trick is to handle each item.

When you touch a piece of clothing, your body reacts. Its response to each item is different.

the best criterion for choosing what to keep and what to discard is whether keeping it will make you happy, whether it will bring you joy.

Are you happy wearing clothes that don’t give you pleasure? Do you feel joy when surrounded by piles of unread books that don’t touch your heart? Do you think that owning accessories you know you’ll never use will ever bring you happiness?

imagine yourself living in a space that contains only things that spark joy. Isn’t this the lifestyle you dream of?

Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest.

By doing this, you can reset your life and embark on...

Don’t start selecting and discarding by location. Don’t think “I’ll tidy the bedroom first and then move on to the living room” or “I’ll go through my drawers one by one starting from the top down.” This approach is fatal. Why? Because most people don’t bother to store similar items in the same place.

always think in terms of category, not place.

Before choosing what to keep, collect everything that falls within the same category at one time.

Take every last item out and lay everythi...

You start by deciding that you are going to organize and put away your clothes. The next step is to search every room of the house. Bring every piece of clothing you find to the same place, and spread them out on the floor. Then pick up each outfit and see if it sparks joy. Those and...

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

By collecting things in one spot, you can also compare items that are similar in design, making it easier to decide whether you want to keep them.