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

by Marie Kondō

Imagine what it would be like to have a bookshelf filled only with books that you really love. Isn’t that image spellbinding? For someone who loves books, what greater happiness could there be?

The most common reason for not discarding a book is “I might read it again.” Take a moment to count the number of favorite books that you have actually read more than once. How many are there? For some it may be as few as five while for some exceptional readers it may be as many as one hundred.

Their true purpose is to be read, to convey the information to their readers. It’s the information they contain that has meaning.

Books you have read have already been experienced and their content is inside you, even if you don’t remember.

take each book in your hand and decide whether it moves you or not. Keep only those books that will make you happy just to see them on your shelves, the ones that you really love.

You may have wanted to read it when you bought it, but if you haven’t read it by now, the book’s purpose was to teach you that you didn’t need it. There’s no need to finish reading books that you only got halfway through. Their purpose was to be read halfway.

Only by discarding it will you be able to test how passionate you are about that subject. If your feelings don’t change after discarding it, then you’re fine as is.

Realizing that what I really wanted to keep was not the book but certain information or specific words it contained, I decided that if I kept only what was necessary, I should be able to part with the rest.

I have noticed that having fewer books actually increases the impact of the information I read.

The moment you first encounter a particular book is the right time to read it.

reason, I recommend you dispose of anything that does not fall into one of three categories: currently in use, needed for a limited period of time, or must be kept indefinitely.

The term “papers,” by the way, does not include papers with sentimental value like old love letters or diaries.

My filing method is extremely simple. I divide them into two categories: papers to be saved and papers that need to be dealt with.

make a special corner for papers like these that need to be dealt with. Make sure that you keep all such papers in one spot only. Never let them spread to other parts of the house.

I organize them into infrequently used papers and more frequently used papers.

Infrequently used papers include insurance policies, guarantees, and leases. Unfortunately, these must be kept automatically regardless of the fact that they spark no particular joy in your heart.

Papers are organized into only three categories: needs attention, should be saved (contractual documents), and should be saved (others).

Keep things because you love them—not “just because”

it is easier if you start with more personal items and clearly defined content first.

Too many people live surrounded by things they don’t need “just because.”

Someone important to you used precious time to pick them out and buy them for you.

The true purpose of a present is to be received. Presents are not “things” but a means for conveying someone’s feelings. When viewed from this perspective, you don’t need to feel guilty for parting with a gift.

Just thank it for the joy it gave you when you first received it.

surely the person who gave it to you doesn’t want you to use it out of a sense of obligation, or to put it away without using it, only to feel guilty every time you see it. When you discard or ...

It’s a shame to let a boring box take up room in your house just because you might need it someday.

Mysterious cords will always remain just that—a mystery.

Keep only those cords that you can clearly identify and get rid of the rest. Your collection most likely contains quite a few that belong to defunct machines you have long since discarded.

you bought them is what counts. Express your appreciation for their contribution to your life by telling them, “Thank you for the boost you gave me when I bought you,” or “Thank you for helping me get a little more fit.”

Despite the fact that coins are perfectly good cash, they are treated with far less respect than paper money.

I beg you to rescue those forgotten coins wasting away in your home by adopting the motto “into my wallet!”

Just as the word implies, mementos are reminders of a time when these items gave us joy.

The thought of disposing of them sparks the fear that we’ll lose those precious memories along with them.

Truly precious memories will never vanish even if you discard the objects...

We live in the present. No matter how wonderful things used to be, we cannot live in the past. The joy and excitement we feel here and now are more important.

People never retrieve the boxes they send “home.” Once sent, they will never again be opened.

When I threw them away, I felt like I was confronting my past for the first time in my life.

That’s right. By handling each sentimental item and deciding what to discard, you process your past. If you just stow these things away in a drawer or cardboard box, before you realize it, your past will become a weight that holds you back and keeps you from living in the here and now.

To put your things in order means to put your past in order, too. It’s like resetting your life and settling your accounts so tha...

if your children are already grown and you are keeping them because you think discarding them will hurt your children’s feelings, ask them.

The purpose of a letter is fulfilled the moment it is received.

As for accessories you received as gifts, keep them only if they bring you pure joy.

Hanging on to them makes it more likely that you will miss opportunities for new relationships.

It is not our memories but the person we have become because of those past experiences that we should treasure. This is the lesson these keepsakes teach us when we sort them. The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.

If you start sorting photos before you have honed your intuitive sense of what brings you joy, the whole process will spin out of control and come to a halt.

Photographs exist only to show a specific event or time.

Really important things are not that great in number.

In many cases, the prints developed afterward have already outlived their purpose.

these clients never realized how many items they actually had until they began putting their house in order.

For people who stockpile, I don’t think there is any amount that would make them feel secure.

Unlike a shop, if you run out of something at home, it’s not a big deal. It may cause you temporary stress, but it does no irreparable damage.