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

by Marie Kondō

Try taking a pile you already have and standing it up. Just by doing that you will become more aware of the volume of things in that pile.

shoebox.

Many people see no point in taking these things out when they come home because they will use them again the next day, but this is a mistake.

How many bottles of shampoo and conditioner line your bathtub? Different family members may use different products, or you may have several kinds that you use depending on your mood or for once-a-week treatments. But these are such a bother to move when you clean the bath.

Whatever is used in the bath should be dried after use anyway, so it makes far more sense to just wipe down the few items we use with our bath towel and then put them away in the cupboard.

For one thing, a counter is for preparing food, not for storing things.

Counter space beside the stove, in particular, is exposed to splatters of food and oil, and the seasonings kept here are usually sticky with grease.

Please keep in mind that charms are not something you buy but something with which you are entrusted. They are effective only for one year after you receive them, so those that are past their expiration dates should be returned as soon as possible.

I think it is only when you have removed something from the package that you can really call it your own.

So start by removing the product seals from your storage containers.

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.

Because they have continued to identify and dispense with things that they don’t need, they no longer abdicate responsibility for decision making to other people.

After tidying, many clients tell me that their worldly desires have decreased.

Things that are cherished shine.

Human beings can only truly cherish a limited number of things at one time.