ŷ������

This review was delayed because I was busy tidying up.

Yesterday I finished this charming little book about the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing, and this morning I woke up filled with ENTHUSIASM and was ready to open up every drawer and every closet and to simplify, simplify, simplify.

Of course, such projects always take longer than you expect. I was trying to follow the spirit of Marie Kondo's guidelines, which involve handling each one of your possessions and asking: Does this spark joy? If it gives you happiness, keep it. Otherwise, get rid of it.

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 a new lifestyle.

After spending most of the day doing that, my donation pile had grown to several bags of clothes, a big bag of kitchen items, and a hefty stack of books. The most difficult things to sort were the books (a problem I bet most people reading this can relate to) and fortunately, Marie had some good advice on this:

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 ... In the end, you are going to read very few of your books again ... So when deciding which books to keep, forget about whether you think you'll read it again or whether you've mastered what's inside. Instead, 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.

I have many, many books that make me happy, and I will keep those. But when I looked more closely at my shelves, I do have a fair number of books that I can pass on because they have served their purpose.

Which brings me to one of my favorite aspects of Marie's advice, which is that when you get rid of something, you take a moment to appreciate the item and how it served you.

Each object has a different role to play. Not all clothes have come to you to be worn threadbare. It is the same with people. Not every person you meet in life will become a close friend or lover. Some you will find hard to get along with or impossible to like. But these people, too, teach you the precious lesson of who you do like, so that you will appreciate those special people even more.

When you come across something that you cannot part with, think carefully about its true purpose in your life. You'll be surprised at how many of the things you possess have already fulfilled their role. By acknowledging their contribution and letting them go with gratitude, you will be able to truly put the things you own, and your life, in order. In the end, all that will remain are the things that you really treasure.

Marie is apparently a very successful and sought-after organizing consultant in Japan, and her book has numerous stories about her clients' efforts to declutter. Marie says many of her clients have a life-changing experience doing this. For example, after getting rid of all the books that didn't spark joy, one of Marie's clients realized that all of the books she kept were about social work, and that what she truly enjoyed in life was helping others, so she changed her career. Marie said this kind of epiphany often ocrrus because once we clear away the clutter in our lives, we can better see what truly matters to us.

The anecdotes and guidelines were helpful, and this was a pleasant read, even though the Japanese-to-English translation was a bit stilted at times. I doubt I will take every piece of advice Marie gives ��- for example, she recommends putting all of your clothes on the floor, and then sorting them �� but I appreciated the spirit of it.

Now I have to decide whether or not to keep this book: Does it spark joy?