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Erin's Reviews > The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
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Notes as i read:
Things I like:
-the idea of tidying by category
-the joy factor
-"we should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of."
-she's not very judgemental
-the sweet Japanese anthropomorphizing of objects
-her approach to clothes and thanking the objects for their service
-her order and suggestion that tidying needs to be done just once in a big swoop and in a certain order: discard first, figure out where things go after
-like the idea of seeing what you need/don't need as an act of vulnerability and strength growing
Things that don't jive:
-She has no concept of the archive
-one problem i have with the method is that there are things i have to own that don't bring me joy...i can't get rid of my interview clothes. do they bring me joy? no. Do i need them for when i am seeking a new job? yes.
- The book is also very gendered, i feel. Not in a totally offensive way, but in a noticeable way.
-hahahaha like I'm going to get rid of books hahahaha (skimmed this section)
-hahahaha like I'm going to get rid of paper hahahaha (skimmed this section)
-she's not an artist. I can't really apply her theory to my art supplies. I mean, i can to a point, but hello...i have millions of pieces of metal type. The studio is off limits to her. sorry.
-class. This assumes you have the money to replace what is broken but still usable or not hold onto outgrown kids clothes that could be used for the next kid.
-finding the last section of the book tedious and a bit eye roll-y
The book was probably written when the author was 25...or younger. I'm not going to take her method to gospel but i do think that I will give it a go, esp. in terms of clothing. It's mostly charming, though there are things I'm just not willing to let go of and that's ok too. It's my choice
Things I like:
-the idea of tidying by category
-the joy factor
-"we should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of."
-she's not very judgemental
-the sweet Japanese anthropomorphizing of objects
-her approach to clothes and thanking the objects for their service
-her order and suggestion that tidying needs to be done just once in a big swoop and in a certain order: discard first, figure out where things go after
-like the idea of seeing what you need/don't need as an act of vulnerability and strength growing
Things that don't jive:
-She has no concept of the archive
-one problem i have with the method is that there are things i have to own that don't bring me joy...i can't get rid of my interview clothes. do they bring me joy? no. Do i need them for when i am seeking a new job? yes.
- The book is also very gendered, i feel. Not in a totally offensive way, but in a noticeable way.
-hahahaha like I'm going to get rid of books hahahaha (skimmed this section)
-hahahaha like I'm going to get rid of paper hahahaha (skimmed this section)
-she's not an artist. I can't really apply her theory to my art supplies. I mean, i can to a point, but hello...i have millions of pieces of metal type. The studio is off limits to her. sorry.
-class. This assumes you have the money to replace what is broken but still usable or not hold onto outgrown kids clothes that could be used for the next kid.
-finding the last section of the book tedious and a bit eye roll-y
The book was probably written when the author was 25...or younger. I'm not going to take her method to gospel but i do think that I will give it a go, esp. in terms of clothing. It's mostly charming, though there are things I'm just not willing to let go of and that's ok too. It's my choice
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“My clients tell me that now life is more fun because when they run out of something they enjoy seeing how long they can last without it or trying to substitute other things.�This doesn't sound true.
I find there are many interesting limits or questions about applying her technique to many larger American homes. I have a room that is entirely built-in bookshelves. If I truly applied her technique (and I do think our shelves could do with a paring) and ended up with many empty shelves, would the room look happiest that way? Or is it happiest when filled with brightly colored familiar books?I also find myself hesitating about the joy question. In theory, I love it. In practice, I think I am far too good at finding joy in anything. Joy in a skirt that doesn't fit me anymore? Sure. Joy in my wedding dress? Sure. But I suppose she would challenge me to pin down whether I feel joy *now* and not whether I remember joy attached to an object in the past. And since I haven't actually done KonMari myself yet, I can't say for sure what my experience will be. But I expect this to be a challenge.
I think that I'm so tied to nostalgia. that's the part that's going to be hardest... Also, what if i dont find joy in anything?
If you don't find joy in anything, you are depressed. See a doctor.I love this review... My favorite part is "haha like I am going to get rid of books." I know right! lol... I think everyone has to tailor generic advice to themselves. We here are book people. We just aren't the type to get rid of books. She also talked about getting rid of office supplies, I think. FORGET IT! So not gonna happen. You know, but if you're NOT a book person, you probably will be happier if you don't keep more than a few that really float your boat. Of course, as book people we can certainly say that having our houses loaded with books sparks all of the joy in the world!
I am a hoarder. I've listened to part of this book on tape and so far my take-away is this. Hoarders have a unique relationship with their stuff (this is not from her, but from me). I love my stuff. But I could love it more if I distilled it. I could honor it. Ultimately, I'd be happier to have six pairs of fuzzy socks (I love my fuzzy socks) than 20 pairs of bla socks. I'd be happier if I had so few of the things I loved that I could see most of them all of the time. I'm certainly not cured of hoarding, but I have a different perspective on how to love my stuff!
Newton wrote: "Why not buy interview colthes that do bring you joy? That bring you a sense of "I CAN GET THIS JOB"?"@Newton you don't understand because you don't know me.
I am a costumier and I had the same issue. Although I do agree with the notion of, sometimes if I need something I will just go buy it, instead of hording every little sewing related item that I may need one day. Same with fabric. I will go through and only keep the fabric I love, some of the practical stuff, and ditch everything in-between.
Also, I can relate with the nostalgia. I have so many items that I hold onto because of a memory, or things that I have bought just because they remind me of something else. I see sense in her idea of the memory keeping on once I discard them, and I do think that once I do I will feel freer.
I agree, sometimes I got rid of stuff I liked because I was so overwhelmed with my "stuff" Now I am trying to keep the things I like and discard all the other junk.
Yeah, I'm totally with you on this quote seeming weird:“My clients tell me that now life is more fun because when they run out of something they enjoy seeing how long they can last without it or trying to substitute other things.�
I mean - what things do people run out of that they really don't need or can get by with substituting other things? So far basically all I've thought of is running out of spice A and substituting spice B, or running out of brown rice but realizing you have white, stuff like that. But if I run out of contact lens solution or dental floss, nothing good is going to come of getting by without them, and there really is no substitute.
That said, I am generally in agreement with her about not stocking up on stuff, *but* there are various kinds of privilege/circumstance inherent in that - like, even if I generally buy some household staple at one store vs. another because it's a little cheaper, that isn't a financial necessity for me, and I live in a place with many stores in walking distance, many of which are open late/some of which are 24-hour, and I am able-bodied and can easily walk to any of these multiple stores when I need to, and not having kids means I don't have to deal with either taking kids to the store with me or finding childcare ... all those things combined mean it's not a big deal for me to run out and get more of something when I need to, but that isn't going to be true for everyone.
"she's not an artist. I can't really apply her theory to my art supplies. I mean, i can to a point, but hello...i have millions of pieces of metal type. The studio is off limits to her. sorry." Well duh, obviously you're not going to get rid of art supplies because they are supplies, not things you must get rid of. It would only apply if such supplies were no longer usable.
LOL, the archive is spot on. I need my archive for when the apocalypse comes and libraries and the internet are just amazing memories. Yes, it seems as if she has never dealt with anyone that has children and most of her anecdotes were of single women in their 30's who obviously have the money to pay someone to help them organize and tidy. The "class" thing jumped out at me pretty strongly also.
Excerpt From: Kondo, Marie. “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.� iBooks.
Um...this just isn't true.