The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

[SinnahSaint]

 

 

I've read a lot about this book and it's teachings lately, but only from news type places.  

 

I was wondering if any rebels have used this method successfully? I'm thinking of buying it but I don't want to spend the $$ if it's garbage.

[Raincloak]

Read a sample or go visit the bookstore and have a peek.

It will work for some people but not others, like any self help book. I think it is popular because decluttering, minimalism and "have less but better quality stuff" is in the national zeitgeist right now. Besides, Japanese culture is cool

I didn't buy the book but did make use of a few tips from it, like thanking your stuff when you say goodbye to it. Sounds silly (okay, it is) but it did help with letting go.

I would say it contains less fluff than the average self help book. If you have twelve bucks laying around it's not a bad way to spend it, but the real thing you must spend to make it work is a few weekend afternoons doing what it says!

[Leego]

Lord knows I could use this book.

[BiancaBlack]

I quite enjoyed reading the book, although all the thanking inanimate objects was a bit grating after a while. 

 

I do think she is very right about decluttering by category and not by location, and I think it's a good idea to start with less sentimental objects and leave the harder decisions for later, but I'm not sure her suggested order of categories will be the best for everyone. I also think the Komono category is so wide as to be useless, so I broke that down into about 20 sub-categories.

 

I'd say see if you can borrow it from someone or get it from the library, or if not, read the kindle sample and decide from there. I've been toying with the idea of doing a decluttering challenge (employing some of the principles from this book) for November, so it'd be fun to have someone to do that with if you read it and are up for it!

[Leego]

Honestly, there's just something about your avatar that makes me want to read a book. Where is it from?

[fitnessgurl]

I checked it out from the library. I'm using it to declutter my clothing. So far I've eliminated 1/4 of my clothing. My goal is to get down to 1/2 a closet of clothing.

[thatBrownCat]

Can I share my experience? I discovered this book mid 2014. I applied the results starting December 25, 2015. 

 

Renegade is correct. It's a hit & miss book. Either you'll love it, or you'll hate it. I'm willing to try anything new, as long as I can benefit from it. Here are the things which i applied and the results. 

 

#1 Decluttered My Closet

 

I didn't exactly follow what was written in her book. I gathered all my work clothes, house clothes, and undies. I put it on a pile. Asked "joy" for every item. It took me 3 hours.  I ended up giving 2 large bags of clothes. one bag weighed 5-8 kgs.

 

I have yet to declutter my bags and shoes and other things I wear. Clothes are easy to retrieve now. I don't have to worry a lot. They don't eat up closet space, because of number 4. 

 

Marie Kondo, IMO, is correct. Discard before you organize.

 

#2 Donated my collection of Books, Children's Books & (gasp!) manga collections, anime & gaming magazines 

 

I loved them dearly. But some of my books have been sitting inside the bookshelves, unread and dusty. Plus, my books were accumulating. I didn't like it. I didn't like to maintain a lot of stuff. Adulthood changes you. You go from less to more, then more to less. 

 

"The purpose of a book is to be read"

"A half-read book means it was probably meant to be half-read"

 

Those phrases were my battle cry as I decided to take my books from the shelves and decide. You see, I went to a coffeeshop here in my place. They had mangas, and I planned to donate my collection. Then the cashier told me "we have a book drive for children in boulevard area". Bingo. 

 

I still have a lot of books to give away. Reading this book made me realized I just want to be surrounded by books that I love and would like to reread. No wonder I am attracted to ebooks--- they offer me the luxury to read without taking up space.

 

However, I still have physical books. My favorites though.

 

#3 Emptied my Bag & Put the contents in a box

Before this book came into my life, I always had a problem with my bag and its contents. Once I arrived home, I left my bag on the couch. Its contents intact. Sometimes, I actually forgot what I put inside the bag. I've misplaced my keys,wallet and ID inside my house many times. It can be frustrating. It doesn't help that I used to share a bedroom with my mom. our bedroom was messy. my mess seemed to blend with the background. She was ok with it. I became ok with it. I was surprised that I had a bag which I last used in 2010. The items inside were still intact!

 

So I just did what was written. It was tedious. but I never regret it. 

 

I'm surprised how easy it is after a couple of days.  I don't lose my important items anymore. I'm actually happy because of it.

 

And my bag? It's resting after a long day of carrying my stuff!

 

#4 Fold the Clothes Konmari style

 

 This one changed my life. No, really! this is even more important than number 3! I didn't know how to fold. I piled my clothes horizontally, "on top of each other". It was such a hassle.But ever since this book came.... it has been such a lifechanger! 

 

I might publish photos of my drawers, but I'm amazed how I was able to maintain my drawers with neatly folded clothes! 

 

It has become a source of pride and joy for me. It's been 2 months since I've applied this. I feel so different now!

 

#5 I hate my mom's clutter because I also have clutter I don't want to deal with

 

There's a chapter that mentions "If you're mad at your family, your room may be the cause". Hm. good point. I don't have a room of my own. well, I do have one, but it was converted into a storage room for my mom's clutter. 

 

For years, I've lived in clutter. I still do. I share a bedroom with my mom. To her, the clutter seems to have blended into the background. It doesn't bother her as it bothers me. I disposed some of her items, and she got mad (well, who wouldn't?). She told me to tell her everything I dispose, because there might be some items she will use. 

 

Yeah,right. 

 

This was the reason why I couldn't dispose some items in our room. Because it's hers.

 

So this book came along. this chapter came along. After months of thinking, I decided to transfer to my room. I reclaimed it. 

I removed traces of my mom's stuff (though she tried to give me stuff... because I might need them. I just kept them in a corner.... never used them)

 

I intentionally surrounded myself with stuff I only need...and you know what? Something strange happened.

 

when I enter our her bedroom, I'm no longer mad. I just look around and hope she'll find it in her heart to clean. I just focused on my cleaning & discarding my items.

 

And another strange thing happened as well. 

 

My mom has started to pare down as well. How? Well, she gave dozens of her chickens for free!

I liked the eggs those chickens produced, but I never liked their manure. Our backyard stank chicken coop.

 

so there!

 

those were my experiences.

 

The Folding is a success with me, as well as "Emptying the Bag" thing too.