Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up!

Tidying Up—KonMarie style'

So I just finished reading Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. My sis-in-law, Christina, was the one to introduce me to it. She loaned it from the library and seemed quite excited. I immediately read all the reviews on Amazon to see if it was something I wanted to read. The reviews were definitely intriguing. While there were a lot of amazing reviews by ecstatic people who seemed to have really changed their lives, it also got a lot of “Throw out what you don’t love--sums it up. Don’t bother waste your money”, kind of reviews. One reviewer suggested that Marie get some counseling as obviously she must have issues since her fascination with tidying/organizing and dealing with things began was she was barely five. 

I wondered if I could learn anything from this book. I like to have a clean and tidy house and generally succeed at it (a difficult quest for a homeschooling, overcommitted, church invested, Mom of 4.) It has gotten more difficult with each additional child. I’ve had to relax as baby number 4 runs around getting into mischief while I try to keep up on the other three, and everything else there is to do in running a smooth and healthy household.

I had heard things from various friends about other tidying/cleaning/organizing methods—but none of them sounded interesting to me at all—usually because they stated the obvious, and I was already doing them.

Anyways, after reading the reviews, I thought it couldn’t hurt to read Marie Kondo’s book. I was definitely curious now. It was then that Christina stuck it in my hand to borrow when I was watching the kids on the lawn one afternoon. I’d better read it quick!

Most nights for the last few weeks, after the internet has shut down, forcing me to head to bed, I’d pick up the little book, and read a chapter or two, or just a page, before falling into bed.

I enjoyed Marie’s stories. I think this is the book I’ve been needing, to help me manage my stuff better, and get back on top of my home, and life. While you probably could sum up the book in one sentence as “Keep what sparks joy and toss the rest.” There is actually quite a bit more to it than that. There is a proper order of sorting and tossing/keeping. And there is a proper way of keeping. When the order is followed, you start with the easy things and by the time you get to the more difficult things to tidy—you have become an expert tidying decision maker.

I must admit there are some things that I was a little skeptical about. And some of the suggestions simply don’t work for my American household. She thought it was ridiculous that someone would have 80n rolls of toilet paper in their house. But when you live two hours from town, and get to Costco about once a month—with a household of 6…. Yeah. We probably have about that much.

At first I thought that putting all your clothes upright in the draw, and folded, (no socks tucked in each other.) I just couldn’t imagine how this could be the best way to go. Wouldn’t things fall over? 

Well I thought I’d go ahead and give it a try with my socks for starts:

 

Then I moved on to my swim drawer:

And my PJ Draw

This drawer is kind of empty. After throwing out all the PJ’s that were loved-out, there wasn’t much left. There was also a pair in the laundry when I took this photo.

But it really is nice to be able to see all the socks I have, and select which ones I really want to wear, instead of just grabbing what’s on top and neglecting what’s on the bottom. I love that I can see exactly what swim stuff I have. I love that I can see all my PJs. I’m really quite surprised at how much I am loving this!

Marie talks to her house, and her things, and she recommends that we do that to. This is not something that I tried or ever will try. But I do see the benefit of showing gratitude and appreciation for the things in her life—whether it is something that she is tossing—thank you for the service you have given me, or whether it is something she is keeping—thank you for being there for me, and serving me today. I’ve changed this around a little bit for myself. Being grateful is a wonderful thing, and expressing these thoughts has positive effects upon our minds. So instead of thanking the item—I thank God. After all, He is the giver of all good things.

I have gotten rid of quite a few bags and trash, bags to donate, items to pass on to friends etc. I see how this method could entirely change a person’s life. When the place is totally tidy—it’s much easier to clean. When the place is clean and tidy, the air is fresher. When the place is clean and tidy, and the air is fresh, your thoughts are more positive. Live is just better.

I think I emptied the vacuum cleaner 4 times today! I was able to get in a lot of nooks and crannies that I wouldn’t normally get to.

If you get a chance to read this book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I recommend it. When you have kids around there will always be tidying to do, but if you follow her advice, it will be minimal and manageable.