Book Review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Confession number 1: I had bought this as a Christmas present, but ultimately decided it's a terrible Christmas present. It's really the kind of book you need to seek out, not be handed randomly and without warning.

Confession number 2: I cannot for the life of me remember the title of this book. "The magic of tidying?" "Magical tidying that will change your life?" Whatever.


I picked up this book based on the recommendation of Tammy from Rowdy Kittens.

I've been paring down my possessions over the past year. The turning point was when Jesse and I first moved in together in 2013. When it was all said and done we looked at each other and said "Never again."

Since then we've taken a critical look at our possessions and have gotten rid of a lot. With this trend over the last year, it is not surprising that I was drawn to this book.


Marie Kondo is a professional organizer in Japan. Her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, outlines the purportedly "relapse-proof" system she uses to help her clients keep their homes neat and tidy.

Her system consists of very few steps. At the heart of it, they are:
1. Discard everything that does not "spark joy."
2. Store like with like.
3. Store things efficiently and, preferably, out of sight.

For the most part, I'm on board with her system. I see how it would work. Clutter can accumulate quickly and most of it is truly unnecessary. Kondo points out that much of what we hold on to is either because we cannot let go of the past or we are concerned about the future. We should only keep what sparks joy.

My primary complaint with this book was her constant anthropomorphizing of objects and structures. I understood her purpose and perspective on this - it speaks to the emotional connection with these things - but it was a little much for me at times.

Despite this quirk, this book is INSPIRING. I was constantly struck by the urge to discard and organize. Over the course of reading this book I moved over ten books from home to work (where I am more likely to use them), changed the way I store my shirts and pants in my drawers, and transformed my the top of my dresser into a little shrine of joyful things. Reading this book made it much easier to decide which items to keep. It also prompted me to put my keepsakes and happy things in a more visible place so that I can appreciate them every day.

I'm very glad I read this book, even if it came across as a little absurd at times.

If you are looking to simplify your life and your home, or just to crawl out from under your clutter, I highly recommend it.

You can read more about Marie Kondo's system here.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing