Artist Beverly Brown reviews the new book on organizing & tidying up by Marie Kondo and writes about how this book inspired her.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing Does that spark joy? Have you been sucked into the Netflix series that everyone is watching? Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. My friend was inspired and purged their house of clothes, toys, and random things, filled up her husband’s truck and brought it all to Goodwill. But then Goodwill turned them away! Can you believe that? They were so full of donated items that they could not possible hold any more. Apparently, at least where I live, everyone is watching this show! The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – the book Get it from Amazon: here I read the book a few years ago, and I can see how it might really be life-changing. That is, if I had followed all the steps in their totality. I mostly devoured the book sitting on the couch thinking: yes, that is such a good idea! Marie Kondo Is a Japanese woman with a love of tiding and a plan that can make it work for your home. The idea is if you tidy in a certain order of broad categories (first clothing, then books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items), and then sentimental items) you will be able to tackle your belongings and bring order to your home. Her method includes taking inventory of every item in your home. You hold each item, one at a time, and ask yourself, does this spark joy? If it does, keep it, if it doesn’t ditch it. She has people say thank you to each object before they discard them. Seems a little hokey to me, but the sentiment is right. I agree that you should be thankful for what you have. Thank God for the money to buy those pair of shoes, be thankful that your friend gave you that shirt for Christmas, be thankful that you do have enough clothing to protect your body from the elements. I bet it is easier to get rid of something if you appreciate it’s value. Can “tidying up” really change your life? In the introduction Mari Kondo says, yes! IF you “Start by discarding. Then organize your space, thoroughly, completely, in one go.” (pg 1) She has many testimonials of people who get their space in order and it affects them drastically in other areas – starting their own business, getting a divorce, increase sales, get along better with their husband, loose ten pounds, etc. She says, “…when you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order, too.” Mari Kondo points out that her personal coaching on tidying is so successful because no one really teaches us how to tidy. We are expected to pick it up along the way, but you can’t take a high school home ec class on tidying. Although, I’d argue, you can find all kinds of ideas on Pinterest! And I know of so many blogs that talk about organization and purging. Also, there’s the whole minimalist movement… But, anyway, her point is she has developed a method to teach you – and you need to learn! Once we’ve learned, and followed through, she is promising huge life results. We have too much stuff! Just an hour ago I rallied my family together to pick up all the toys. We had a friend over to play yesterday, and between two toddler boys the toys were EVERYWHERE. Obviously, rambunctious boys who are excited to play together will naturally create a mess, but if we didn’t have so many toys cleaning up would be an entirely different matter. Now, I’m not sure my family is ready to radically embrace Minimalism. However, having toys (and clothes, and kitchen appliances, and – yes even books) everywhere doesn’t mean they are actually getting used. In fact, I’ve noticed that my kids play with toys more when there are less toys available. I think it’s time to take some drastic action and cut back. Considering our Goodwill is apparently full to the brim. however, I’m going to have to get more creative. How should I give away our unused toys? Watch the Netflix show or read the book? Watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo was a great visual to have of the process. And you can see the actual people whose lives are changing! My favorite thing is to see Marie showing her method of folding clothes- so helpful. But, as they say, the book is always better! I think the book will give you more information. You will be able to see why her method is this way, her childhood influence, and her steps for tidying. Her writing style (along with the translation) is easily readable, and relatable. Ok, you might not relate to her urgent need to organize everyone else’s things in her house and classroom, but you will likely relate to her personal stories. She shares examples from her life as well as from her clients. And sprinkled throughout her personal stories and detailed, practical advice, are other nuggets of wisdom. Many of them are bolded on the page so your eye immediately notices them. For example, when she is discussing why it is hard to get rid of an item, even if we know it doesn’t spark joy, she explains our attachment like this: “But when we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future” (181). Ultimately, I feel like the Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is satisfying to watch, and it is motivating me to actually start this process. But I think the book will come in more useful. Holding the book in my hands is like holding all the magic knowledge of Marie Kondo. The steps, the process, the why, even the encouragement. Instead of a Reading Challenge, a Challenge to DO what you’ve READ Now, I know I said I read this book a few years ago, and I also started folding my clothes differently, but have I actually followed her program? No. eek! Why not? If all those people profess that it is life-changing for them, why have I not tried? How about you? Have you tried the KonMari Method? Have you been transformed by The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up your own home? If so, let me know in the comments! I want to know how this is going for other people! Want to try? Get The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Read if… You’ve been watching the Netflix series Tidying Up with Marie Kondo You are inspired to clean up your space and you want to know where to start! Happy Reading (and tidying!) Hannah You might also be interested in: How to Reduce Stress in Your Life Slowness, Stillness, Simplicity Why You Should Stop Reading That Book Further Reading… The Complete Bookof Home Organization by Toni Hammersley – I’ve followed A Bowl full of Lemons blog off and on for years. It’s my go-to when I need and idea to organize something. The Gentle Art ofSwedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson Disclosure: Some of the links above may be affiliate links. This means if you purchase something I may get a small percentage at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting The Cozy Reading Nook!
Ready to spark joy and change your lifestyle? Here are the best Marie Kondo quotes from her books, including tips for tidying up your life.
Funny Marie Kondo memes to make you laugh and Marie Kondo quotes to inspire you to tidy up. Hoping to spark joy and help get you in gear to declutter your home.
Here are 25 Marie Kondo quotes to inspire you to declutter your home and embrace the idea of sparking joy in your life.
Ready to spark joy and change your lifestyle? Here are the best Marie Kondo quotes from her books, including tips for tidying up your life.
It's easy to think that you can just declutter your home and be done with it. But, if you want your decluttering efforts to stick, you have to figure out why you have the clutter in the first place.
When I first started on my clutter-free journey, I ate up minimalism and decluttering quotes for breakfast. I don’t know why, but hearing the benefits and hard truths in nice succinct quotes resonated with me more than a long explanation of why I should become a minimalist. Maybe you’re the same way. You don’t need […]
It is hard to get rid of sentimental clutter, which is why so many people spend time tidying instead of actually cleaning but it is not until you let go of the clutter that you can truly cherish the things you need, allowing for a happier life. Here are the 50 best Marie Kondo quotes to make you realize that you need to get your life in order.
Ready to spark joy and change your lifestyle? Here are the best Marie Kondo quotes from her books, including tips for tidying up your life.
Hi there! I’m Brennan, the super-type-A, gotta-have-a-plan blogger that runs this little corner of the web. It means so much to have you here! I’m a 20-something wife, introvert, Hufflepuff 🤓 and lover of all things organized. My favorite place in the world to be is at home with my husband/bearded best friend, Evan. And while our home … New Here? Read More »
Book summary, infographic, and quotes from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Spark joy and declutter today with the KonMari Method!
Te cuento mi experiencia con el método KonMari y te doy los puntos clave que Marie Kondo enseña en su libro 'La magia del orden' para ordenar y reorganizar una casa. El método KonMari (o KonMari method) es un método muy eficaz para deshacerte de cosas innecesarias en tu hogar y perfecto si estás en busca de una vida más minimalista.
It is hard to get rid of sentimental clutter, which is why so many people spend time tidying instead of actually cleaning but it is not until you let go of the clutter that you can truly cherish the things you need, allowing for a happier life. Here are the 50 best Marie Kondo quotes to make you realize that you need to get your life in order.
Ready to spark joy and change your lifestyle? Here are the best Marie Kondo quotes from her books, including tips for tidying up your life.
Ready to spark joy and change your lifestyle? Here are the best Marie Kondo quotes from her books, including tips for tidying up your life.
25 of my favourite simple living quotes & minimalist quotes to inspire and encourage you to declutter your home and simplify your life!
Funny Marie Kondo memes to make you laugh and Marie Kondo quotes to inspire you to tidy up. Hoping to spark joy and help get you in gear to declutter your home.
Te cuento mi experiencia con el método KonMari y te doy los puntos clave que Marie Kondo enseña en su libro 'La magia del orden' para ordenar y reorganizar una casa. El método KonMari (o KonMari method) es un método muy eficaz para deshacerte de cosas innecesarias en tu hogar y perfecto si estás en busca de una vida más minimalista.
Here are 25 Marie Kondo quotes to inspire you to declutter your home and embrace the idea of sparking joy in your life.
Ready to spark joy and change your lifestyle? Here are the best Marie Kondo quotes from her books, including tips for tidying up your life.
Ready to spark joy and change your lifestyle? Here are the best Marie Kondo quotes from her books, including tips for tidying up your life.
Happy Friday, Readers! Eloise and Hubby are celebrating 21 years together! We were married in 1994, and the Lamp Post was established in 1998. To recognize our anniversary we tested some home brews from Arundale farms in North East. Beer and keys? No better way to celebrate if you ask Eloise. Does this spark joy? Yes, Yes, Yes, and YES! We tested all four and they were great! Even the dark chocolate stout, which I typically don't like. Train Wreck was my favorite, Rebel Blond was hubby's. Fitting, I suppose. Hubby even picked me some flowers. He brings some in nearly every week for me. Even in the depths of the winter he'll bring in some sticks. Once, I spray painted them with glitter in an attempt to bring some life to a dreary, Erie winter. For you singles afraid to take the plunge, Eloise says, GO FOR IT. There is no perfect person, no perfect scenario. Marriage is about give and take. Often, it can be a tug of war, but the joys always outweigh the frustrations. Life is much better lived in a pair. Eloise was flying high in the middle of the big woods again. Time spent in nature always sparks joy (and sometimes makes a splash). This trip was picturesque. We found this spot in the middle of the state game lands. We went back later that night looking for Sasquatch. No luck. The brave of heart were all talk of what they'd do if they found one. Bound and determined to find a big foot, we headed out again. Their resolve weakened as we drove away and left them 3 miles deep in the woods, however. They all made it to the van in time to hitch a ride out, but they all got a tongue lashing for leaving poor Natalie behind, sunhat and all. Sam had a ball with his pack of temporary tattoos. Note to parents: Not quite the "easy clean up" the package claims. Mother Eloise ran out of steam trying to feed them all. Noah built the ark. Eloise made a trough. I'm perfecting my design for next summer. Something long and narrow, with seats on both sides, that could feed up to 8 children, with or without utensils. Just dump the cereal in, pour the milk, eat with disposable spoons, and hose it out when done. Does this spark joy? Oh, yes! The Blue Moon appeared last Friday, and I caught it as it was peeking over the mountain. I voted for my favorite 20th anniversary label for Blue Moon beer. I'm partial to lamp posts, out of the 20 choices, this design is way behind the others. This label was designed by a Pennsylvanian, and I couldn't help but wonder if she spent time in the very same place I did. This is the label design that is leading as of tonight. I really do like this one. Check them all out for yourself here: Blue Moon voting CLICK HERE The couple of weeks of company that I had, along with some across the state jaunts, left Old Eloise mentally drained. I needed a day to recollect, so I declared Monday, August 3rd, Don't Bother Me Day. Hubby and the kids really did leave me alone. I quietly began my big project of the week, the Annual Lamp Post Purge. I've called the hoeing-out process many a thing over the last decade: Power Scour Operation Clean Sweep Hurricane Elaine Every year I convince my family to help me weed things out. I create games and incentives and try very hard to make a tough job fun. This year I tried a very different approach, one I gained from reading this book, recommended by Cousin Bonnie. Japanese writer Marie Kondo does suggest purging your home, but it is the rebuilding process after the purge that is so different from what I am used to. I HIGHLY recommend this book. It's a quick, easy read, and inexpensive: $10 hard cover and $7 kindle version. I loved it so much that my copy is already out into circulation. It's my bitched up copy with my personal notes, so you will know if it is my book that falls into your hands. After you read her work, you will continually ask yourself this question: Does this spark joy? If your answer is no, her answer is simple: She has very good advice, and some of it goes deep, and even deeper. As a Japanese writer, Kondo comments on the differences in American culture. She says we are obsessed with creative storage solutions. Marie Kondo says the simplest and best storage aid is a standard shoe box. After weeding out, and operating on the "less is more" philosophy, you attack HOW and WHERE you put away your things in the storage already available to you. This is an example of how the Japanese fold and store their clothes-- on their sides-- not in big, flat, stacked squares like Americans typically use. Here are a couple of examples of how Marie Kondo recommends to fold your clothes: How to fold your pants video, CLICK HERE How to fold your socks video CLICK HERE Grass doesn't grown on this a$$-- I did it to my underwear drawer! Hubby to his closet, and we did every clothing drawer in the entire house. It was simply unbelievable how much space we saved. In the weeding out process, I found this little number that I didn't recognize as my own. This was the source of a little firestorm at the Lamp Post. When was I ever a size medium? No, this didn't make it into the bin for the first ever, one-and-only, never to be held again, Lamp Post yard sale. Sam begged. I caved. Stop by on Saturday, August 8th from 9-noon for a peek at the quirky Lamp Post cast-offs. The surf was up on the lake this week. No fish tales to tell. The poor boating weather got my Dear Old Dad thinking about music. I got him an iPod for Christmas, and he's just getting around now to see how it is used. Dad asked me to purchase some songs by the following artists for him: (Rod Stewart????) I would have loved to set my camp photos to Merle Haggard for you, but Merle leaves me feeling haggard and does not spark joy. Instead, the photo video is meshed with a little Jake Owen instead. Enjoy your week. Homework: Check out Marie Kondo's book or videos on-line. Prizes to those who send me photos of their drawers, Japanese style. Does this blog spark joy? If not, hit delete and spend your time on something you love. If the answer is yes, see you next week. ELOISE
Ready to spark joy and change your lifestyle? Here are the best Marie Kondo quotes from her books, including tips for tidying up your life.
Ready to spark joy and change your lifestyle? Here are the best Marie Kondo quotes from her books, including tips for tidying up your life.
Hi there! I’m Brennan, the super-type-A, gotta-have-a-plan blogger that runs this little corner of the web. It means so much to have you here! I’m a 20-something wife, introvert, Hufflepuff 🤓 and lover of all things organized. My favorite place in the world to be is at home with my husband/bearded best friend, Evan. And while our home … New Here? Read More »
The TV show is just the beginning. Here’s what you need to know if you want to spark some joy in your own home with Marie Kondo’s life-changing KonMari magic of tidying up.
Book summary, infographic, and quotes from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Spark joy and declutter today with the KonMari Method!
I previously read a good chunk of Marie Kondo’s famous The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing and TBH I was NOT feeling it. I could easily sum …
Hi there! I’m Brennan, the super-type-A, gotta-have-a-plan blogger that runs this little corner of the web. It means so much to have you here! I’m a 20-something wife, introvert, Hufflepuff 🤓 and lover of all things organized. My favorite place in the world to be is at home with my husband/bearded best friend, Evan. And while our home … New Here? Read More »
A list of inspirational quotes about decluttering and home organization to help you get motivated to begin tidying up!
Funny Marie Kondo memes to make you laugh and Marie Kondo quotes to inspire you to tidy up. Hoping to spark joy and help get you in gear to declutter your home.
