As a Professional Organizer, I knew I had a responsibility to read and share my review of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up,  by Marie Kondo. I come across a lot of people (both online and in person) talking about this book, which has become an international best seller.  It is short (just over 200 pages) and a quick read.  It’s written by the 30-something “Tidying expert” Marie Kondo.  I also had to read it because I ‘m a little obsessed with all things Japanese:)

Let me start with THE GOOD. The book is infused with positivity throughout. She uses fun, catchy terms, titles and upbeat phrases such as: “the magic of tidying”, “Storing your things to make your life shine”, “Storage experts are hoarders”  and “Does this spark joy?”.  Her attitude becomes contagious and helps you to BELIEVE you can follow her simple steps and have a magically tidy life!   Her general philosophy is; “Tidying is just a tool, not the final destination.  Your true goal should be to establish the lifestyle you want…”  Marie uses categories to determine why we can’t tidy: Busy, Lazy or too particular.  She further categorizes everyone into “can’t-throw-it-away”, “can’t-put-it-back” and the combined type.

Many of the principals she shares are simple philosophies that have been employed by other organizers such as “Purge first” and “Tidy by Category” which are both solid (but rather common and not magical).  I was inspired to test out her purging method of gathering EVERYTHING from one category and put them all together on the floor with my clothing and books.  I can’t say if I got rid of more that I would have otherwise but there is something interesting she says is a “requirement” for this method; which is that each item MUST BE TOUCHED-to determine if it Sparks Joy.  Some people might find this woo-woo but I personally love it.  She goes into great depth about the energy of things and having gratitude for the role each of our things serve in our lives and how to determine when items have served their purpose so you can let them go.

I totally agree that there are MANY ERRONEOUS APPROACHES TO ORGANIZING THAT DON’T WORK FOR MOST PEOPLE (some of which might be in this book:)!  I also agree with her that “rebound occurs when people don’t see results that empower them”.  They give up too soon, they revert or more likely they never completely finished organizing, to begin with.  She wisely says “You will never get your house in order if you only clean up half-heartedly”.

Here’s my opinion of the NOT SO GOOD.  I think a couple statements and techniques she employs would be very difficult or impossible for some, perhaps due to cultural differences or perhaps because of her “all or nothing” approach.

• I don’t think that “Tidying by location is a fatal mistake”.
• If someone is hoarding they probably will not get rid of anything if they touch every single item.
• It’s dangerous to tell people that their paper sorting rule of thumb should be to “Discard everything” (oh that we may want to though!).
• It’s probably naive to believe that she has never had a rebound client (that she knows of).
• I disagree that if you continue to attempt to tidy on a regular basis you will be doomed to failure.
• I tried her method of fold-rolling clothes in drawers and it’s quite annoying to maintain. You have to have just the right amount or stuff flops over.
• I refuse to unpack and put everything in my purse away every time I come home.
• She claims to only tidy once or twice a year for about an hour…humm, this sounds a bit erroneous to me (either by definition or exaggeration?).

The main issue I take is her belief that her “Kon-Marie” method will work for everyone. Perhaps it’s because she has reached a semi celebrity state (in the Japanese world of Organizing and Tidying) that people are willing to employ her method wholeheartedly and singularly.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I love that she is digging deeply into the both systems and the psychology (the “soul” of us and our stuff) of why we behave the way we do.  I love some of the cultural quirks and approaches she takes to relating to her clients and stuff.  As with ANY organizing book though I think you would be wise to try the techniques and be open to modifying what doesn’t work for you.  This book inspired me to try some different techniques but if you have read this and don’t feel you can follow along with her method, don’t worry, there is still hope for you to establish the lifestyle you want.  Some people who try to organize their own lives take the wrong approach (at first or repeatedly) and most Professional Organizers have studied many different methods and techniques to help you reach your end goal.  It’s a matter of customizing and finding a system that works for YOU!  If you think you need a little more guidance than this book has to offer, I’d love to

If you think you need a little more guidance than this book has to offer, I’d love to hear from you and help you!

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