#amreading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying: A Simple, Effective Way to Banish Clutter Forever

Author: Marie Kondo

Discovered: Mayther Bookshop, Marlow

Where read: (in part) The Harbour Cafe Bar Kitchen, Margate

What's the story?

Off the back of reading James Wallman’s brilliant Stuffocation I came across the work of Japanese ‘organising’ guru Marie Kondo whose tidying manifestos have sold in the millions across the globe. Time Magazine even went as far as hailing her one of the World’s 100 most influential people in 2014. But, having already accepted the challenge to sort out my clutter what more could I learn from Ms Kondo?

The Word's Shortlist view:

Have you ever marvelled at the simplicity and order of a Shinto shrine or admired the calmness of a Muji store? Then this book is for you. Marie Kondo has developed a system of tidying that she now promotes as the ‘KonMari’ method which, she claims, can have life enhancing implications when perfected.

In short, the KonMari method goes something like this. Gather together all of your possessions (yes even the stuff hidden under the bed) and sort into themes such as clothes, books, keepsakes etc. Now carefully sort these piles into categories e.g. jumpers and shirts, fiction and non-fiction, so that you can assess exactly what you have been storing/hoarding. Now for the fun part. Consciously sift through each category and keep ONLY the items that “spark joy”. Chuck everything else.

Without over simplifying, the truth in the KonMari method is two-fold. Firstly, you can only tidy and organise your life once you are surrounded exclusively by things you love and cherish. Secondly, with everything in its place tidying becomes a routine habit rather than a weekly chore. This blend of being in orderly control of the things you love is essentially where the KonMari method claims to enhance your life.

Who should read this book?

Clearly there is only one way to test Marie Kondo’s theory but in the meantime this is a great read and a way to immerse yourself in one of Japan’s great contemporary thought leaders. You might even end up with tidy shelves.      

What’s next on the bookshelf

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr