The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

Unabridged Audio Version from Audible

I've known about the wildly popular, best-selling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, for quite some time now and have toyed with the idea of actually reading it for myself. I have clutter issues, but where to even begin decluttering seems so daunting that I've been putting off the idea for one reason or another. Long story short, I finally bit the bullet and listened to the unabridged audio version of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo and I am glad that I did!

Listening time for The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo is 4 hours, 50 minutes and is narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. Emily Woo Zeller does a phenomenal job of narrating The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, which made my listening experience all that much more enriching.

As far as The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo goes, I really liked it and found some great information on how to declutter and reorganize my own home. I really look forward to trying out the advice that Marie Kondo shares with her readers to see if it can help me transform my home into a sea of tranquility and tidiness.

Here are some of the things I learned while reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo:

* Discard/organize items/things by category, not by room.
* Best time to start discarding is in the morning.
* One must tidy in the right order: Discard items first, then tidy/reorganize after you've discarded the things you no longer want.
* Before you begin tidying, start by visualizing why you want to tidy. What is your end goal? Really drill down and visualize how tidying up will transform your life.
* Exam what you own and ask yourself if each object sparks joy. If It doesn't spark joy get rid of it. Also, discard items that no longer serve a purpose.
* Focus on what to keep, not what to get rid of.
* Don't discard momentos first... Start with clothing, then books as they are easier to discard than mementos.... Momentos should be the last category one goes through.
* Discard and organize in one big marathon event. Not in small spurts.

What I didn't like was some of the woo woo aspects that the author discusses/mentions in her book. I felt like some of the information was repeated several times throughout the book, which was a bit frustrating. Also, the idea of doing a marathon discarding and reorganizing event sounds like way too much to do... For me doing stuff in smaller spurts seems much more manageable/doable.

The following is a publisher's summary for The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo from Audible:

Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles? Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo's clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house "spark joy" (and which don't), this international bestseller featuring Tokyo's newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home-and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

I am giving The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!