The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - by Marie Kondo

My Notes

Imagine a clean, spacious home. Imagine being surrounded by only objects that you love. Everything has its place and it stays tidy. This is possible.

Putting your space in order is a beautiful, self-loving act like meditation or prayer. Done right, it’s addictive.

Don’t tidy a little at a time. You’ll be doing this forever. Tidy one time the right way and you won’t slide back into clutter. You can change your life through tidying.

Don’t tidy by location. Tidy by category. For example, go through all your clothes first and throw out everything you don’t love. Then, repeat with books. Keep going and Save sentimental items for last (as they are the most difficult).

Tidying is not a regular chore, it’s a life-changing event. Do it once. Do it right.

Discard before you tidy. Getting rid of things is the first mission!

Visualize your destination. See the environment you want to live in. Be detailed. Ask yourself “Why?” For example, I want my room to be a simple, clean space with no clothes strewn about. Why? So I can feel clear and clean in my mind? Why? So I can appreciate my time here. Why? Because life is short and precious. Why does that matter? I want to spend my time doing things that give me joy and meaning.

Try to ask why 4-5 times for each detail you visualize.

Start with your clothes category. Put them all in a pile. You will be surprised how much there is. Go through each article, one at a time and physically hold each one. Ask yourself if it brings you a spark of joy. If the answer is no, discard it. You should have many trash bags full of clothes to discard. Repeat with the next category.

Don’t let family members see your discard pile. They may be tempted to take things out of the stack and keep them. They may be offended you’re giving away gifts. It’s ok to ask them in advance if they need anything and set it aside if useful. But don’t burden others with unnecessary objects.

When you hesitate over whether to discard an object, question your feelings deeply. Why did you buy it? What purpose does it serve in your daily life? Is it still something that brings you joy?

Surround yourself with the precious few things you treasure and no more.

Store in drawers as much as possible. It takes up far less space. The trick is to fold each article of clothing to it’s “sweet spot,” in a rectangle, so the fabric can rest. Don’t store in piles. Store each article on its edge. Don’t ball up socks. Fold them.