Are you an organizational connoisseur, enthusiast or at least a Wanna-be? Maybe your closet is colour-coordinated, your notebooks are penned with lists in tidy columns and your Pinterest is full of neatly arranged items.
Then The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese art of decluttering and organizing by Marie Kondo may be the perfect book to further your organizational studies!
This is a book of modest size but significant impact. It has sold over two million copies, has a sequel, has a manga based on it and has a just-released Netflix show.
Why did this book interest me?
I found this book around a period of change in my life. I realized I had so many physical items crowding my life. I went through the “Kon-Mari” method throughout one year.
Some unexpected benefits included becoming more organized in all aspects of my life, especially at work. But my favourite unexpected benefit? This book helped me clear up the clutter in my mind. Now I feel more focused on my goals and dreams.
But what is it about, you may ask?
Put simply, it’s about organizing the physical items in your life mindfully. Marie guides you through the almost-spiritual “Kon-Mari” method. She asks that you pick up each item and ask yourself does this “spark joy”?
What does it mean to “Spark Joy”?
What does that even mean and how do you know if you’re doing it right? Find an item that you love. When you hold it, how does it make you feel? For me, it makes me smile and I feel more alive.
Can this really work?
This may be little “woo-woo” for some, but I love it. There is something beautiful about holding your belongings and asking how you feel. Does that knick-knack make you annoyed whenever you see it? Do you love seeing that painting?
Are you ready to learn to let go?
This book gave me permission to let go of things that no longer serve me. You can release them back into the wild (aka donation or garbage) without guilt. Marie says when you donate something, it finds its way to someone who needs it. As for the garbage, recycle if you can, but some things just need to be deep-sixed.
How has Social Media influenced this book?
Social media has allowed this book to build an online community of like-minded people. On Instagram, Marie Kondo has one million followers. There is even a hashtag for #konmari that has been used over 160 000 times.
In addition, the YouTube community has been heavily involved. YouTubers created vlogs that showed their Kon-Mari method clean-out. I think social media allowed this book to gain the momentum needed to reach this level of popularity.
Thanks to this book I found that if you keep only the things that “spark joy” then you, in turn, become a happier person. Now, that’s the kind of change with a lasting impact.
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