Confession: I'm happier and more productive when my house is neat. I've been known to completely organize closets in between major creative projects. I love to read books and magazine articles about organization, even if I already know many of the techniques.
Because of this, I was excited to find a new book which offers a somewhat different approach to organization: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo.
Because of this, I was excited to find a new book which offers a somewhat different approach to organization: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo.
Kondo says, "Sort by category, in the correct order, and keep only those things that inspire joy. Do this thoroughly and quickly, all in one go." (Caveat: "one go" can last several months if tackling a whole house. ) This is very different from techniques that suggest getting rid of one item (or one garbage bag) a day, or the fifteen-minutes-at-a-time strategy.
I also like her criterion of keeping what inspires joy. It seems like an interesting way to decide about saving things, instead of "have I worn it in the last two years?" I'm not sure about folding socks instead of rolling them, or emptying my purse completely each night as she suggests, and I definitely need my uninspiring tax-related documents. But organizing by category makes sense to me. For example, she recommends organizing all the books in the house at one time, instead of by room, because otherwise you don't have a complete sense of what you own. She also suggests touching each book, instead of letting your eyes skim the shelves. I haven't tried this yet but can see how it would lead to getting rid of more because you have to carefully consider each one.
Having less clutter can make it easier to find items, but it can also be transforming because Kondo believes "being surrounded by things that spark joy makes you happy."
I also like her criterion of keeping what inspires joy. It seems like an interesting way to decide about saving things, instead of "have I worn it in the last two years?" I'm not sure about folding socks instead of rolling them, or emptying my purse completely each night as she suggests, and I definitely need my uninspiring tax-related documents. But organizing by category makes sense to me. For example, she recommends organizing all the books in the house at one time, instead of by room, because otherwise you don't have a complete sense of what you own. She also suggests touching each book, instead of letting your eyes skim the shelves. I haven't tried this yet but can see how it would lead to getting rid of more because you have to carefully consider each one.
Having less clutter can make it easier to find items, but it can also be transforming because Kondo believes "being surrounded by things that spark joy makes you happy."
Have you ever done a purge by category or do prefer to do it by room? What items inspire joy for you?
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