The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Blogger Book Club)

This month, we did Blogger Book Club a little differently. Instead of reading the SAME book, we all read a different self-help book. Because of my transition back to a full-time job, I chose The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo (aka #konmari) with hopes that it would help me get organized before my new job began. And I’m happy to say that it worked.

I began reading the book a few weeks ago, and as soon as I read the chapter on clothing, I started in. At first, I counted the items I discarded, but after getting rid of more than 200 articles of clothing (all mine! And not including socks or accessories) I lost count. But it doesn’t matter, because my bedroom and closet are the visual proof of my “tidying-up” and they bring me more joy than ever before.

After tidying up my clothes and the boys’ clothes (3 garbage bags of hand-me-downs to Bart’s cousin!) I moved on to the books. Again, I was able to discard hundreds of items, and the boys helped me with the children’s books. Many of the kids’ books I owned were from my classroom and meant for kids much older than my own. I always thought it was good idea to save them in case the boys liked them when they were older. But now I realize that being able to easily locate favorite books brings the boys and I much more joy. (We donated the books we discarded to some of my teacher friends.)

Next comes “papers” – I’m still working on that. #konmari is a process, one that may take months. But as the momentum builds, so does the joy.

Marie Kondo’s positive attitude towards “tidying up” makes a huge difference in the process. By focusing on joy and thanksgiving, “tidying up” becomes something to look forward to. That’s important if you’re starting with a house as full of clutter as mine is. Kondo says, “I believe that tidying is a celebration.” I’m definitely celebrating the success I’ve had so far!

I will admit, however, that some of Kondo’s suggestions seem a little wacky.  For example, I don’t believe that my belongings or house will actually respond to my declarations of gratitude, but I do believe that my attitude may change because of them. I feel less guilt when I acknowledge an item’s purpose before discarding it, and thanking my house for providing me with shelter helps me keep things in perspective.

Kondo suggests “tidying-up” by category, starting with clothing because it’s the easiest and leaving mementos for last, until you’ve really honed your “tidying-up” skills.  One part of my clutter issue is toys, and the #konmari method doesn’t really address the issue. So I am waiting to tackle them. I want to work on my own clutter first, and model tidying-up for my boys before I ask them to help me tidy-up their toys.

If you are a messy mom like me, struggle to keep the house clean or keep up on basic chores, or just feel overwhelmed by stuff, this book may be just what you need. I’ve read other books about getting rid of excess, and this is the first that has really made a difference in my life. It has changed my house and changed my attitude – truly life-changing magic! (I do suggest you actually read the book, though. There are some great videos and explanations of #konmari, but I don’t think you will really “get it” unless you read the whole thing.)

I plan to do more blog posts about my #konmari progress, so stay tuned!

Now, be sure to check out the other Blogger Book Club book reviews. Remember, we all read different self-help books in June!

Cassie @ Primitive and Proper
Kirby @ KirbAppeal
Jessica @ Gourley Girl and Guy


And for July’s book: First Impressions: A Novel of Old Books, Unexpected Love, and Jane Austen by Charlie Lovett. The author is Kirby’s neighbor, and I am SO EXCITED to read this!