Chapter 5 The magic of tidying dramatically transforms your life

Do you believe that tidying has a magic effect? What about at home? Work? In my life, when my home and office are in order, I feel efficient. I can manage activities, projects, and simple tasks better. A pet peeve of mine is having to look for something. I want to be able to place my hands on items quickly!

Put your house in order and discover what you really want to do (p. 174). Kondo argues that putting your house in order is a great way to discover yourself, “At their core, the things we really like do not change over time. Putting your house in order is a great way to discover what they are” (p. 175). And, "tidying is a way of taking stock that shows us what we really like" (p. 177). Finally, "your real life begins after putting your house in order" (p. 203).

Letting go is even more important than adding (p. 177). "Eliminate what you don’t need by confronting each of your possessions properly" (p. 183). Kondo infers that "being surrounded by things that spark joy makes you happy" (p. 200). I believe this to be true, 100 percent. In my office and home, I want the essentials. I am not interested in the superfluous.

Work/life/home balance? Did I just coin a new term? "Tidying ought to be the act of restoring balance among people, their possessions, and the house they live in" (p. 190).

Believe it or not, Napoleon finds joy in this small bin

Reference: Kondo, M. (2014). The life-changing magic of tidying up. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.

Chapter 4 Storing your things to make your life shine

A place for everything and everything in it's place. We've all heard that a key to keeping tidy is to designate a place for each thing. Kondo describes the essence of effective storage as this: Designate a spot for every last thing you own. If you don't have designated spots for items, you may suffer from rebound. No need to purchase expensive organizing tools. Kondo states that the main equipment for storage is actually deciding where everything goes and actually putting it there. How's that for a concept!

Choose your belongings, then consider storage. Storage solutions are really just prisons within which to bury possessions that spark no joy (p.131). The key is to go through items and see if they spark joy. If not, then donate, recycle, etc. Once you learn to choose your belongings properly, you will be left with only the amount that fits perfectly in the space that you currently own (p. 133). Store all items of the same type in the same place. In other words, don’t scatter storage space (p. 138). Clutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong (p. 142). Kondo also suggests that you spend some time appreciating your belongings (p. 168).

Here is one trick that I use EVERYDAY. I empty my bag. It makes it easier to keep my stuff nice; plus I don’t have to go searching through bags looking for my belongings.

Small purse and work bag keeps things tidy

Reference: Kondo, M. (2014). The life-changing magic of tidying up. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.