Book Review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

In 2015, my husband made one of his New Year’s resolutions to purge 1,000 items from our home.  At the time, that seemed like a HUGE task and we thought that we would have a hard time finding 1,000 items to get rid of. But shortly after starting the new year, we realized that we had a whole lot more to purge than 1,000 items. We kept track of everything that we got rid of. After one whole year of purging and organizing, our total purge number was over 16,000 items!!! Can you believe it?!?! 16,000 items!

Our house felt purged. It felt de-cluttered and I felt like I could breath.

Then I found the book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.

I originally found this book through another homemaking blog who I follow. She suggested reading it with a discerning eye since there are some ideas that don’t line up with biblical truth. However, the whole of the book and the methods that are used are very helpful in thinking about our things and what brings us joy.

When I first got the book from the library, I was surprised at how little it was. But don’t let it’s size deceive you. This little book is full of great content! But don’t think that you are going to sit down and read it all in one evening. It took me over three weeks to read and process this book. I read a little bit and then tried some of her methods in my own home.

Now you may think that I might not have that much to purge after purging 16,000 items last year. But after reading her book, I realized that I had gotten rid of a lot of the surface clutter but I needed to dig down deeper.

She recommends as certain sequence to decluttering and then upon completing that step, finding permanent homes for the items that are left.

First start with your clothing, then move to your books, followed by miscellany and then lastly, your mementos. By starting with the easiest first and saving the hardest for last, you can gain “experience” in her method on the easy items.

We all have those items in our closet that we just don’t wear because of one reason or another. When I first started her method, I could tell you exactly which shirts I liked and which ones I disliked. I hung on to those that I didn’t like because, “what if I need it for this outfit?”. But the truth be told, I hadn’t worn that shirt in years.  There is a mindset that goes along with the Konmari method and that is exactly why you can’t plow the book in just a few nights. This process will take time.

When working through your possessions, one question to keep in mind is, “Will these things bring me joy if I keep them as part of my life?” And when you are working through this process, there is a part of you that begins to deal with the past and your emotions. It’s almost like you need to realize that there are something that you want to keep (mementos) and they bring you a lot of joy, but there are other mementos that act like weights and they weigh you down. They keep you from living in the present because you are always remembering the past.

After a month of working through this book and the program, I can tell you that one month has not been enough time for me to complete my house or emotional journey with stuff that lives with me.  This process is going to take months to work through. But even in this little amount of time of working through the program, I feel lighter and more at ease with parting with my stuff.

As a christian, I know that I need to remember that my possessions aren’t going to get me to Heaven. And yet, it is hard to continue to not store up for myself the things of this earth.  I honestly believe that the devil wants us to get so caught up with materialistic possessions that we will not have enough time for God.  The more stuff you have, the more you have to clean and organize. The longer that takes, the less time you have to spend walking with God. You no longer feel like you have time to unite with other Christians because you are always taking care of your things. And before you know it, you are old, a home filled with the things that you have collected throughout your life, yet you have no joy. Your possessions and things caused you to live in the past and they steal your joy.

I can say that I understand this journey all to well because of my own experience. Possessions do not make your happy. Only a deep, loving relationship with Jesus Christ will fill that spot, deep in your soul.

Even though The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is not a christian book, it certainly can be used by Christians to regain a part of their lives that may have been stolen by the lies of the devil.  I would encourage everyone to read this book, Christian or not. Her methods work and encourage you to dig down deep into your soul.

There are so many more things I could write about this book, but Marie Kondo is so much more skillful in her writing that I would recommend that you read her book for yourself.  It will be life changing!