LEADERSHIP LIBRARY

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.png

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Marie Kondo

 

IN BRIEF

OK, this isn’t a “leadership” book. But in the philosophical underpinnings of Marie Kondo’s focus on those things that “spark joy” and in the emotional benefits of tidying, one can find similarities to the concepts of mindfulness, essentialism, and minimalism. That is, the core concepts of strategy and personal productivity. 

Key Concepts

 

Start with discarding, then storing

“If so, let me share with you the secret of success. Start by discarding. Then organize your space, thoroughly, completely, in one go. If you adopt this approach—the KonMari Method—you’ll never revert to clutter again.” (p. 1)

“Effective tidying involves only two essential actions: discarding and deciding where to store things. Of the two, discarding must come first.” (p. 28)

Does it spark joy?

“...take each item in one’s hand and ask: ‘Does this spark joy?’ If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it.” (p. 41)

Quotables

 

“...A dramatic reorganization of the home causes correspondingly dramatic changes in lifestyle and perspective. It is life transforming.” (p. 3)

“...when you put your house in order, you put your affairs and your past in order, too. As a result, you can see quite clearly what you need in life and what you don’t, and what you should and shouldn’t do.” (p. 4)

“To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose.” (p. 61)

“By neatly folding your clothes, you can solve almost every problem related to storage.” (p. 72)

“In the end, you are going to read very few of your books again.” (p. 89)

“Presents are not ‘things’ but a means for conveying someone’s feelings. When viewed from this perspective, you don’t need to feel guilty for parting with a gift.” (p. 108)

“As you reduce your belongings through the process of tidying, you will come to a point where you suddenly know how much is just right for you.” (p. 124)

“By eliminating excess visual information that doesn’t inspire joy, you can make you space much more peaceful and comfortable.” (p. 168)

“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)

“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.” (p. 182)

“Life becomes far easier once you know that things will still work out even if you are lacking something.” (p. 187)

“It’s a very strange phenomenon, but when we reduce what we own and essentially ‘detox’ our house, it has a detox effect on our bodies as well.” (p. 193)