The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
A review of

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Marie Kondo • Ten Speed Press • 2014

Declutter Your Life

by David Meyer

Gracefully telling people what to do and how to sort and pitch their stuff is no easy feat, yet Kondo does so with ease.

Do readers follow Marie Kondo’s advice? She’s sold more than two million copies of this guide to getting rid of your unwanted and unneeded items. Kondo’s approach to decluttering is heartfelt, detailed, specific and ritualistic. She intends her directions to be actionable, but does her commitment to this program and the spiritual benefits she envisions really encourage readers to engage in her recommended ceremonies? Or, do they merely imagine dreamily what their homes might be like if they did?

One way or another, Kondo is one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People; this book was a New York Times number one bestseller and CNN chose it as one of the most influential books of the 2010’s decade. Best-selling author Jamie Lee Curtis accurately recommended it for “anyone who struggles with the material excess of living in a privileged society.”

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