Initial reaction: 3.5 stars. Some helpful tips but perhaps a bit too general for me in places.

Full review: Marie Kondo's "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" isn't so much just an organizational book as it is a psychological one. It has a methodology, but it doesn't lie with a specific set of steps or system as much as it is an examination of one's own relationships with the things they have. I appreciated hearing about Kondo's path to being an organization expert, her own struggles and pitfalls along the way, and ultimately putting into practice what this book highlights as the Japanese approach and experience to decluttering. Putting to practice an all in one staging of singular categories, physically touching them to assess what value they have to you, and tossing those things that don't bring you joy. It is a simple process but not as simple in implementation as I'm making it out to be.

And I somewhat understand this considering the principles of Feng Shui and how that relates to space. I even understand the concept of thanking one's space and giving an object thanks for what it provided you before you let it go. (Psychologists do something similar with hoarders to coach them though getting rid of things.) I got a keen appreciation of the Japanese approach to organization from this book.

Yet, I still felt this missed something along the way. Part of it might've been Kondo's meandering tone (meaning the text wasn't as streamlined as it could've been) and another might be that I still felt something in the process might be missed. I could understand the principles here at the core - and they were good- but there were conflicting points that needed better address. I still enjoyed and got much out of the read, despite those qualms. so much that I'm looking forward to putting ideas from this to my own personal practice.

Overall score : 3.5 / 5 stars.

The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up - Understand The Secrets Of Good Life In every aspect of the human life, cleanliness is important. Although not everyone sees this to be relevant, cleanliness and tidying up sets the basis for a better life and future. Many people over the years have messed up their lives because they are addicted to dirt and are unable to manage their lives where tidying up is concerned. If you have one of those who have such storage spaces, there is the need to make the most out of it by keeping it tidy. In keeping your life clean, you also need to keep your body and mind clean. In a unique way, this eBook will make clear to you how you manage your life very well and keep your life in the right sequence by keeping your space cleaned and organized.

As someone who has just had to move twice in as many months, I can tell you right now that I'm intimately acquainted with the struggle of moving books. Nothing is worse than having to reconfigure your book collection to a new layout or a place that can't accomodate as many bookshelves (quel horreur!). I used to be the kind of person who thought there was no such a thing as too many books, but my back and sanity disagree. Next time you want to move your massive book collection to a new place, here are some tips to keep you sane.

My parents were and are extremely cluttered people. Growing up, I remember feeling constantly stressed by the amount of stuff in our home. I didn't want anyone to come over because I was embarrassed by their inability to act like adults and clean up after themselves. Even now, my mom is a borderline hoarder. As a result, I've always been obsessed with minimizing my possessions, organizing, finding clever storage tricks, and cleaning up. Vacuuming is so fun to me that it doesn't even feel like a chore.

Given this history, I may be biased, but I loved this little book. It's a quick read and while it has its oddities and Marie Kondo can come off as a bit kooky at times, she's utterly endearing in her earnest belief that tidying can transform your life. The main message is that there's no big secret, no storage solution will fix everything... you just need to get rid of things that don't belong in your life. The "does it spark joy?" approach might not work for everyone (probably not for me) but I think physically confronting your belongings, picking up each thing and thinking about why you have it, is a great way to determine whether or not they belong in your life.

The tips about folding your clothes and arranging them vertically in your drawers rather than stacking them have radically transformed my dresser. I unballed my socks and tights, folded them neatly, and arranged them in shoeboxes inside my dresser. It looks so much nicer now and I feel better as a result. So, yes, I was already obsessed with decluttering, organizing, and cleaning, but I liked this so much that I'm recommending it to everyone. Go forth and free yourselves of clutter!!