The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

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Bonnie E Bonnie E's picture
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

I read it all in one night and it gave me some good pointers. I couldn't put it down and found many useful tips.
You know you are done when you have just the right amount of stuff and everything has its place.

Here are few highlights:

•Discard first, then organize and store.
•Touch each item. Take each item off the shelf, out of the closet or out of the drawer.
•Decide whether it brings you joy. If not, get rid of it. (With the exception of medicine and whatnot.)
•Do a lot at one time so you can see a difference.
•Don't buy anything new until you are finished so you know what you have.
•Do it by category, not room, i.e. all clothes, all books, and so forth.
•Don't buy storage/organizing equipment.
•You should be able to see everything in your closets and drawers, with nothing shoved out of sight.
My own personal tips - anything that is not decorative should be in a drawer, closet, or cabinet. If there is no room, then it means you need to clean out those places to make room. Unlike the universe, your space will not expand. Everything is a choice.

mark mendenhall mark mendenhall's picture
Easier Said Than Done!

Hi, Bonnie, yes, the book was great, but it takes great discipline to actually DO it!

Bonnie E Bonnie E's picture
decluttering

I have found it can be done gradually as long as you work on it at least once a week for about an hour. It takes longer to complete of course and you have to keep at it. But if you don't do it, your kids will have to do it some day. When you do it yourself, you can be thoughtful and careful about where the things go. Someone else might just toss them all. If you need help finding places to sell or donate stuff, let me know and I will send you my list.