I finally got around to reading Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story. I first heard about the “spark joy” movement (is it a movement?) about five years ago from my brother’s now-wife. Soon after, I was hearing about this minimalist lifestyle everywhere, and it really seemed to blow up when it hit the Netflix scene.
I’m not quick to jump on the bandwagon, so here I am much later, reading the book that I had actually bought for my older daughter. She had finished it and discarded it three years ago (I’ve yet to see what impact it made), and so I figured I’d give it a shot.
I enjoyed the manga version, but I don’t know if I would have enjoyed the “magic” version as much. I can only read so many sentences about sparking joy. With the manga, I had a little story to read along with Yuko Uramoto’s cute illustrations.
The story is a little silly, but I like a little silly. It follows this sales rep (Chiaki) who is a gigantic mess. She works, eats whatever and whenever, goes back to her jungle of an apartment, leaves garbage bags piling up on her balcony, and does it all over again the next day. Her life lacks directions, she can’t get relationships to work, and her apartment is a dump. One day, cute neighbor knocks on the door to tell her the stink of the garbage on her balcony is wafting into his space. Chiaki, realizing how embarrassing it is, seeks help, and that’s when the Tidy Fairy KonMari (Marie Kondo’s nickname) appears to save the day!
Piles of Stuff
I like that this book isn’t about cleaning. It’s about figuring out what to do about all the stuff we accumulate over time, and then preventing ourselves from doing it again. This is the stuff that ends up in storage, thrown in junk drawers, stuffed in closets, hidden under beds, and stowed away in shoe boxes. (Side note: KonMari is a shoe box fan.)
I’ve never thought of myself as a person who has a lot of stuff. I’m even very careful about what books I keep—and I love books immensely. Part of the reason we don’t have a lot of stuff is because our house isn’t that big. I don’t have tons of closet and cabinet space and that has really determined what we can actually have. Even my wardrobe is very limited—but that may be attributed to my lack of fashion sense and desire for comfort.
Ooh, look, Emily is wearing that hoodie again. Doesn't she have anything else in her closet?
That said, reading about the KonMari method made me realize that we actually do have a LOT of stuff. Most of it stored in boxes and boxes and boxes. My stuff in particular revolves around sentimental things, octopuses, and whatever I’m fangirling. Don’t ask me to give up these things! 😭
Sparking Joy
KonMari is all about discarding things, or rather, deciding what’s worth keeping. You hold each item, and if it doesn’t “spark joy,” get rid of it. I’m a very passionate person. Lots of things make me extremely happy. I’m also a very sentimental person. Artwork my kids created makes me happy.
But I can’t keep everything, so I do intend to try this method of deciding what to keep and what to discard. Sometimes, I can get my younger daughter to throw away artwork if I take a picture of it. Maybe that’s what I’ll have to do with some of my things.
Books vs Underwear
I raised my eyebrow over the importance KonMari places on underwear over books. The message for getting rid of your books was pretty strong. If you aren’t reading it, or if you’re done reading it, get rid of it. Now, I admit that the joy sparked from my leather-bound, anniversary edition of The Lord of the Rings from Mark for an anniversary is going to spark TONS more joy than maybe…the Scotland travel guide. But Mark and I had the most wonderful, memorable time in Scotland! I can’t get rid of it. Sure, we could probably get a more updated version when we decide to travel again…ok, so maybe that’s a candidate. Ugh. So hard.
But the underwear! KonMari was all about taking care to fold bras just so and then lining them up perfectly. Then, rolling up underwear so the little front details show. She didn’t say anything about discarding undergarments. In the book, she referred to them as jewels! Seriously?! The message I’m getting here is that we’re all different, and what we treasure is different. My underwear doesn’t need a showcase, but my books do.
I had a lot of exclamation points back there. I didn’t mean to get so worked up about the books and underwear.
Thankfulness and Letting Go
I actually did get a lot out of this book, and it gave me a lot to think about. I’ve never seen myself as someone materialistic. I don’t buy things for the heck of it. I prefer used cars, I don’t have the latest cellphones or gadgets, and I’m not a fashionista. We will fix things if they break and wear things out until they are beyond repair.
But looking around, I can say that what I do have makes for a comfortable life, and I am thankful. Our joy is in experiences and in living. Sometimes, in the living and the excitement of the experiences, we add stuff. That might be stuff that we should briefly hold, cherish the memory, then let go in order to let new experiences enter.
I found it really interesting when KonMari talked about how holding on to sentimental objects can tie us to the past. Once you let go of an object, it frees you to live in the present. In the book, Chiaki held on to things that reminded her of times with past boyfriends where she changed who she was so they would like her. Letting go of these things allowed her to kind of grow up. Instead of being tied to these memories, she was able to see what she wanted for herself. Getting rid of these sentimental things really resonated with me.
Slowing Down
The book conveys that tidying isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s a lifestyle change, and once you’re able to get rid of the “baggage,” your life will supposedly be more full of joy. If I can get rid of the constant paper pile snowdrifts, I will definitely be more joyful! I just have to make time to do it!
One of the big takeaways for me was how important it is to hold things. You’re not making rash decisions here. You’re truly taking the time to decide if this object is really needed. Yes, this might take some time, but if you’re going to be discarding things that you’ve held on to for years—especially sentimental things—then taking the time to remember and appreciate and let go doesn’t sound like a bad thing.
Folding clothes is another area where I have changed my attitude. Yes, it’s a chore. Yes, it is taking time away from something else I could be doing. However, if it’s something I have to do anyway, then it is better to be present in the moment while doing it. I use the time to be thankful that I even have clothes to fold—especially when it’s below freezing outside and there are people who may not even have a coat. I remember to be thankful for the gift of my hands, that even though I experience pain from time to time, they serve me well. One day, my hands may be as gnarled with arthritis as my mom’s, but right now, in this moment, they are strong hands that do not fail me.
I also appreciate the Japanese expression te-ateh or applying hands. The term applies to treating injuries, a gentle pat of the head, some kind of reassurance. KonMari said that touch goes a long way with our clothes in letting them know that we appreciate them. While I’m not into petting inanimate objects, I do agree that we are tactile creatures, and touch is something that can be taken for granted. I try to rush through a lot of menial tasks, but I want to act with more intention, to connect with the moment. (Ooh, there’s my one word for 2021: CONNECT!)
4 stars on Goodreads
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. As a visual person, I found the page spreads on how to fold clothes in the KonMari method to be super helpful. I’d actually been folding my t-shirts this way for over a year now, and it’s so much easier to fit everything in the drawer and find what I’m looking for. (KonMari would probably encourage me to discard some of my t-shirts.)
I recommend this book if you’re looking to do some tidying up, but you don’t have the time, energy, or desire to read about it (yay, manga!), or if you don’t want to watch it on Netflix because 1) there are so many other things you’d rather be watching, or 2) you don’t want to get sucked into seasons of watching other people tidy. (For the record, I have never seen the show, so I can’t really say what it’s about.)
For my fellow manga fans, I agree that it’s disappointing that this book reads from right to left. If you’re going to label yourself a manga, BE a manga. (That’s my Panda moment, Mark.)
Here’s my rating system:
5 stars: I love this book so much that I must own a physical copy of it. I’m definitely going to recommend it to people.
4 stars: This was a great book. I love it, but I don’t need to own a physical copy. I’ll definitely recommend it to people.
3 stars: This is a really good book. I was entertained.
2 stars: This book was fine. I don’t hate it or anything. It was fine.
1 star: This book wasn’t for me. It might be for someone else, though. There are probably a lot of reasons why it isn’t for me. I’m not hating, though.
0 stars: I’ve read it, or maybe I didn’t finish it, or maybe I didn’t enjoy it. Could be anything.
Comment below and let me know what you thought of this book if you’ve read it!