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aoife_mdc's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
itsvictoriatime's review against another edition
4.0
If taken literally, this book can be a little hard to swallow. I think Marie Kondo is precious, but I can see how some find her method and suggestions unbearably "woo-woo." It's clear the book was not intended for Westerners, but I still love the philosophy behind it, and believe everyone could benefit from examining their relationship with their stuff. Using common sense coupled with intuition, this book's process is simple.
But simple is not the same as easy. The process is intense and overwhelming at times. Her method requires work, both in the physical and emotional sense. You have to listen to yourself when you touch an object and see if it sparks joy. If it doesn't, but you're still inclined to keep it, ask yourself if you're holding onto it because you haven't let go of the past, or because you're afraid of the future. It requires honing in decision-making skills and trusting your intuition. In turn, you come out of the experience knowing yourself a little better while being surrounded exclusively by things that elicit joy.
The process is hard, but the payoff is worth it. I've been diving into the method full-force (about 1/3 of the way through the largest category - komono). Since the method is categorical instead of room-based, the house has been a mess in the interim because of other "categories" lying around that haven't been tidied yet. It's definitely a marathon, not a sprint.
I *love* the areas that have been tidied so far and find that my entire philosophy on 'stuff' has changed. I'm already buying less crap and what I do buy I either truly need or truly believe it brings me joy. I can't wait to finish the rest of the house and never have to go through a giant tidying spree ever again.
But simple is not the same as easy. The process is intense and overwhelming at times. Her method requires work, both in the physical and emotional sense. You have to listen to yourself when you touch an object and see if it sparks joy. If it doesn't, but you're still inclined to keep it, ask yourself if you're holding onto it because you haven't let go of the past, or because you're afraid of the future. It requires honing in decision-making skills and trusting your intuition. In turn, you come out of the experience knowing yourself a little better while being surrounded exclusively by things that elicit joy.
The process is hard, but the payoff is worth it. I've been diving into the method full-force (about 1/3 of the way through the largest category - komono). Since the method is categorical instead of room-based, the house has been a mess in the interim because of other "categories" lying around that haven't been tidied yet. It's definitely a marathon, not a sprint.
I *love* the areas that have been tidied so far and find that my entire philosophy on 'stuff' has changed. I'm already buying less crap and what I do buy I either truly need or truly believe it brings me joy. I can't wait to finish the rest of the house and never have to go through a giant tidying spree ever again.
shreddywa's review against another edition
2.0
Way to judge people who wear sweatpants, Marie!
I have no issues with spark joy or having relationships with objects or limiting your stockpile of toothbrushes, but some of the crazy crap that the author threw in this book was so baffling that I was a mix of bemused and amused. Such as the huge loss of living without knowing how to properly fold. The odd bragging about reading home magazines at age 5. The anecdotal evidence.
I like the concept of spark joy, but the entire read had me thinking that this book could have been written so much better, if only Marie had a better translator and a better editor. And that it could have been a lot shorter. One page: "Like = keep"
I have no issues with spark joy or having relationships with objects or limiting your stockpile of toothbrushes, but some of the crazy crap that the author threw in this book was so baffling that I was a mix of bemused and amused. Such as the huge loss of living without knowing how to properly fold. The odd bragging about reading home magazines at age 5. The anecdotal evidence.
I like the concept of spark joy, but the entire read had me thinking that this book could have been written so much better, if only Marie had a better translator and a better editor. And that it could have been a lot shorter. One page: "Like = keep"
monogatari's review against another edition
4.0
Discovering what really matters to you and what you welcome into your space, physical and metaphysical, through organizing your possessions.
maagi's review
2.0
I don't know if it's the difference between Finnish and Japanese thinking, but I found the book a bit childish. Do things have thoughts, and do things sense how you feel about them? Does it bother your shirts that you're not using them? I... um. Don't think so.
kristyloves2read's review against another edition
3.0
I have this book 3 stars because I am split right down the middle as to the good and bad of the book.
There are definitely some wacky things about this book, but I think it had some beneficial information too. I can’t imagine cleaning the way she does, but if it works for her that is great.
Good takeaways: How she deals with paperwork, really you don’t realize how much paper you keep unnecessarily, so this is something I definitely plan to implement. Also, though not to her extreme, I basically agree with the if it does not spark joy, get rid of it. Honestly, she is right, there is no reason to keep a shirt I haven’t worn for years, just in case or one I don’t like because it’s useful and little gifts, trinkets, knickknacks, and party favors…..why do we keep them?
Bad takeaways: I was horrified at what she did with her books, I am an avid reader and it hurt to hear her say she tore pages out of books. I have mostly moved to ebooks because I don’t have to worry about storage or carry multiple books around, but still, there are books I own in hardcover, softcover, ebook, and audio and I would never consider tearing them. Also, it is obvious she is not a parent or worries about natural disasters. I am so glad she has time to hang her sponge out in her veranda and how she doesn’t need spares of anything, but it’s not realistic for most homes and while yes we will probably never use the spare buttons, tossing or getting rid of extra toilet paper is outrageous.
Still applied in a more logical and practical manner she does have some good ideas.
There are definitely some wacky things about this book, but I think it had some beneficial information too. I can’t imagine cleaning the way she does, but if it works for her that is great.
Good takeaways: How she deals with paperwork, really you don’t realize how much paper you keep unnecessarily, so this is something I definitely plan to implement. Also, though not to her extreme, I basically agree with the if it does not spark joy, get rid of it. Honestly, she is right, there is no reason to keep a shirt I haven’t worn for years, just in case or one I don’t like because it’s useful and little gifts, trinkets, knickknacks, and party favors…..why do we keep them?
Bad takeaways: I was horrified at what she did with her books, I am an avid reader and it hurt to hear her say she tore pages out of books. I have mostly moved to ebooks because I don’t have to worry about storage or carry multiple books around, but still, there are books I own in hardcover, softcover, ebook, and audio and I would never consider tearing them. Also, it is obvious she is not a parent or worries about natural disasters. I am so glad she has time to hang her sponge out in her veranda and how she doesn’t need spares of anything, but it’s not realistic for most homes and while yes we will probably never use the spare buttons, tossing or getting rid of extra toilet paper is outrageous.
Still applied in a more logical and practical manner she does have some good ideas.
graciegrace1178's review against another edition
4.0
4.034 stars. Organization-obsessed woman tries to share her organization ideas with the world and does not realize how utterly ill-equipped her target market is for privately undertaking organizational efforts even with a guidebook. She's got a really adorable presence tho!
PT: books that have been on my TBR for WAYYYY too long, sustainability books, books that are aggressively marketed to me on social media, books for ennea 1s
WIL
1) Appreciation for the textiles AKA the reason this book gets four stars. An increasingly large part of sustainability, particularly materials-science-focused sustainability, is recognizing and appreciating the value of products that you the consumer, already own. Kondo really takes that appreciation mindset and runs with it, and it's deeply admirable. She greets her home environment and speaks to her clothes and shoes, and that kind of genuine appreciation and respect for the environment and products MADE from the environment is exactly what sustainability strives for. Way to go Kondo! Bringing the modern sustainability perspective (and indigenous respect practices) to crowds that otherwise would not get much exposure to that mindset!
WIDL
1) I've seen a few critiques expressing annoyance at Kondo's regimented approach. I can understand the logic there, but, given that Kondo was just sharing what has worked in the past, I think her approach is reasonable. She's just creating a template based on previous work experience, and yea, it can seem a little intense and unyielding at times, but if that's what she found to work, so be it. (I for one am just glad this book had some structure!)
2) Feelings-y. Another critique on this that I've seen a lot is that Kondo talks about just having *feelings* about your items and *knowing* based on some magical inner genie whether you should keep or remove items. For us mbti xTxx types, this seems, to put it clinically, frickin' insane and impossible. Many of us don't know how to do the whole Communing with Our Clothes thing and become frustrated when trying yields no real results. I think Kondo may not even recognize that her ability to connect with clothes is genuinely difficult for a significant portion of the world and attempts at such are not always culturally supported. This then creates remarkable frustration and results in many of us Marie Kondo-ing her book for simply not connecting with us intellectually. This is probably less a fault of Kondo and more a fault of a culture that doesn't support the pursuit of a variety of operating styles, but still, this book could benefit from an approach that at least acknowledges different styles of thinking/being.
PT: books that have been on my TBR for WAYYYY too long, sustainability books, books that are aggressively marketed to me on social media, books for ennea 1s
WIL
1) Appreciation for the textiles AKA the reason this book gets four stars. An increasingly large part of sustainability, particularly materials-science-focused sustainability, is recognizing and appreciating the value of products that you the consumer, already own. Kondo really takes that appreciation mindset and runs with it, and it's deeply admirable. She greets her home environment and speaks to her clothes and shoes, and that kind of genuine appreciation and respect for the environment and products MADE from the environment is exactly what sustainability strives for. Way to go Kondo! Bringing the modern sustainability perspective (and indigenous respect practices) to crowds that otherwise would not get much exposure to that mindset!
WIDL
1) I've seen a few critiques expressing annoyance at Kondo's regimented approach. I can understand the logic there, but, given that Kondo was just sharing what has worked in the past, I think her approach is reasonable. She's just creating a template based on previous work experience, and yea, it can seem a little intense and unyielding at times, but if that's what she found to work, so be it. (I for one am just glad this book had some structure!)
2) Feelings-y. Another critique on this that I've seen a lot is that Kondo talks about just having *feelings* about your items and *knowing* based on some magical inner genie whether you should keep or remove items. For us mbti xTxx types, this seems, to put it clinically, frickin' insane and impossible. Many of us don't know how to do the whole Communing with Our Clothes thing and become frustrated when trying yields no real results. I think Kondo may not even recognize that her ability to connect with clothes is genuinely difficult for a significant portion of the world and attempts at such are not always culturally supported. This then creates remarkable frustration and results in many of us Marie Kondo-ing her book for simply not connecting with us intellectually. This is probably less a fault of Kondo and more a fault of a culture that doesn't support the pursuit of a variety of operating styles, but still, this book could benefit from an approach that at least acknowledges different styles of thinking/being.