The Magic of Tidying Up

If you haven't worn your shoes lately, thank them for their hard work and consider letting them go. "It is natural for me to say thank-you to the goods that support us," says Marie Kondo, the author of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Her method of connecting with belongings that “spark joy” and saying goodbye to the rest is popular all over the world.

Kondo's method encourages a one-time rapid and dramatic organizing event. For her, tidying is to thank anything that doesn't“spark joy” and send them to a more appreciative owner. The results can be life-changing. People suddenly find themselves surrounded by things that provide clarity(简洁). Even her book, Kondo says, should be thrown away when it's no longer needed.

Kondo suggested starting with clothes, then books, then documents, and last and most difficult, photos and mementos(纪念品). Instead of deciding what to get rid of, she says, the focus should be on what to keep: things that spark joy or are truly necessary.

After joyfully sending away mountains of unneeded or unloved belongings, Kondo turns to organizing what is left. The key is storing things mostly in drawers, arranged so that everything can be seen at a glance and nothing is stacked. So T-shirts and socks (the ones you've kept because they make you happy) are rolled and arranged beautifully.

Kondo has been fond of tidying since she was five, enjoying arranging shoes and pencils while other kids played outside. She believes the inside of a house should be a place where there are no unnecessary things, and our thoughts become clear. It is the place where we appreciate all the things that support us. It is where we review and rethink about ourselves.

Kondo's own house is small but clean.