Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?
Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).
With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller featuring Tokyo’s newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

My rating: 3 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: This book will be counting towards my goal for the Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2015 checklist under the “a book that was originally written in a different language” check box because it was originally written in Japanese and was translated into English by Cathy Hirano. This book presented an interesting approach to decluttering your house, and provides the reader with some helpful instructions to guide them in their efforts to revitalize and organize their home.

What I found interesting is the way Kondo describes talking to inanimate objects, such as your home and your clothes. She states that thanking these objects makes them feel appreciated and that they will last longer. I’m not sure how true that is since I’ve never tried it but I think it is an interesting concept.

Kondo has been studying the art of tidying since she was a young girl and she has devised a method to help her customers shed that excess weight from their houses and discover a less stressful way to live. As an avid fan of tidying myself, I very much enjoyed reading Kondo’s ideas and tips. While I might not necessarily agree with every piece of advice in the book, overall it was a well written book and it has motivated me to work harder to declutter my home. The whole point of the book is that Konda wants to help you turn your home into a haven for yourself, which is something that I strive for continuously.