La màgia de l'ordre (2014)

I realize this book might not be everyone’s cup of tea but I thought it was great! Speaking to your clothing is a tad bit untraditional but it worked for me. As someone who gets a strong sentimental attachment clothing, I was able to part with half my wardrobe! I don’t think the title’s claim to be life changing is an exaggeration. I already feel lighter! Next up: weeding through my bookshelf. Wish me luck 😬 ( )

I know. I know. This book has become so entrenched in our culture that it's part of stand-up comedy routines and is salted into movie dialogue. No argument ... it's popular for a reason. And should be read by anyone who has "stuff."

I can say it had impact on me.

1. It prompted me to write a column in 2016. (The author and I don't agree entirely on what to do with books. And I refuse to talk to my clothes. I do talk to my books, though.)

2. I now roll up my underwear for more efficient storage and selection.

3. And she has given me a decent argument for tossing things now and then.

The book title talks about tidying. But think purge. And a warning to husbands if your wife has this book: Make sure you give your her joy. Lots of joy.

Quotes to help you find the magic:

“All the things you own want to be of use to you.”

“Tidying ought to be the act of restoring balance between people, their possessions and the house they live in.”

“We should be choosing what we want to keep, not what we want to get rid of.”

“The place we live should be for the person we are becoming now – not for the person we have been in the past.”

“Keep only those things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest.”

“The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life.”

“But when we really delve into the reasons for why we can’t let something go, there are only two: an attachment to the past or a fear for the future.”

“The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand and ask: “Does this spark joy?” If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it. This is not only the simplest but also the most accurate yardstick by which to judge.”

“Clutter is caused by a failure to return things to where they belong. Therefore, storage should reduce the effort needed to put things away, not the effort needed to get them out.” ( )

I am not telling the truth here I didn't read it. I got maybe 20 pages in and realized, Yup, for me this is not happening. ( )

I regret reading this book. I'm not in the crazy middle aged Japanese woman who thinks objects have souls and consciousness demographic so maybe this book was not written to me. There were a couple of reasonable practical proposals but because there was so much ambient woowoo in the book, not sure if I can trust them -- should you actually sort and clean by category of item and not by location? Should you arrange items by color? Overall, skip this, and eschew anyone recommending it in the future, ( )

Really interesting. Very quirky, very Japanese way of explaining how you can get rid of clutter and be a happier person. Of course, I'm skeptical about the bolder claims, like "de-cluttering will make you lose weight!", but some ideas about the role each thing has in our lives made me stop and think, which is what a good book should do anyway. ( )