The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

In The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, author Marie Kondo walks the user through strategies to keep a neat and tidy household. Her principles seem to apply far beyond the household, though.

One of Kondo's biggest principles is that everything must have a home. Otherwise, clutter will grow out of control and things will pile up in places they don't belong. This strategy helps to assign locations to specific things, which in turn stops the sprawl of household items.

Perhaps Kondo's biggest contribution to the social psyche is her opinion that if something does not spark joy then it should be discarded or donated. Kondo herself lives a very minimalist lifestyle.

Kondo also talks about better ways for storing things that become useful to her disciples. For example, she recommends storing shirts rolled up tightly and easily accessible vertically rather than stacking clothes into a pile that can become messy. This even extends to socks, which she strongly advises against folding into balls!

Kondo gives readers helpful techniques to transform their home lives into tidy palaces.