Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up by Marie Kondō
I hardly knew what to expect when I opened up SPARK JOY, but I was pleasantly surprised. I love the idea of only keeping things that spark joy in your life. Of course, the book is amply illustrated with many cute pieces of artwork showing how to fold, how to use storage space, etc. For example, one of the really neat illustration shows you how to properly fold many common items, and then you can store the items upright. But I think the real plus of this book is the idea of only having things that really a joy to your life.
One tip I thought was really ingenious was to “tidy by category, not by location.” Marie suggests that to decide what really sparks joy, you need to hold on to the item--you should feel a little bit of a thrill when you touch the object. If not, probably get rid of it. And forget the notion of saying the item “might come in handy.”
To make the whole experience more fun, the author suggest that you take some photos in the state before you begin your exciting project. The idea is to have fun, “turn the current mass into a source of entertainment.”
One of the more controversial tactics is to throw all of your clothing in a big pile first. Do the same thing with your books next. Throw them all together and then decide what to keep. Pick up each item and hold it and then see if it really sparks joy in you.
One of the most useful chapters covers “bathroom komono.” The author goes to great lengths on how to tidy up and put joy in your life even in your bathroom. Believe it or not, I thought this was one of the most helpful chapters.
Another really fantastic idea in this book is the notion of eliminating "Un-joy." Marie explains:” The more textual information you have in your environment, the more your home becomes filled with noise.” So the idea is to get rid of that noise and therefore fill your home with more joy.
All in all, I really enjoyed SPARK JOY. After reading just a few pages, I could tell right away this book was written by a very wise person. I am not surprised at all that her earlier book became a bestseller. This is one smart lady.
