Simplify Your Life. A Book Review and a Personal Experience.

Sep 1, 2015
3 min read

I learn the most from the everyday people in my life. As an ongoing project, I will have guest posts from featured Everyday People about their own personal growth investments, experiences, joys, tribulations and more. It's a village, and we are all in this together.

By Randi Rockwell One of AuthenticallyAmy's Everyday People

randi rockwell simplify your life book review

When you are overwhelmed, tired or stressed, the solution is almost always… less. Get rid of something. Lots of somethings. Let go. -Courtney Carver (http://bemorewithless.com/)

I have never been a pack-rat or a hoarder, in fact, I love to throw things away; however, I still suffer from the “What if I could use this one day?” mentality, which means that I have kept many, many things that I don’t need. I have over-complicated my present life by trying to “take care” of my future life. But when will I REALLY use that pad of Post-Its from the insurance company with whom I don’t even have an account? And if I really need Post-Its someday, I’m positive I can afford to splurge on a pack. Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is a quick read, full of whimsy.

It made me feel like I was being visited by my trash bag-wielding fairy godmother. The book was originally written in Japanese, and the translation to English perfectly captures the delicate, yet sometimes stern, verbiage of the author, Marie Kondo.

The main theme of Kondo’s book is to surround yourself with possessions that spark joy. It’s common knowledge that we live in a society in which more is more. Hounded by advertising at every turn, we’re always clamoring to get the next best thing.

I, for one, love a good shopping trip. However, Kondo insists that the stuff we acquire does more than clutter our living space, it also begins to clutter our psyche. Kondo claims that with her KonMari tidying system, you can declutter your home and change your life.

I read the book, reflected on Kondo’s words, and decided to give it a shot.

While I am not usually one for magical thinking, I was still able to find meaning in the little actions that Kondo suggests, like greeting your house whenever you get home and thanking your handbag each day for a job well done. While I will probably never go to the extreme of actually talking to my belongings (remember, open mind!), this was a great reminder to take time daily to reflect upon my blessings.

Beginning with the closet.

Kondo gives an ordered list of items to organize, and she recommends starting with clothes. So, I followed her advice and did exactly as she suggested. I pulled entire categories of clothes and laid them around my room.

Don’t let this intimidate you.

It’s actually more fun than it sounds! I examined nearly every article of clothing and asked myself if it truly sparked joy within me. Surprisingly enough, this did not take as long as it sounds. I got better and better at listening to my instincts, and before too long, I had four bags of trash and two bags of items to donate--from my closet and drawers alone!

The finished product.

My socks and tank tops “Kondo-rolled” (Learn the technique here) It’s amazing how much can be stored with this folding technique! I have all of my clothing folded like this now, and I was able to empty three drawers! I’m really excited to see how this will affect packing when I travel.

This could just be a placebo effect, but I swear I feel lighter.

My favorite part of Kondo’s method is that she doesn’t call for any special organizing gear. You don’t have to go out and buy tubs or drawers or shelves. This is all about clearing clutter and simplifying life.