On October 22, 2014, the New York Times ran a book review of Marie Kondo’s 
new book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying-Up. If you don’t know anything about her, which I didn’t, she’s a sensation in Japan for helping people declutter their living space and, according to her, ultimately their lives. The title of the article was Kissing Your Socks Goodbye, which of course is an eye-catcher. It caught my eye, otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this.
The article talks about her philosophy which, among other things, says that you must touch everything and if it doesn’t bring you joy, toss it. It goes on to discuss her philosophy regarding socks: “Indeed, Ms. Kondo’s instructions regarding socks are eye-opening. Socks bust their chops for you, and if you ball them up, they don’t get a chance to rest. As she puts it, “The socks and stockings stored in your drawer are essentially on holiday.”
I thought this was humorous and insightful, so I reserved the book from my library thinking it would be full of humorous and insightful comments. Boy was I wrong!!!!!!
I’m here to tell you this is a poorly written, repetitive, unfunny book that can be summarized in one page and the reader won’t miss a thing. First, I can’t imagine any 5 year old being interested in tidying, but Ms. Kondo informs us that she was and spent the next umpteen years tidying her home…every room in the house. Second, I’m not sure how many times it needs to be said that you go through things by category (clothes, etc.) not location (bedroom, storage room, etc.) but Ms. Kondo apparently thinks this is worth repeating ad nauseam. And finally, do all your decluttering quickly. Throwing out one thing a day isn’t going to get you anywhere. Another repetitive aspect of her book.
Is the book devoid of humor? Nope. Along with her sock theory, which can be found on page 81, on page 3, a student of her course wrote, “Your course taught me what I really need and what I don’t. So I got a divorce. Now I feel much happier.”
I’m heartily suggesting that you declutter your mind by skipping this book, but if you feel compelled to read it, Ms. Kondo has made it easy. All the important points are in bold letters. Just read those.
Why am I writing this? I guess because I feel cheated. The New York Times article made me think this book was different, when in reality it’s the same as other “declutter your life” books. It was a deft piece of marketing showing that Ms. Kondo has a good agent. So, as they say, Caveat Emptor. Don’t let it be said I didn’t warn you.
Two Heads Together 