So I’ve just realized that I’ve mentioned Marie Kondo in a couple of posts, but I never did a little review on her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I read this book maybe over a month ago, but I think I still remember it pretty well.

My brief bullet point overview:

• Start with clothes: gather ALL your clothes in every room and every item. Pile them in the middle of the room and start piling up the “get rid of” clothes.
• Next are books and papers: if you’re hanging on to books you think you might have to refer to later, have you really referred to them lately or at all? Papers like bills and important documents she believes you can get rid of it all. If you still are hanging on to those papers it means you have left business unfinished (I think finances/taxes are different in Japan than in the US where I live because some papers I just have to keep).
• Trinkets and sentimental items: she say that some of the sentimental items we keep in the back of our drawer have already served their purpose  at the time it was given. So it’s okay to get rid of it. I agree with this, but I also have a camera phone and a scanner.
• Overall: when you are trying to think about whether to get rid of something or hold on to it, just ask yourself, “does it bring me joy.” You’ll know if it does, that feeling is automatic. If you have to ponder and think about it, you probably could go without it.
• Side note: 99% of the book is kind of geared towards women, such as folding underwear and what not. But really its for anyone.

It’s a great book and I use the KonMari Method daily. Recommended.