Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Okay, Ms. Kondo is getting a lot of flack here for her weirdness in this book (socks have feelings, etc.). However, I really valued her unique outlook on organizing--I have made a study of decluttering and organizing, and I have gotten so tired of the same old lines. They all seem to speak the same language. "Turn all your hangers backwards and only turn around the clothing items you wear." This method has never worked for me--I can barely manage to hang all my clean laundry, let alone bother with switching the hanger around. I was so ready for something DIFFERENT. I was also very tired of the "room by room" approach. I have been doing that for years and my house is as cluttered as ever. My mom knows about my organizing obsession and bought this book for me. I read it all in a couple of hours--not sure why people are complaining about the author droning on and on. It's really a quick read, and she doesn't repeat stories but rather shows you her journey from childhood to her current outlook. I started with clothing as she suggests, and it has already made a huge difference in my life. I didn't really believe her when she said to follow the exact order she lists, but I'm starting to get it. This morning getting ready for work I already felt calmer when getting my clothes together. I can't wait to see what my life will be like when I finish the whole process. I would just like to note something about people's complaints about her craziness with purses, shoes, etc. having feelings, and that you should thank your possessions before donating them or throwing them away. Yes, it sounds completely loony, HOWEVER, I think if you re-frame it in your mind, it actually makes a lot of sense. To me, it totally dovetails with the Gratitude movement--like how you are supposed to keep a gratitude journal or list things you are grateful for. I am definitely grateful for clothes and shoes. I don't think they have feelings persay, but I think what she is getting at is that you should respect and show gratitude for your possessions by taking good care of them. If you think about it that way, it doesn't seem so crazy. I have one slight criticism of the book, and I think that is mainly due to the translation. I really don't like their use of the word "tidying." I think it translates very poorly into English. When I read the word "tidying," what I picture is my grandmother stacking her magazines and dusting her curio cabinet. What Kondo is really referring to is organizing, and in some cases decluttering. She says, "you will only have to tidy one time and never again." When I read that, it sounds like she is saying you are never going to have to straighten up your house, which is a ridiculous notion. But if she had said, "you only have to organize your house one big time, then never again," well, that makes a lot more sense. I would say purchase this book if you want a new and refreshing take on organizing and if the current methods that are out there just aren't working for you. I have tried almost every method and have been attempting to get organized for 15 years. Every time, I would get excited then quickly burn out as I envisioned years of constant organizing and re-organizing. This is the first time ever that I feel really optimistic about the outcome. And I plan on coming back and updating this review once I've done the whole process. UPDATE on 6/11/15: So when I originally wrote this review, I was at the tail end of a long, leisurely vacation, during which I devoted a lot of time and energy into working on my house. Shortly after, I went back to work and also I am going to school at night to become a CPA and oh yeah, I'm a mother too, so needless to say, I haven't done much decluttering in the past months. However, summer is here so I'm back at it! Here is what I learned so far. I think that with this method, you really have to do two "passes" to get the full effect, at least this was true for me. The first pass through my clothing, I didn't get rid of nearly enough. The second pass, I was much more ruthless. In fact, I actually just sold my dresser on craigslist! I just don't need it anymore. All my clothes fit in a small section of my closet, and I have a small box on the floor of my closet for my socks, underwear, and workout clothes. The funny thing is, I never feel like I don't have anything to wear. In fact, somehow there is seemingly more variety in my wardrobe. I attribute this to the fact that since I have so much less clothing, it is almost always clean. I can wash literally ALL my clothes in a few loads of laundry. Before, half my wardrobe was sitting in various hampers and laundry baskets. I was always in a panic trying to find appropriate clothing. It was utter chaos. Now everything is in one spot and if it's not there, I know exactly where it is. Anyway, bottom line is, psychologically it was a huge challenge to really purge the first time around, so I recommend doing one pass and coming back a few months later for a second pass. Trust me, you will pick up some items of clothing and wonder WHY you didn't get rid of them the first time around. So at this rate, it is going to take me an eternity to go through every phase of the process--she starts with clothing, then books, then paper, etc. But, having come this far, I can truly say it is worth it, so I am going to press on and hopefully be completely done by the end of the summer. Stay tuned :-)