Greetings, Guys:

Before I get into the review, I have to be honest: I think that we as human beings are hoarders; on a physical and emotional level. We collect and collect piles of excess weight in our lives and we continuous carry all of this baggage around with us-to work, to family event, on dates, into relationships etc.

And I’m the type of person who always feels like that weight is going to land me in a ditch somewhere, so I am always looking for ways to relieve that pressure and let go of those unhealthy tethers that follow me around.

Therefore, in the spirit of the New Year, and as a person who color-coordinates her closet (yes, color coordinate) I jumped at the opportunity to read and review Marie Kondo Spark of Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up.

Synopsis:

A comprehensive, illustrated manual on how to declutter and organize specific items throughout the house, from kitchen and bathroom items to work-related papers and hobby collections. User-friendly line drawings illustrate Kondo’s patented folding method as it applies to shirts, pants, socks, and jackets, as well as images of properly organized drawers, closets, and cabinets. Kondo also add in-depth advice on moving, packing, and dealing with necessary objects that may not spark joy—answering all the questions she’s gotten since her first book. This manual is perfect for anyone who wants a home—and life—that sparks joy.

B&N | Amazon | Target | Goodreads

 

Review

For those of you who have not heard about the book before or its function and overall purpose, Spark Joy is based on the idea of gaining an overall sense of commitment to cleanse your life, which sparks overall joy or a sense of contentment in your life. The Komati method actually is meant to transform a person’s internal outlook on life through external cleansing by starting in the home or living space. Where else is a better place to start really; as you go through all of your belongings to really get a sense of yourself and what brings you happiness.

And even more interesting, this illustrated version of the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up is said to be a sort of Master class for those who read the original book or for people who learn and work better through imagery. Being the OCD person that I am, I am often tidying up my home and space and I’m not afraid to toss things and items of clothing if I don’t wear or use them often. Therefore, I found this book to be perfect for me.

I really liked that the first approach of this method is to plan first and then act because it helps to give you a clearer picture of the task at hand and it can stop you from just collecting things and tossing them. As with keeping specific items for an emotional reason, you also toss things for the lack of an emotional connection or memory. Likewise, it gives you time to prepare mentally to get rid the things you kind of do not want to take with you in this new chapter of your life that you’re creating.

Right away, I realized the book was sort of sectioned into different categories rather than by room. It forces you to see everything all at once because, as Kondo mentions, it is easy to become distracted (I’m a neat freak, but I get distracted a lot) by all the miscellaneous items you might find along the way.

Likewise, shuffling through the house from room to room can also cause you to lose track of what you are supposed to do next (which is, again, why I like the fact that this book recommends you plan first and then act).

Discarding isn’t the really the plan of this method, however, it is actually helping you to determine the things in your home or space that you should keep with/around you. And this, folks, is the heart of it all. I really love this book and the message that it gives its readers. I give this book 4.5 stars because I connect with the concept and the purpose behind it and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a way to cleanse their life externally and spiritually to open up a new chapter in their life.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

As always, thanks so much for reading.

Until next time,

Gia.