Poco Mountain Girl

I finished these two books last week. I have to say, they gave me a kick in the you-know-what. Even before reading them, though, I was somehow bitten by the decluttering bug.  I found these books at my local libraries, and they helped me on my way and offered some direction in my rabid cleaning frenzy.

The Joy of Less by Francine Jay is a thorough, room-by-room instructive by a minimalist. She has a fairly standard outlook on decluttering–little tips like getting rid of one thing a day, etc.  The book is inspiring, but also repetitive, and for me, it got a little old by the end. But if you like step-by-step instructions as you clean and organize, I could see this book being very helpful.

I really loved The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.  It is thought provoking and oh-so very Japanese. The author is interesting and I like her tone–steady and sensible–unlike The Joy of Less, where virtually every paragraph includes an exclamation mark. (I have a pet peeve with too many excited exclamation marks.)

I have to be truthful about The Life-Changing Magic and say some of the author’s views left me questioning her rational integrity. I mean, she talks to her house, to her clothes, to all her possessions–greeting them, thanking them, releasing them to a happy life as she passes them on to someone else. It’s a little strange, even for me. But it also made the book more interesting.

Kondo has a very positive, if somewhat ruthless, view of decluttering.  Instead of focusing on what to get rid of, she looks for what to keep–only those things, she says, that give you a “spark of joy.”

She also talks about the “magic” that happens when you declutter the right way, which should be done in one fell swoop–not a thing a day, not a room here or there, but a “tidying marathon”  (she says it usually takes around six months). She talks about the changes in your mindset when your cluttered house quickly becomes spacious, open, and clear even in the hidden places–a change, she says, that makes the difference in your thinking that allows your house to stay clean ever after, rather than eventually becoming cluttered again.  Which I know sounds a little ridiculous, but hey, I’m willing to give it a try.

And so far, it might actually be working for us. I have the main floor of our house about finished–living room, kitchen, laundry room, coat closet.  I’m talking every every book and magazine examined for its worth (and several boxes donated to the library), every kitchen drawer, cabinet, and cupboard pared down to minimum, every extra cup measure and spatula culled, all the expired non-perishables thrown away (that I didn’t think I had, LOL), my old Vitamix finally listed and sold (in a day!) and so on. Old jars I was saving for years, because you know–I might need them someday. We took boxes and boxes of stuff out the door to Goodwill and the trash–stuff I doubt we will ever miss.

It’s been really fun, and of course a lot of work. I love the way our house feels–even though most of it was “organized” and tucked away, getting rid of all that really makes a difference.  So much done, and still a lot more to go. 🙂

This entry was posted on Monday, September 21st, 2015 at 7:49 pm and is filed under Reading. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.