Review & Feature: The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story by Marie Kondo
Tidying up is all the rage right now, thanks to the new Netflix show and it’s causing quite the discussion especially in the book community. A few years back, many of us were introduced to the principles of Marie Kondo with The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and it’s only recently I realized there’s a matching manga! Check out my thoughts below and how my tidy journey is going!
The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up: A Magical Story
by Marie Kondō, Yuko Uramotoon February 13, 2017
Genres: Graphic Novel, Non-Fiction
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From the #1 New York Times best-selling author and lifestyle/cleaning guru Marie Kondo, this graphic novelization brings Kondo's life-changing tidying method to life with the fun, quirky story of a woman who transforms her home, work, and love life using Kondo's advice and inspiration.
Marie Kondo presents the fictional story of Chiaki, a young woman in Tokyo who struggles with a cluttered apartment, messy love life, and lack of direction. After receiving a complaint from her attractive next-door neighbor about the sad state of her balcony, Chiaki gets Kondo to take her on as a client. Through a series of entertaining and insightful lessons, Kondo helps Chiaki get her home--and life--in order. This insightful, illustrated case study is perfect for people looking for a fun introduction to the KonMari Method of tidying up, as well as tried-and-true fans of Marie Kondo eager for a new way to think about what sparks joy. Featuring illustrations by award-winning manga artist Yuko Uramoto, this book also makes a great read for manga and graphic novel lovers of all ages.
Review & Feature:
People who know me know that being tidy is essential to my wellbeing. Clutter can bring me to the point of a break down, no joke. So I decided to freshen up and learn a few new strategies via my current favorite format – manga! I loved this manga because it helped me visualize the principles and also brought a cute romance into the story (aka how to get Christy on board)
The principles of tidying up are (in my words):
- Visualize your tidy life
- Discard anything that doesn’t spark joy
- Tidy by category
- Fold your clothes
- Only keep books you loved
- Toss all papers except what you know you need again
- Live in the moment (aka think deeply about those sentimental items)
- Designate a home for each thing
For me, the take away was the joy piece. I constantly declutter but I find myself holding onto stuff because it was a gift or a significant amount of money. I had a talk with myself and did three rounds of cleaning in my closet. I also had a secondary talk about being more mindful in the things I buy. One of my goals in 2019 is to buy less, waste less.
Before I started my official tidy journey, I had done a round of cleaning in my closet and my shoes. I had 5 bags of stuff to donate and my closet still felt stuffed. Enter tidying, which introduced me to a new way to organize (plus a second look, which lead to another 3 bags headed to donation).
I regularly assess my books so I didn’t think I had much to do there. If you’ve been watching bookish Twitter, you might have seen the debate over Marie Kondo’s book collection assessment.
Personally, it aligns with how I typically go through my books and with one eye on JOY, I was able to make a major cut of the ARCs I will never read (they’re all going to the homes of friends or the little free libraries in my neighborhood tomorrow!).
Now that I’ve done my closet, books, vanity, and fridge, I can’t wait to dive into my kitchen. We did a cursory round when we packed for the remodel and once the kitchen is done, it’s on! I highly recommend you check out the manga, show, illustrated, or original book (have I consumed all the media? yes.) and fill your home with items that bring you joy today!
