Spark Joy by Marie Kondo
Spark Joy is the companion book to the best-selling The Life Changing Art of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Before I begin my review I do want to say a couple of words about the KonMari method. I got the Life Changing Art about 6 months ago from the library and I kind of forgot about it, rushed through the book and then I had to return it. I didn't really take any actions and didn't feel strongly either way about the KonMari method. I started watching videos on YouTube and reading blogs on KonMari and I realized that there are two very distinct camps. You have the KonMari converts whose lives have been changed by this phenomenon and on the other side you have the folks who thinks that the KonMari Method is unrealistic and more drastically "crazy". I've seen the method discussed in a positive light and also as the butt of jokes.
Around October I decided to read it again a second time and then things just started to click. KonMari is probably one of the best self-help books I've ever read because I learned a lot about myself and the obstacles I've set up in terms of cleaning and de-cluttering. I still to this day don't do the process 100% the way Kondo insist they must be done but to me being able to understand the relationship between clutter and my anxiety is a more useful and practical lesson. .
Spark Joy is meant for people who have taken up the KonMari Method because it is set up more like an illustrated Master Class. Kondo gives readers more in-depth and specific clarifications on her method as you would if you hire her as a consultant. She includes a lot more examples and the illustrated images are instructions on how to fold clothing items and how to set up ideal rooms that'll spark joy.
The book is separated into three different parts.
Part I - KonMari Master Tips
Part II- The Tidying Encyclopedia
Part III- Life Changing Magic
1. Choosing what you keep and not about what you are throwing away.
2. Throwing away everything isn't going to bring you joy but rather choosing things that brings you joy. "The act of discarding things on it's own will never bring joy to your life." - Kondo
3. The difference between cleaning (you vs. nature) and tidying up (you vs. your belongings)
4. Tidy by items/themes not by location
She then went on to discuss things like how to fill your home with joy and how it's okay to keep gray zone items with confidence. If you aren't sure that you want throw it out, keep it around and see if you have a better handle on it at a later time but Kondo's point is not to hide it and forget it. She then starts to introduce the concept of storage and planning storage instead of buying unnecessary storage items which just hides your clutter instead of dealing with it.
Kondo has an actual flow chart for tidying which starts with clothing and ends with sentimental items but she is also big believer in not starting with the hardest most emotional items so I actually started with what she would probably consider Komono which is make-up. So find what works for you.
That's essentially the book in a nutshell. Again it's really hard to summarize because she talks about the same things that she introduced in the Life Changing Art but more in-depth with explanations and images.
If you want to learn more about Marie Kondo, NYTimes last month ran an article on Kondo's Decluterring Empire.
As always, thanks for reading!
I received this book for free in exchange of an honest review, no other compensation was received. Most products on my blog have been purchased by me (unless stated like this one) and I will be honest about my reviews and will only work with brands who truly have great products. Please check out my full disclaimer page if you have any questions. Following guidelines provided under FTC 16 CFR, Part 225.
Around October I decided to read it again a second time and then things just started to click. KonMari is probably one of the best self-help books I've ever read because I learned a lot about myself and the obstacles I've set up in terms of cleaning and de-cluttering. I still to this day don't do the process 100% the way Kondo insist they must be done but to me being able to understand the relationship between clutter and my anxiety is a more useful and practical lesson. .
Spark Joy
The book is separated into three different parts.
Part I - KonMari Master Tips
Part II- The Tidying Encyclopedia
Part III- Life Changing Magic
KonMari Master Tips
The first couple of chapters Kondo re-hashed some of the points that she introduced in her first book which are:1. Choosing what you keep and not about what you are throwing away.
2. Throwing away everything isn't going to bring you joy but rather choosing things that brings you joy. "The act of discarding things on it's own will never bring joy to your life." - Kondo
3. The difference between cleaning (you vs. nature) and tidying up (you vs. your belongings)
4. Tidy by items/themes not by location
She then went on to discuss things like how to fill your home with joy and how it's okay to keep gray zone items with confidence. If you aren't sure that you want throw it out, keep it around and see if you have a better handle on it at a later time but Kondo's point is not to hide it and forget it. She then starts to introduce the concept of storage and planning storage instead of buying unnecessary storage items which just hides your clutter instead of dealing with it.
The Tidying Encyclopedia
The book then transitions to Part II which is the encyclopedia portion. This part contains a lot of images some of which you can see on YouTube. There are different ways she recommends folding and storing clothing items. She covers the process of tidying books, papers, komono or knick knacks (cds, dvds, medicines, collectibles, hobbies, linen and beddings, toys, seasonal items, etc) and finally sentimental items.Kondo has an actual flow chart for tidying which starts with clothing and ends with sentimental items but she is also big believer in not starting with the hardest most emotional items so I actually started with what she would probably consider Komono which is make-up. So find what works for you.
Life Changing Magic
The last part is just more recommendation on how to maximize the joy in the different rooms of your home which I find interesting. She talks more specifically by room (rather than themes) which is different but it's more of the continuation of her method that you should tidy first and then organize later. There's images of her "ideal" vanity, bathroom, bookshelves, etc. There's also an explanation on storing "like-items" which she didn't go in-depth in the first book and I also didn't find this particular section on the first book practical. In this book however, she made more clarifications on how books for example should be store in a way that'll make sense. So cookbooks should be in the kitchen instead of your office bookshelf in the second floor of your home. That's essentially the book in a nutshell. Again it's really hard to summarize because she talks about the same things that she introduced in the Life Changing Art but more in-depth with explanations and images.
If you want to learn more about Marie Kondo, NYTimes last month ran an article on Kondo's Decluterring Empire.
As always, thanks for reading!
I received this book for free in exchange of an honest review, no other compensation was received. Most products on my blog have been purchased by me (unless stated like this one) and I will be honest about my reviews and will only work with brands who truly have great products. Please check out my full disclaimer page if you have any questions. Following guidelines provided under FTC 16 CFR, Part 225.
