The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

By: Marie Kondo

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles? Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you'll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo's clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house "spark joy" (and which don't), this international bestseller featuring Tokyo's newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home-and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

©2014 Marie Kondo (P)2015 Tantor

Critic Reviews

"Ms. Kondo delivers her tidy manifesto like a kind of Zen nanny, both hortatory and animistic." (The New York Times)

"Narrator Emily Woo Zeller captures the voice of author Marie Kondo so perfectly that it's as if the Japanese de-cluttering guru is speaking in person." (AudioFile)

This should've been a magazine article.

What would have made The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up better?

By the time you get thru 2 chapters your entire house could've been spic and span & you still wouldn't have learned anything new.
All she says is - Throw things away. Imagine how you want your room to look. Then clean it. Put things away. Think about your loved ones having to clean your house out after you die & make decisions based on that.

I just saved you one credit & hours of your life.

What could Marie Kondo have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Written a one page magazine article rather than saying the same thing over and over again to make it a book.
People don't care that she wanted to clean her room instead of studying.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Emily Woo Zeller?

Anyone who could make a point rather than rambling on and on.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger at myself for wasting my time listening.

Concept is good, but...

I listened to this at the recommendation of my wife. I was all for living simply by tidying our space. Personally, this book lost me in talking about how my socks "feel" being rolled up or that I need to thank my shoes for the work they do each day. That's just not my thing.

I both love and hate this life changing book

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up?

At one point this woman tells the reader that they will love folding. I have a clean laundry basket and a dirty laundry basket, and i always have, because i hate folding. When i first listened to the narrator tell me this I audibly laughed. Absurd! Well 2 weeks later, I am finished with the clothes, books, and papers section of her guide and I just realized I didnt dread folding my clothes this weekend... I refuse to say that I love folding but saying that I dont dread/hate it is a huge step. I am so annoyed that she is right, and so happy to have amazing drawers.

I would describe my entire experience of the book like this. I am so annoyed with whatever she is saying and yet I want to do everything she is saying and in the end every step of hers that I have followed has been revolutionary for my life.

How annoyingly wonderful.

Definitely one of the best books on the subject

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I have well over 100 books in my Audible library now, and while I came across several really excellent ones, this was the one that compelled me to write a review for the first time. I would definitely recommend this to a friend and have done so already. It is a fascinating listen. The author approaches such a mundane task as tidying with such passion, creativity and inspiration that I am absolutely amazed. I loved her very last chapter as well, where she points out that if you (the reader) pour as much passion into what you do, the results will surpass all expectations. It felt to me that Marie Kondo uses "tidying" as therapy sessions. I have finished her book in two long commutes during this cold and snowy Chicago winter. It was perfect, not too intense and yet so much to think about - my own home, things I possess and why. One other very interesting thing to me was that being a Japanese she describes how things are in Japanese households. I have travelled to Japan many times and I know that Japanese houses are much smaller than those in the US on average. Thus it was very fascinating how the author addressed the need for storing things in a Japanese home.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up?

Her approach to life - surround yourself with things (and people for that matter) that "spark joy" - so easy, yet makes so much sense.

Any additional comments?

I also loved the narrator. She did a superb job especially pronouncing Japanese words. Oftentimes narrators butcher foreign words, but Emily did a fantastic job. I enjoyed this listen a lot!

This book brings me joy!!

As a person burdened with the possessions of a seven person household (and a pooch), I finally can see my way past the clutter and on to a "tidier" life. (By the way, I despise the word "de-clutter"... now it's "tidying up"!) The simplistic yet profound methods & thought processes introduced in this book have finally inspired me, not overwhelmed me. It was presented in a manner I could understand and relate to. I have started with my own clothes (first!!) and will continue with MY possesssions BEFORE I attempt to tidy-up my family. I feel freedom already. Thanks Marie Kondo!!

Life-changing Indeed

I listened to this book several months ago-- twice. It's short and entertaining and easy to follow. Most importantly, it's changed my life. In the last few months, I've decluttered my bedroom closet, linen closet, hall closet, dresser drawers, bathroom, bookshelves, junk drawer, and office. Next up are the kitchen and garage. I feel so much better with my possessions winnowed down and organized. The book really has brought me joy.

Okay Concepts but Horribly Written and Narrated

Narration is almost as if read by a computer program with random bursts of emphasis. Writing is self-absorbed and redundant about a simple subject. The concepts of this book, although extremely helpful, can be summarized onto one sheet of paper, and this book is an obvious money-grab typical of the modern guru-giddy world.

Robot voice

There were some interesting points in here.
Some of it seems more of a "sounds good in theory" but doesn't sound realistic in practice. I also feel the author fosters a culture of waste. Advising to just throw everything away and buy it again if you ever need it again.
Also the narrator sounded like a text to speech program at times. If not text to speech, than the overhead voice at the airport.

Inspirational

Book exceeded my expectations. At long last I can let go of "things ". I have more time to do the things that add joy to my life. I no longer have to spend hours trying to find items in the house which were hidden by clutter. My blood pressure has improved. Life-Changing is an understatement!

Drivel, drivel, drivel

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This a ludicrous book. Two types of people would enjoy it: those who feel their lives are out of control but who'd rather read about fixing it than actually fix it; the other type are OCDs like the author, who, by the way, sounds like she's still a kid living at home.I wonder how she'll feel at 40 with a houseful of kids.

Would you ever listen to anything by Marie Kondo again?

Not unless she learns how to write, stop talking about herself and gets a good editor.

What didn’t you like about Emily Woo Zeller’s performance?

Actually, I liked her performance just fine. I didn't want to give any extra "stars" for this book because I don't want people to feel there's anything redeeming in it.

What character would you cut from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up?

The narrator/author is so smug, so annoying, so obviously obsessed with control, it's hard -- no impossible-- to listen to her. I skipped huge chunks of it just to try to find some useful advice. And I could cut (fire) this woman's editor. Why didn't someone stop this book before it went into print?

Any additional comments?

The author's repetition of her early life as a clean freak was frankly bizarre. If she needed filler, surely she didn't have to repeat exactly the same stories with the same words. This woman had enough information to fill one side of a 3x5 card,. and they let her turn it into a book. I bet there are authors out there with important things to say who aren't getting published because drivel like this does. Drivel, drivel, drivel.