Last week I read Marie Kondo’s “The life-changing magic of tidying up”. Or more accurately, I should say last Thursday I read Marie Kondo’s “The life-changing magic of tidying up”. Instead of working, I ended up reading the book for most of the day. This was actually the first time as far as I can remember that I finished a book within one day. (The book is somewhat short, though.)

 

So since last Saturday, I am in the midst of a major tidying operation in my office and my home. Some results can already be seen.

But Marie Kondo’s method not only involves radically reducing your possessions to only the things that you truly enjoy. It also includes amazing tips on how to keep your things organised and store your stuff.

 

But more important than the difference on the outside is the difference in my happiness level. I started to actually look forward to going home or to my office. And I already feel that as a result of this ongoing tidying exercise, I will stop constantly thinking about buying new stuff, because I don’t want to lose my hard-won clear space and happiness. And I also realised that I already have quite a lot of things that I really do like. Stop buying stuff was indeed one of my major goals for this year. I never thought that tidying up could do the job.

 

What it also shows is the value of trying to read different books. You never know what to expect. Nine times out of ten I find that what I read is not very impactful, but once in a while I discover something amazing. The book may not make a huge difference to people who are a very tidy and disciplined, but if you are messy, it could be a life-changing read.