Lydia's Page

My parents were and are extremely cluttered people. Growing up, I remember feeling constantly stressed by the amount of stuff in our home. I didn't want anyone to come over because I was embarrassed by their inability to act like adults and clean up after themselves. Even now, my mom is a borderline hoarder. As a result, I've always been obsessed with minimizing my possessions, organizing, finding clever storage tricks, and cleaning up. Vacuuming is so fun to me that it doesn't even feel like a chore.

Given this history, I may be biased, but I loved this little book. It's a quick read and while it has its oddities and Marie Kondo can come off as a bit kooky at times, she's utterly endearing in her earnest belief that tidying can transform your life. The main message is that there's no big secret, no storage solution will fix everything... you just need to get rid of things that don't belong in your life. The "does it spark joy?" approach might not work for everyone (probably not for me) but I think physically confronting your belongings, picking up each thing and thinking about why you have it, is a great way to determine whether or not they belong in your life.

The tips about folding your clothes and arranging them vertically in your drawers rather than stacking them have radically transformed my dresser. I unballed my socks and tights, folded them neatly, and arranged them in shoeboxes inside my dresser. It looks so much nicer now and I feel better as a result. So, yes, I was already obsessed with decluttering, organizing, and cleaning, but I liked this so much that I'm recommending it to everyone. Go forth and free yourselves of clutter!!