Spark Joy by Marie Kondō

Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up
by Marie Kondō
Ten Speed Press, 2016
291 pages
source: library

Description (from goodreads):
Marie Kondo’s unique KonMari Method of tidying up is nothing short of life-changing—and her first book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, has become a worldwide sensation. In Spark Joy, Kondo presents an in-depth, illustrated manual on how to declutter and organize specific items throughout the house, from kitchen and bathroom items to work-related papers and hobby collections. User-friendly line drawings illustrate Kondo’s patented folding method as it applies to shirts, pants, socks, and jackets, as well as images of properly organized drawers, closets, and cabinets. This book is perfect for anyone who wants a home—and life—that sparks joy.

My thoughts:

Though I did not love The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (my review), it inspired one of the most thorough closet purges and reorganizations of my life. I truly embraced Kondo's call to declutter, pare down, and organize until I was left with only those items which "spark joy".

In Spark Joy, she reminds us of the main principles in Life-Changing Magic, but also offers more detailed instructions for folding clothing, dealing with kimono, etc. Kondō continues to to encourage us to speak to our possessions and even mentions their "auras" one or twice... I'd say the degree of weirdness has remained a constant.

"If you are wondering whether to hang or fold a skirt, the rule of thumb is to hang only those items that look happier when hung." 

I don't know about you, but it never occurred to me to consider whether the clothes in my closet look happy or not.

The book has some cute illustrations,

but is a half page about folding bras really necessary? 

A few points I noted:

• All items (komono) must be sorted before deciding where/how to store them, so things will get worse before they get better.
• Handle each item individually and ask whether it sparks joy... however, for books in a series it is permissible to embrace the whole stack ;-)
• Make the dishes you love the ones you use every day.

Overall, there is not much new here and most of it is common sense, at least to me - an organized, tidy person by nature. Toward the end, I was skimming more than reading.

Bottom line: Not much new, not as inspiring as The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and not really worth purchasing. Borrow it from the library if you're curious... you may pick up a tip or two.