Happy New Year’s Day! Okay, so we’re coming back in full wedding-force on Monday, but I just had to pop in and share this amazing new book with you. If you want to make your home happier, your place cleaner, your motivation higher, your joy brighter, and your day-to-days more fulfilling, then you need The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up in your life. Around here, we traditionally talk wedding books and all things wedding, but this book applies because it will make your life more organized. As a result, you’ll be able to organize your wedding planning even better — and you’ll be a happy bride. (And we all know a happy bride/wife = a happy life. Haha) Plus, this book is a must-have for everyone — your mother, your sister, your best friend, your father, your brother, your neighbor, your co-worker… the list goes on. So, why is this book so life-changing? Read on to find out…

Tidying Up with the KonMari Method

Some of the most life-changing books leap into your lap unexpectedly, as this book did for me. I was browsing a bookstore before Christmas and flipped through it, immediately intrigued by the front cover. The words leaped out at me: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing. Hmmm, I thought, this sounds interesting. I’m wedding obsessed, but my second passion is things related to the home. Storage. Tidying. Cleaning. De-cluttering. You would think my home would be in great order by now, but, sadly, it is not. And darnit, 2016 is going to be my year. So I flipped through the pages and made a note to check out the reviews first. And without a doubt, this book is an incredibly popular read with over 3 million copies sold and over 7,000 wonderfully positive reviews from other people like me who whole-heartedly love this book. It changes your life because it demonstrates an easy, anyone-can-do-it way to declutter your home or business once and for all – and once you do it, with a method author Marie Kondo demonstrates, you’ll never go back to your old messy self again. Instead, you’ll fill your home and life with joy.

The book was published in 2014, and has quickly become a best seller. Even some celebs dig it, like Jamie Lee Curtis, who says,

[su_quote]. . . a literal how-to-heave-ho, and I recommend it for anyone who struggles with the material excess of living in a privileged society. (Thanks to Ms. Kondo, I kiss my old socks goodbye.) … To show you how serious my respect for Ms. Kondo is: if I ever get a tattoo, it will say, Spark Joy!” — Jamie Lee Curtis, TIME[/su_quote]

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is currently #1 in ‘Books’ on Amazon (that’s huge!) and has over 7,000 gleaming positive reviews.

Late night after eating way too many Christmas cookies and doing some late-night reading on my tablet, I recalled the book. I looked up reviews. I hopped over to my Kindle app and, without hesitation, clicked ‘purchase’. And I am so glad I did.

About the Book

The author, Marie Kondo, will quickly become your new BFF. She’s sort of tough, like a tidying drill sargeant, but also funny and full of life like your best friend who just came over to chat over coffee. She shares some of her own personal stories of her life as a tidying-obsessed guru, describing her many attempts at the ultimate goal of tidying up, even divulging secrets on what doesn’t work and what actually does. Ms. Kondo doesn’t just have a passion for cleaning house; she is a professional tidyer and is a Japanese-based business owner who is a professional tidyer. She goes into people’s homes and businesses and helps them declutter once and for all. But she doesn’t just tidy up and clean their space: she works on a thorough evaluation to find out why their place is such a mess. She gets deep down to the heart of the issue. She says that even the most lazy person who fears they’ll clean and everything will just get messy again can be transformed into a tidying pro using her trademark KonMari Method, which you’ll learn about in full detail in the book. The best part is she states that zero of her clients to-date have ever “rebounded”, meaning they have never fallen back into their old ways of living in a cluttered, inefficient, and downright messy home or business.

Sparking Joy

One of my favorite parts of the book is how she teaches you how to tidy up. She discusses how people tidy up every day or every few days, but they’re not doing it right. Her method is better. It’s not just about moving things around and putting them away. She insists on giving each item in your life a purpose. I also love how she states that no place is too small, and no closet is too tiny: everyone has just the right amount of space they need, and that people have cluttered homes because they have too many things, no place to put them, and not enough time to use it all. It is in this that she teaches you to really let go of the things that you no longer need. In fact, she teaches you how to choose to keep only things that spark joy, giving you the tools you need to know on how to discern what types of items to keep, how to organize them properly, and how to do it in such a way that you will never have to be burdened by stuff again.

It’s really amazing stuff. This is the real deal.

What Can I Get Out of It?

I’m going to assume that everyone could use a little tidying up or de-cluttering in their lives, even if you think your space is fairly comfortable right now. This book will show you how to live in such a way that your possessions have a home; everything in your home sparks joy. And, to be honest, the amount you learn in this book pays for itself many times over. (It’s only $10!).

By reading this book, you’ll benefit from many things, including:

1) proper knowledge of organization tips and practices
2) learn how to get rid of things you don’t need *without guilt*
3) find out what you are doing wrong when it comes to tidying up
4) find yourself enjoying life more, due to your new appreciation of materials and more time to enjoy them

And this is just the beginning. She explains this in such a way that it feels like you’re chatting with your BFF. And she empowers you to do it.

I began reading it last week and finished it so quickly, but it was hard to not put the book down and get to work right away decluttering and re-organizing my space. You’ll see what I mean when you read it. Plus, she helps you identify the true reason why you should want to make your space more enjoyable: it helps you achieve other goals in life, whether it be to get more fit, spend more time relaxing, have extra time to bake or cook or hone a hobby, and spend less time wasted looking for things or sorting through things you don’t use, need, or want.

I know I could keep going on, but I just feel so inspired! I had to share it with everyone I know. Have you ever read a book and just found it to be so enlightening that you began telling everyone you know about it? Yeah, that’s how I feel! And this is not a paid endorsement or anything, just one girl’s opinion and hope that it helps someone else who is reading this.

I’m about to embark on my ‘complete tidy-up’ this week and I couldn’t be more thrilled. You’ll know what it entails if you read the book. And I totally recommend this version because it’s digital so it takes up no space. I think Marie Kondo would be proud.

It’s an easy read, a fun read, a fast read, and a cheap read. And it will inspire you like never before.

Okay, now go on and get your house in order! You can grab a copy under $10 here. And if you do, please tell me what you think in the comments section! I know this post is non-wedding related, but it counts as a New Year’s resolution post, so let’s just go with it. :)

xox
Emma

P.S. Okay, back to wedding business on Monday, so bring your A-game! ;)