The content discusses Marie Kondo's KonMari method, emphasizing that tidying up is not just about decluttering physical spaces but about transforming one's life by intentionally choosing what "sparks joy" and letting go of what no longer serves them.
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There is an interesting story from Marikondo that is
quite touching for many people. When he was
little he really liked tidying up. Not
because he was told to, but because he felt
it was the only thing he could
control in his crowded house. But
the older he gets, the more he realizes.
Even though he tidies up the house every day, it
still gets messy again. Clothes pile up,
books pile up, and
small items that are supposedly cute
but never used actually take
up space. Until one day he
fainted literally in a pile of his own stuff
. When he woke up, he
realized that all he had done was
rearrange the chaos. not overhauling
from the roots. I think many of us are like
that too. We think, "I'll
clean up after the long weekend, I'll
sort out my clothes when I move in."
But that never comes, and
every time I enter my room, it feels suffocating.
Even though no one's mad, there's no
deadline. But we feel like
running away from home. If
you feel that way,
you're probably not alone, and maybe it's
time we talk about a book that
taught me and many others to see
home and life differently.
Hi, welcome to the Used Books channel
, where we talk about books
without any fuss and you can enjoy it
while cooking, ironing, or just
sitting for a moment to catch your breath.
Today we're discussing a book that's not just about
tidying up, but about tidying up the way
you live. It's called The Life-Changing
Magic of Tie Dying Up by Marikondo.
Let's not just teach us about
throwing things away, but invite us
to choose what deserves to stay
in our lives and what's time to go. Have
you ever felt tired? Even though you have
n't done anything all day. When you wake up,
Feeling weak, seeing a room
that looks like a wreck, suddenly wanting to
pull the blanket back up. I used to feel like
that a lot, and I thought it was just
because I wasn't getting enough sleep. Turns out it wasn't.
According to Marikondo, the things
we keep around have
energy. If you see the
same things every day, the same piles,
tangled cables, boxes with
unknown contents, it all
slowly drains your energy without
you realizing it. Those things are like
whispers in your head. Hey, you haven't
cleaned up after me. When are you going to read about me? The
closet is full, but you keep
adding more. Gradually, you feel overwhelmed.
overwhelmed.
Not because of work, not because of
other people, but because you live in the midst of
thousands of small decisions you haven't resolved.
resolved.
Mari once told a story in her book. Many of
her clients initially came because they
felt unhappy for no reason. But
after their homes were completely cleaned up,
they suddenly slept
better, rarely fought with their partners.
Some even suddenly found the enthusiasm
to start a business. How is that possible? Because it
turns out a messy house
affects your feelings. And your thoughts. A
messy room often starts from an
unsettling room. My friend's name is
Dimas. He works from home, his laptop
on the dining table.
Next to him is a pile of laundry and
behind him are old boxes. He
often says he can't focus even
after drinking two cups of coffee. Until
finally he decided to completely clean the
entire room in one day. After two weeks he
said, "I can now work three hours
nonstop without scrolling through TikTok." He
said, "I just realized, it's not that
I'm unproductive, but
my house that makes me unable to move." From
that I learned. Maybe all this time
we're not tired because we're busy, but
because there's too much visual burden that has
accumulated without us realizing it. Cleaning the house
isn't just about being tidy, but about
letting go of everything that no longer
gives good energy. So you can breathe
more easily and think more clearly. [Music]
[Music]
When I first read the
main principle of Maricondo, I was stunned. He
said, "Choose things that spark joy.
In our language, does this item make you
happy? At first I thought it was
too simple. Is it really just about
feeling? But when I tried it, it turned out that's where
the magic lies. I
took an old sweater that
I used to wear a lot when I was in college. The color
had faded, the collar was a bit torn.
And actually, I hadn't touched it in two years
. But as soon as I
held it, a warm feeling appeared. Memories of riding
motorbikes at night with friends and drinking coffee
together at angkringan. I smiled
to myself. Then I took another
beautiful dress that I bought on sale. But
every time I wanted to wear it, I always canceled
because I wasn't comfortable with the style.
I held it and felt nothing. There
was only one thought, what a shame this is
expensive. Let's say that the only
reason you keep something is
guilt, price, or empty memories.
That's not joy, it's a burden. And
small burdens when collected make
our steps heavy.
Many of us keep things because
we think we'll need it later because it's a gift or that it's too
dear. But those are all just
reasons for not having the courage to let go.
And you know what, letting go doesn't
mean we don't appreciate it. In fact, by
letting go, you give the item a chance
to be useful somewhere else. Let's
even teaches us to say
thank you before letting go.
It sounds strange, but when you
do it sincerely, there is a strange sense of relief
and a feeling of deep peace. I
remember a story from this book very well.
There was a mother who kept all
her children's toys from when they were little. Her closet was
full of dolls, cars, even
baby clothes. She thought it was a form of love. But
after she really chose and
kept the most
meaningful ones, she was able to enjoy
the memories without feeling drowned in
them. Because you see, things are
not just about physical things. They are about
emotional space. Every time you keep something
you don't need, you are making
room for new things that are more in line
with the version of yourself today. So, when
you tidy up, don't ask if you can still
use it? But ask, "Does this thing
still make me happy?" And
believe me, you will start to know who
you are now. [Music]
[Music]
When I first decided to seriously tidy up
, I opened my bedroom closet. Seeing
the pile of clothes, I immediately thought, "
Okay, let's start with the room, the important thing is to be
tidy." But it turns out I took the wrong step.
Mari Kondo says that if we start with the
room, we never really
Finish anything. Because
items from one category
are scattered everywhere.
For example, clothes are in the closet, in the
washing machine, on the clothesline, even in the car. If
you clean your bedroom first, then later
clean the bathroom, living room, and
storage room, you might end up tidying the
same categories over and over again without realizing it.
The result is twice as tiring, and only a short tidying time.
So, let's teach ourselves to tidy
by category, not by
location. And this is the order she
suggests. One, clothes. Two, books, three,
papers. Fourth, komono,
small items like cables,
kitchen utensils, cosmetics, and so on. Five,
items with emotional value.
Why this order? Because the
lower you go, the harder it is to let go.
Clothes are usually the easiest.
The size doesn't fit, the color
is faded, the style is old. But
emotional items like
old letters, gifts from loved ones, or
photos from the past make you emotional. If
you start there first, you might
give up halfway. I used to
pretend to clean my
memory box. I found a letter from An old friend,
then stopped tidying up and instead
reminisced for 2 hours. In the end, the tidying up
wasn't finished, instead it made me even more mentally exhausted.
But when I followed the order, everything became
more focused. Starting with clothes, I was able to
choose more quickly. It turned out there were
so many I didn't wear. They even
still had the price tags on them. After that, I
moved on to books. I kept the ones
I really wanted to read or ones that
had touched my heart. I
let go of the rest. And when it came to the
emotional part, I was ready. Because during
that process, I learned to let go, and
the more I let go, the lighter it
felt. Did you know? Many people
fail at tidying up their homes because they don't
have a system. They just shift
things around, moving them from one room to
another. The goal of tidying up is
n't to make everything look neat, but to
make everything meaningful and in its right place.
Start by category, take all
similar items in one place. Look at them all
at once. Feel the feelings one
by one. Only then will you know which ones are
still worth keeping. And remember, don't
think too long. If you hold
an item and immediately feel
happy, keep it. If you hesitate, that's
usually a sign that the item is... It's
If you've ever felt like it was really hard
to throw away something, you're not
alone. I've done it too. I've even
held back from throwing away my favorite clothes that
were too small. Just because I love them.
Sometimes letting go of things makes us
feel like failures. Failure because we
can't appreciate what someone gave us
. Failure because we're afraid of
regretting it, or failure because we're afraid of
losing memories. But let Kondo
teach you something cool. Letting go of
things doesn't mean you've failed.
Letting go is a sign that you're ready to
move forward. I want to tell you a little about Ani,
my friend who's a super perfectionist. She's
kept old books since high school,
love letters, and worn-out t-shirts from campus events
. She said, "If I throw
them away, I'll feel like I've lost a
part of myself." But when she tried the
Konmari method, she began to realize that
those things are actually just
memories. Memories don't have to be stored
in physical form, piled up and
cluttering up the house. She can actually
remember all of those things without
having to worry about the things. You
know, not letting go is actually a
form of love too. Love for
yourself because you give yourself
space to New things that are more
useful and more relevant to you
today. Many people, especially
millennials, hoard things with the
excuse that they'll need them later. But sometimes
those things only weigh us down and
keep us stuck in the past. Let's
say those things can become burdens
that limit our growth.
If we keep everything,
there's no room for new ideas, change,
and new dreams. There's a story about a
writer who'd been stuck for
years. After he cleaned up his
house and let go of unnecessary items
, inspiration suddenly
came flooding in. He said, "I
just realized that a tidy house makes
my mind tidy too. So, don't be afraid to
let things go. If you've
let go of something, it means you've
taken a big step towards a
lighter life. If you feel sad
or doubtful, that's normal. But just think about it,
you're not losing anything.
You are giving
yourself a chance to be happy in a
One of the things that made me even more
convinced that tidying up can change lives
is the stories of Maricondo's
own clients. Many people who come to him
initially just want their house to look
neat, but the end result is that their lives
change. One of the
most touching stories in this book is
about a woman in her 30s who works
in an office and whose life is super busy. He
lives alone and always feels tired
every time he comes home from work. His house was full of
stuff, full of memories of the past, and
every time he entered the house he didn't feel at
ease. In fact, the house should be a
place to rest, right? When she started
using the Konmari method, she initially thought
it was just about tidying up. But the
deeper he went into the process, the more he
began to realize that there were many things
he didn't really need anymore. It's not just
about things, but also about lifestyle.
When she arrived at the closet cleaning section,
she found an expensive dress that she had
bought for her ex-boyfriend's wedding party.
her ex-boyfriend's wedding party.
The dress was never worn again.
But every time he saw it, he felt
suffocated. Let's teach him to ask one
thing. Does this item still make you
happy? And at that moment he cried.
He realized that all this time he had not
really moved on. The dress is not
just expensive fabric, but a symbol that she
still holds onto the past. Finally,
he hugged the dress for a moment. said
thank you and he put it in the
pile of things to be removed.
After that, a few months later, he
told Mari that he finally dared to
register for the class he had been
afraid of, the art class, and he met
someone who would eventually become
his life partner. It's funny, isn't it, that from a dress that had
been kept for years, she was finally
able to take it off and her life's path was opened up.
opened up.
There's another client of Mari's who previously
never had the confidence to
invite friends to her house because
her house was like a warehouse. After he got
everything in order, he started to open his
doors to others and eventually
even started a business from home. Let's
write. Many people don't realize that
tidying up isn't about the house, but about identity.
identity.
You slowly start to let go of the parts of your
life that no longer fit and you
start to choose the life you truly
want. And this is not just a story, many people
experience this, from
housewives, office workers, to students.
students.
Because anyone can feel
the benefits as long as they have the true intention. So
if you feel stuck, confused about
where to start. Try starting by
tidying up one category of items. Who knows,
it might be the start of something much
After all the tidying up process is
complete, from clothes, books, papers,
small items to objects full of
memories, many people feel like they
have been given a new breath. Not only is the house
more spacious, but the heart is also lighter.
Marikondo writes.
that when someone has
finished a once in a lifetime tie dying
festival, their life often begins to
change slowly but noticeably.
They become calmer, more focused,
and most importantly, they feel like they know more about what
they want. I used to think that a
tidy life was like the life of rich people
who had minimalist houses and
aesthetic decor. It turns out that's not it. A
tidy life is when you only keep what
you need and what you love. Not the
ones you keep because you're afraid,
uncomfortable, or who knows. And from
there a domino effect emerges that you never
expected. You start to realize that
you can also tidy up your relationship. who
previously only persisted because of the unpleasant taste
. Slowly you can let go
with more courage. You can say
no without guilt because you are
used to being selective. You will
choose which jobs make you
grow and which only take up
energy but don't provide meaning. Mari
once said that when you finish cleaning
the house, you will know exactly what
you really want to do with your life.
your life.
And that's true. Because when the
unimportant things are gone, you can be
more honest with yourself. You can
ask yourself, "What kind of life do I actually
want to live?"
And you can hear the answer
clearly without any noise from outside or
from inside your own home. There are also those
who feel that after tidying up they
save more. Not because they are stingy, but
because they no longer shop
impulsively. They buy something because they
need it, because they like it, not because it's on sale.
Because they know that if the item
enters the house, it must have a place.
And the place is expensive. Cleaning up
teaches us something that not many people
teach. Limit. The line between enough and
too much. Between what's important and what's
just passing through. And once you
know those limits, you can start to organize
your life according to your own wishes.
Not following the crowd, not to
look cool, and not because I'm afraid of being left behind.
Marikondo once said, every item
we keep must bring happiness.
happiness.
And from there I realized that maybe all
this time we were not tired because life was
too hard, but because
we were carrying too much. However, not
everything has to be maintained. Starting
today, try asking yourself slowly
. What really makes me
happy? Whether it's things, work,
relationships, or even the way you see
yourself. Because when you dare to
let go, that's when new space appears
for things that are more meaningful,
lighter, and more you. Thank you
for listening to this narrative with me on the
Used Books channel. If you like
content like this, don't forget to subscribe
and click the book link in the description if
you want to read the full version.
See you in the next book story
and may your home and your heart always
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