'Trying to Get Your Home to Look Like a Hotel Room Is an Impossible Task So Stop Trying'

That’s the message from this article about Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing:

Suddenly Kmart releases more junk in rose gold and Aldi starts selling an ugly chair and all of a sudden devotees’ homes are cluttered again. What to do? They need to repurchase Kondo’s bible. It’s a dangerous cycle.

Trying to get your home to look like a hotel room is an impossible task so stop trying. It’s like hoping to achieve the elusive “inbox zero”. The second you’ve achieved it, an avalanche of crud tips down around you and you’ve got to start again.

No one has time to origami their clothes and jigsaw them together in the drawer of a Danish sideboard…

I know many people who have tried and failed the KonMari way of life. Some stopped midway. Others got to the bagging stage and now have crap piled up either at their front door or in the boot of their car. Like the hand wash only clothes on the random bedroom chair, these bags of miscellaneous junk will not reach another destination.

The lack of success these friends and colleagues have had is unsurprising. They — like their homes — are all complete messes and they’re never going to change.

And neither are you. So stop origami-ing your T-shirts immediately.

I think Kondo’s method is a bit overwhelming. I’m happy that I now have one bookshelf that is not double-booked. I actually prefer the book The Joy of Less: A Minimalist Guide to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify because it is easy and lets you feel good about just getting rid of a few things. It’s something anyone can achieve even if they are a “mess.”