Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up” is a must read if you find yourself surrounded by clutter and mess or if you just want some tips on organization. The book has achieved a cult like following with people wanting to simplify their lives. Although some of her decluttering techniques are a little over the top for me, I love her phrases and complete enthusiasm toward her subject matter. Some of the highlights:

• She advises to focus on what to keep, not what we want to get rid of.
• The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to “take each item in one’s hand and ask: does this spark joy?”
• Clutter creates stress- imagine a life style that contains only things that you love.
• Organize by category and not place- i.e. edit all of your clothing at once (not seasonally)
• Remove all related objects and place on floor- things stored out of sight are dormant.
• Don’t let your family see what you are discarding and don’t give them your discards, “what you don’t need, your family doesn’t either”.
• “To truly cherish the things that are important to you, you must first discard those that have outlived their purpose.”
• Forget fancy storage containers- what you have will suffice.
• Don’t stack clothing, fold and store horizontally
• Touch each item to see if there is still a thrill of joy when your hand contacts the item.

There are many more tips but mostly there is a lot of dialogue about what clutter does to your soul and how riding the clutter sets your spirit free- something definitely to think about. What do you think? What are your best decluttering tips? I would love to hear from you.