Have you heard of this book?
OMG, you haven’t?
OMG, let me tell you all about it.
This book changed my life.
I am not joking.
I had coffee with a buddy a few months ago. She works for a local bookstore and reads a trillion books a week. I have no idea how many she actually reads, but every time I see her, she recommends at least 6 to me.
One of her most recent recommendations was The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: Japanese Voodoo for Getting Your Shit Together. I might have modified the subtitle.
But seriously, this is voodoo.
Marie Kondo writes a beautifully simple book where she very candidly talks about her personal obsession with tidying that started from a young age. She tells you in a no nonsense way how to manage your stuff. Because you have too much stuff.
I listened to the audiobook and then got the physical book from the library so I could have the methods physically in my hands. If it weren’t contrary to the very principles of the book, I would’ve bought it. I may still buy it and start a version of a chain letter where the book gets sent around the country to all those people who are ridiculously overwhelmed by their stuff.
My husband and I live in a small-ish house. It’s not one of those super tiny houses, but for an American house, it’s smaller. We both moved in together and did just fine for the first 5 years together. But now we’re looking to start a family and our “storage room” would be the main contender for a nursery. The problem is that it’s storage.
Enter Marie Kondo.
Husband was less enthusiastic about the book if only because the narrator on the audiobook didn’t jive with him (I’m in love with her). Her voice was a little too lull-y for his tired brain (because he has too much stuff). But he’s following the methodology with me as I go through each category.
I would give you the summary of what you do, but truly it would be undercutting the beauty and simplicity of the method. Reading the book made it seem so easy. And so far, it has been. Truly. We’ve cleaned out a ton of clothes, books, and papers. Next is tackling all the miscellany like CDs, DVDs, kitchen goods, and household goods.
I can’t wait. I only wish I had taken a picture of all the stuff we got rid of before we got rid of it.
Why is this pertinent to Organizational Development?
Without a clean home or work space, your brain gets ridiculously cluttered. And if you’re like any other American, I bet you have an excess of stuff because marketing. If your brain is cluttered, your ability to have clean and intentional interactions is compromised because of all the open loops your brain is trying to manage. Like where you stashed that thing you need but can’t remember because you have so much stuff you just put it in the first place you could find.
But seriously, on a neurobiological level, your brain can only manage so many open loops until it starts to implode. Just think about the time you had a to-do list the was just overflowing. You know what I’m talking about. The holidays usually bring this sort of thing on.
So do yourself a favor. Get the book, either in audio- or e- or other book form. It’s a snap to read.
