Are you tired of getting one room organized only to have your work undone when you move on to the next? If so, you will be thrilled to learn the KonMari Method as described by Marie Kondo in “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.” Translator Cathy Hirano has now made this book accessible for English speakers. You might recognize Kondo and her methods from her TV show. However, this guide gets you more in-depth with the techniques and explanations. Once you are done, you will be able to see your house as a friend instead of just a structure.

Readers will encounter her trademark endearing phrase as they look at the items in their homes and ask themselves: Do these things “spark joy”? You will have to get comfortable with talking to yourself as you tidy. While Kondo insists on tidying up marathon-style, she also chunks the tasks out by category. You must address these categories in her prescribed order to achieve success through her methods. She cautions against beginning with sentimental items that will slow down the process. A good number of pages also focus on folding methods for clothes to maximize drawer space.

Simple, consolidated storage solutions are key in her book. However, she does not push readers to spend money on commercial storage or fancy containers when they can upcycle what they have already. Some of her decluttering advice may seem challenging. For example, she tells readers to get rid of all unread books, any photographs that are not displayed regularly, and sentimental items that one would normally store away for years on end. However, the idea is that these items cannot spark joy for you if you only ever look at them once every decade or so. She stresses the importance of using your intuition to make these tough calls.