Thrift shops are thrilled for the success of this decluttering book

Have you read Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" yet? If not, you might be in the minority. This instant bestseller has swept people up in a frenzy of decluttering, destashing, and general closet-emptying. To such an extent that thrift store donations are measurably on the rise. Crain's Chicago Business discovered that Goodwill donations in one Chicago neighborhood for the month of January (the book was published in the United States in October) were up by 12 percent over the previous year.

 

Kondo is an organizing consultant in Japan, and her success there has easily translated to booming sales in America. Kondo's book is hitting a nerve with readers, who face overstuffed closets, cluttered end tables, and bookshelves groaning with collectibles and books.

 

Kondo's main thesis is that you should get rid of anything that doesn't "spark joy" when you see it. This includes wedding keepsakes, travel trinkets, and even family photographs. Kondo takes a hard line: for example, she makes a persuasive case that you should pull every single family photograph out of your albums, then pick out the ones that give you joy, and throw the rest away.

 

It's hard to let go of things you have an emotional attachment to, but which don't actually bring you joy. As someone who is doing a massive cull in preparation for a cross-country move, I am currently embroiled in this struggle in a big way!