Spark Joy: An Illustrated Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying Up

While this is an extreme example, a surprisingly high percentage of my clients have costume-like clothes. To name just a few, I have encountered a Chinese dress, a maid’s outfit, and a belly-dancing costume. If the client loves it, parting with it can be very hard. If it brings you joy, but you can’t see yourself wearing it outside, there’s no reason you shouldn’t wear it inside.

When we do feel torn about something, there are three possible reasons: the item once brought us joy but has fulfilled its purpose; it does bring us joy but we don’t realize it; or we need to keep it regardless of whether or not it sparks joy.

Feelings of fascination, excitement, or attraction are not the only indications of joy. A simple design that puts you at ease, a high degree of functionality that makes life simpler, a sense of rightness, or the recognition that a possession is useful in our daily lives—these, too, indicate joy.

After discarding a hammer because the handle was worn out, I used my frying pan to pound in any nails

“This doesn’t particularly thrill me, but I need it, don’t I?” This is a common refrain, and my response is always this: If it really doesn’t spark joy, go ahead and discard it!

The best way to identify what does or doesn’t bring you joy is to compare

If a room becomes cluttered “before you know it,” it is entirely your own doing. In other words, tidying up means confronting yourself.

In contrast, dirt does accumulate of its own accord. It is a law of nature that dust and dirt pile up. Therefore, cleaning means confronting nature.

Tidying deals with objects; cleaning deals with dirt. Both are aimed at making a room look clean, but tidying means moving objects and putting them away, while cleaning means wiping and sweeping away dirt.

The words tidying and cleaning are often used synonymously, but they are two completely different things

The criterion for deciding what to keep and what to discard is whether or not something sparks joy. When deciding, it’s important to touch it, and by that, I mean holding it firmly in both hands as if communing with it.