Are you seeking clarity in your mind or in your physical surroundings? Then check out these articles.

I've had Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up recommended to me before. Now, the organizing guru has a new book, titled Spark Joy. Per this short write-up in New Statesman, Kondo's self-help method is one that "seeks to change our relationship with our possessions in a way that neither diminishes their importance, nor excuses piles of meaningless clutter." That definitely sounds like something I could use in my life! Kondo's books are held by Daniel Boone Regional Library. And the article, which appeared in the January 22 issue, can be read online or in Ellis's current periodicals section.

Though I don't have a background in science, almost every issue of the magazine New Scientist has a headline that catches my eye. The cover of the January 30 issue asks, "Who Do You Think You Are? Why we can't see our inner selves clearly." An intriguing topic, for sure! The article is by Emma Young, a science and health journalist, whose most recent book is Sane: How I shaped my mind, improved my mental strength and found calm. To summarize the article: the problem of self-evaluation is a bit of a paradox — humans are bad at assessing our own qualities and skills (such as intelligence, friendliness, or athleticism), but one reason for this is that we know our inner workings too well and can therefore be more critical of ourselves than an outsider would be. You can read the full article in print in Ellis, or you can read it online through EBSCOhost following its 30-day embargo.