The KonMarie method

snoozer

I too am picking and choosing my activities. I am just about to do paperwork and know that I will be keeping a lot more than she says. I have been doing komono as well and am finding it easy to discard things. My DH is not on board with this at all - I've been very low key about it but I'm finding his lack of discrimination a bit irritating.
I did kondo one of his books and wouldn't you know that he spotted it - not that he has ever read it or likely would have. I just pretended I'd put it somewhere else and he was happy!

iQueen

I forgot to add that I have started to thank and 'verbally cherish' some of my things! Woo hoo!

I thanked a sentimental item, early in the journey, when I binned it and it did make it easier to part with.

Recently, I have been thanking (and encouraging!) my ancient car, on almost each journey for the joy it gives me. I also thank my lovely hyacinths, daily, for their scent and beauty. I rescued them from a pot discarded last year, for planting in the garden, which had never happened! The sight of them struggling to grow, in a tipped over pot, without compost, moved me to repot them and put them on the kitchen window-sill. They are bringing me SO much joy! :dance:

Silly, though it seems, thanking some joyful things, is helping me to recognise just what does bring me true joy. This in turn, helps me to discard stuff that is irrelevant to my life.

oceanspirit

Good for you Birdie and 115K. I just don't understand why we're supposed to wear black and grey during the winter. Lots of colour in my wardrobe.

Lovely friend has helped me Kondo clothes today and 3 carrier bags plus one ragbag will go to CS. Lovely to be reunited with things I have forgotten about although embarrassed that all my jeans bar one pair have gone into the ragbag! I shall need to get some more. Apart from the jeans I shouldn't need to buy any clothes for a good few years. That's a very satisfying thought as I'm another one who can't stand clothes shopping.

Will continue clearing papers out of the office and another friend will help me clear out the wardrobe top cupboard at the weekend. Hopefully next week the place will start to feel better - lots of things lying around at the moment waiting to go into their new homes or to be taken away.


Friend asked me for a carrier bag the other day as they had moved from their usual place. I threw him a samosa - he didn't say anything, just laughed!

LizzieR

You're all so inspiring with the progress being made! It's really great to read how everyone is getting on, as well as hearing about some of the challenges people are facing. Knowing that I'm not the only one who has things that are difficult to part with - in spite of all logic telling me otherwise can really help me make decisions!


As others have said, I am not following everything in the book, but am taking the things that work for me. Unlike any other method I've tried though this one makes more sense to me and has made it easier to discard things that don't bring me joy! I've also noticed that I often hold onto things because of feelings of guilt - they were gifts, they were expensive, etc, but I'm now able to get rid of them. The idea that they have done their job by showing me what does/doesn't suit me, demonstrating love and friendship in the form of gifts, given me a boost at the time of purchase and so on is inspired! I don't have to hold onto the item itself, and things I acquired in my twenties or thirties don't necessarily work for me now I've reached my forties.


Today I have been through a stack of folders, and recycled loads of notes from my degree (I graduated in 1996) and my teacher training qualification (from 2005) as well as loads of other paper from when I first started teaching. I was holding onto it all like some kind of security blanket - almost as though it proved I did all that work and I deserved those qualifications or something. I have never looked at any of this stuff since, but have always just held onto it - just in case. Just in case of what?! I need a handout from a lecture from over 20 years ago? Hmmm - thanks for helping me get the quals, jobs and life experiences, but now you can go and find a new life as something more useful as a recycled paper product!!

jinny

Re winter clothes storage
When I refer to 'winter' clothing I mean
Thermal underwear, big quilted jackets
Wool hats gloves ect. Norwegian sweaters
Anyhing I wouldn't wear in summer
I live In a North East Coastal town
So I need these for a lot of the longer winter months
We usually only have a few weeks of summer
I wear black white grey and pink winter and summer.
I'm not really interested in clothes or fashion these days
I've also kept a business dress from work days for
Formal situations
I went into my local CS this morning and saw a lot of my stuff for sale in there. Doesn't that feel weird seeing your stuff?
I don't consider it my property anymore it's just stuff in a CS.

System

Jinny I have a lot of grey, black and white too, with red & blue & orange accents - it makes it so easy to get dressed doesn't it

I got a letter today from Barnardo's who took a lot of my stuff - they've made £57 plus gift aid so far - that makes me joyous too!

Rx

jinny

That's tremendous Rosyq well done
I also have a gift aid card so looking forward to
Finding out how much I've saved the charity.

GreyQueen

Good morning, campers!

I must have a dose of KM Fever as I was lying in bed at silly o'clock and decided to declutter a dress. I've worn it a lot but have reluctantly come to accept that it really isn't doing anything for my figure and would benefit from rehoming with someone else via the chazzer. So that will go in the next donation bag.

I also decided last night to de-mount a cork noticeboard from the inside of one of my cupboard doors and donate that. It seemed like a good idea at the time but is a magnet for cluttery stuff and looks appalling.

I've come to understand that a lot of decluttering is about being brutally honest with myself. If you feel the need to keep every single thing you ever bought/ were gifted, it's as if you are so stubborn that you aren't prepared to admit the following:

1. I can make bad decisions and these items are reflective of that.

2. My life can change over time and these items are part of an earlier and no longer applicable version.

3. I have people who give me things who don't know my tastes that well and have badly miscalculated in their gift selection.

Sooo, decluttering can be about the realistic acknowledgement of personal imperfection. Not in the sense of beating oneself up over it, that's what happens whenever you see the item. But in the sense that you can learn something from each mistake and say that was the lesson that item had to teach you, and now it can go on and do something else.

rosie383

Thank you for all the very insightful replies about whether you all do all the bits of KM. I'm much more motivated now that I know that I don't have to do the whole thing exactly as she says!

My transcription work that seemed to be taking forever has now been completed, so I am one very happy bunny. I shall be going at it with some zeal now over the next couple of weeks until some more work appears (hopefully). Good time to encourage DD1 to cull the wardrobe full of stuff that she never wears. Most of our clothing is from CS or car boots. They can be a blessing, but it is all too easy to buy things that aren't exactly right because they only cost 50p or £1. So we end up with far, far too many clothes that we don't wear.
Car boot season is almost upon us, so this year I promise that I am going to try and decide before I buy - if I was paying full price for this in the shop, would I really want it?

Enjoy whatever you are all doing today. I shall be reading the rest of the book today and getting it back to the library for the next lucky person to read.

rosie383

PollyWollyDoodle wrote: »

ETA: PS can I also recommend highly the 'checklist' provided by BuffytheDebtSlayer. It's really helped me break down categories so I can just tackle a small amount at a time.

Can you post a link to this please?