The KonMarie method

greent

iQueen wrote: »

However, I've just had another go, and discovered this blog.

The blogger has done, what MK has done for de-cluttering - turned the concept of building a wardrobe on its head!

oooh - that looks very interesting! I shall devour that later tonight - thank you!:T

GreyQueen

Morning all.

I really like Don Aslett's books, the cartoonists he has illustrating them are great, and he's warm, funny and wise. I do actually own Freedom from Clutter and the one about housework (the chapter about what help to expect from your family is several blank pages with smears and messy handprints, btw ) but can't get at them.

I know exactly where they are; I loaned them to my Mum several years age, and they are in the bookcase in her living room, the double-stacked bookcase with the head-high pile of boxes of books in front of it. I can thereby testify that they don't work by remote control, you do need to read and apply their principles.

Yesterday I spent a few hours on my allotment and, as part of the day, did some cutting up of old rotten fenceposts and splitting into kindling. Well, I made two cuts, I have ME and only a handsaw, so will do a little at a time until they are reduced to firewood.

I've got the sticks hanging up in onion nets to dry out and will put them aside until October when I have the annual bonfire and burn up some of the stuff which doesn't compost so well, like the dead broad bean haulms and runner bean stems. Having a bit of real wood to give the fire some heat is massively helpful. Then the ash gets dug in to fertilise the soil. The fenceposts were replaced with new ones a few weeks ago as they'd rotted, and were lying on my allotment 'patio'.

I sorted through the items I was returning to the linen cupboard and discarded some worn-out things for the rag bag, and have used some small boxes to hold handtowels rolled in the standing position. Have grouped the two most tired ones handiest, for kitchen use, to wear them up and then rag those.

My tidy allotment is giving me deep joy, particularly as I know what a hellhole it was when I took it one and how much cr*p I have dragged off there, piece by piece by piece. It's lovely to see this one neglected and trashy area all flat, fertile, with neat rows of crops busily growing away on a sunny day like yesterday. Warms the cockles of my heart.

Clutterfree

Morning All,
Still feeling pretty rough so major Kondoing is on the back burner again today.

When I was Kondoing my clothes a few days ago, I came across a red cardigan that I've had for 3-4 years. I remember buying it in the sales and loving it but hating the cheap gold plastic buttons on it. I bought it anyway because I knew I could replace them. Well I've worn it maybe twice since I bought it because the buttons really put me off it.
Anyway, about a year ago I bought some perfect red buttons for it.
You've guessed it, they've been in my sewing box ever since!
Well, when I was Kondoing my clothes, I asked myself "does this bring me joy?". Not with those buttons, I thought! So that very evening, and the following one, I set about changing them. It looks so much better and looks like a different cardigan and yes it now brings me joy and I can't wait to wear it!

I know that may seem insignificant to some, but for me that is a huge turn around - I did something I should have done years ago, all because of KM! :A :T

Whilst I had my sewing box out, I also mended a pair of joggers (the waistband seam had started to come undone that week). Usually they would have stayed in a pile, waiting to be mended, for at least six months because I'm not a fan of sewing. But no, I did them straight away so they could bring me joy again!

What is happening to me...? :eek:

Have a good day Konverts.

PS GreyQueen what are you growing in your allotment? Is this your first year?

GreyQueen

Sorry you're not feeling too well today, Clutterfree, and I hope you're soon better. I was a bit poorly in March so know how tiresome it is.

This is the start of my 8th growing season on this plot, and for 18 months prior, I shared a plot elsewhere on the same site whilst on the waiting list. Plus have always gardened with my Dad and Grandad.

What's standing on the plot now are overwintered leeks, parsnips, carrots and turnips, which are in process of being eaten. I have two strawberry beds. The October-sown broad beans are now about 1 ft tall and have started flowering. They will end up over 5 ft tall but start flowering at this stage and just carry on. The spring-sown broad beans are just breaking the surface, they will catch up and crop about 1 month later than the others.

I have several rows of potatoes in since late March, I will expect to see them break the surface in about 2 weeks and have a nerve-wracking time until the risk of the last frost, which is liable to strike mid-May on my site.

Before then, I will have got the frost-tender runner and dwarf french beans started in plots in the shed to plant out. I am also growing white and red onions from P0undland onion sets, as I always do. And have chucked some garlic from the greengrocer in, which is growing away happily. Haven't grown it before, no idea how it will do.

Later today, I will plant leeks, carrots and parsnips, plus, if I can find a bit of ground not already assigned to some purpose, some herbs. I have a big blackcurrant bush and 6 of its branches, pruned off last autumn, which I stuck in the ground to see if I can get some more of them. It's an experiment, I don't expect them to do very much for a couple of years at least as they'll have to grow root systems, but one of them is promised to a lottie neighbour when it's good enough to go.

I also have sown sunflowers and lots of marigolds self-set all over the place. I have achieved self-sufficiency in spuds, onions, green beans (frozen) and blackcurrants. It makes me a happy bunny.:cool:

yellowbear

Morning everyone, another lovely day here.

I've just got to the part where KM talks about coming home, thanking yesterdays shoes that were in the hall, putting them into the shoe cupboard and then taking off today's shoes and leaving them in the hall.

Why?? Why does she do this? She has said a couple of things that she does but doesn't follow through with why she does it. It's really bugging me!

GreyQueen

yellowbear wrote: »

Morning everyone, another lovely day here.

I've just got to the part where KM talks about coming home, thanking yesterdays shoes that were in the hall, putting them into the shoe cupboard and then taking off today's shoes and leaving them in the hall.

Why?? Why does she do this? She has said a couple of things that she does but doesn't follow through with why she does it. It's really bugging me!

My take on that is that she's following the good practise of not wearing the same pair of shoes every day, to allow them to rest and recuperate. Shoes worn on alternate days will last longer than the same pair worn everyday, and the difference is more than the fact that they have every other day 'off'. The leaving them outside the shoe cupboard for 24 hours is, I think, to let them air out and thus not get all damp and rank in the cupboard. HTH.

Clutterfree

yellowbear wrote: »

Morning everyone, another lovely day here.

I've just got to the part where KM talks about coming home, thanking yesterdays shoes that were in the hall, putting them into the shoe cupboard and then taking off today's shoes and leaving them in the hall.

Why?? Why does she do this? She has said a couple of things that she does but doesn't follow through with why she does it. It's really bugging me!

I've not got my book yet, but it's been dispatched. :T

I guess you're wondering why she doesn't tidy them away immediately? Perhaps she leaves them out for a day to air them and let them "breathe"?
I can't think of any other explanation.
Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

EDIT: GreyQueen beat me to it!

yellowbear

Ahh, ok, that makes sense.

Clutterfree

Off topic...

GreyQueen, you are doing lots better than me - I'm really behind this year.
We also have 2 strawberry beds - had a bumper crop last year.
Also have some over wintered leeks, a few fruit bushes but that's about it.
We haven't even done our potatoes yet.
When you say you are doing leeks today, are you direct sowing from seed? I usually transplant small seedlings rather than sow direct. I usually do them much later than this too.

cydney65

Hello all!

Not been around for ages as we have been getting our home decorated. The house is pretty much Kondoed now and I have found it much easier to maintain. I've changed some of the ways I have been storing items such as towels and duvet covers, which has worked out easier for people with arthritic hands like me, but on the whole Kondoing has been a god send.

I came across an article on a website yesterday which has spurred me on to bigger things. The site is called 'wait but why' and is a humorous look at life. The people behind this have the knack of explaining everyday experiences in a way that make you think. The article about procrastination struck a chord (I'm a master procrastinator) and I have decided to take action.

I am going to Kondo my life and beat procrastination step by step. This seems to tie in with KonMarie's methods so I shall be taking on some of her ideas too. I have made a list (procrastinators are great at making lists and not sticking to them) but have broken it down to non-icky ideas so I am clear what needs to be done.

This morning I have made another list (!!!) on what I need to achieve today and I shall work at doing these things. I was going to give myself a time deadline but this will activate my procrastination monkey so I have dispensed with that. Also between 8pm and 9pm I shall do some reading in preparation for my masters course starting in October. I was so disappointed with my module result last year, that I realised that I need to really engage with the material by October to have a chance at completing it. To help I have downloaded the 'tomato timer', which times 20 minutes on the computer. I have found this really useful in getting me to stop checking Facebook every 5 minutes or searching for videos on the tube of you!

Wish me luck!

CydneyX