The KonMarie method

Blue_Doggy

Clutterfree, I wish you a speedy recovery from the cold, and hope you'll soon feel well enough to read Marie Kondo's book .

I had an unexpectedly good day kondo-ing. I had to go and pay the bill for the storage unit I rented last year, so took the opportunity to kondo some of the komono I'd got stashed there. Result: four empty boxes , one box of recycling rubbish, one box of things for charity shop, and 2 pieces of furniture out to go the furniture depot of the charity shop or to the tip if they can't use them. As a result, I can start to think about getting a smaller-size storage unit :T (although it won't save a lot of money, but I don't want all that komono back until I've got the house sorted).

One of the boxes I went through had small-size pictures in it (the boxes of medium and large-size pictures are still to do), and this is where the "does it spark joy?" filter was very useful. I was able to amalgamate the kondo-ed remains of a box of photo-frames with it, with a different question I might have kept a lot more joyless stuff.

I had previously been using the William Morris filter "Is it beautiful or is it useful?" but so many things are "useful" or "might come in handy"- even if they're never used, and even beautiful things don't always "Spark Joy".

GreyQueen

Best wishes for hubby's box(room)ing session, ivyleaf. Small spaces are a PITA to declutter because you stand there, pick something up, immediately have to do something with it (discard, re-arrange, rush off to show the disbelieving spouse) and once you have half-a-dozen things on the go, it quickly becomes unmanageable.

If I might make a small suggestion, could he use the surface of a nearby bed, as a temp staging area, rather than the landing? Dunno how big your landing is, but using it sounds like a recipe for rows and possibly falls as it impedes the access to the rest of the upstairs rooms. Just a thought, anyway.

Have spotted a couple of things in my lottie shed which can go to the tip tomorrow, was going elsewhere in a hurry after today's lottie sesh, so no time for a dump run today. Am two-thirds of the way through treating the outside with wood preservative. These water-based products are pretty poor performers, aren't they? Time was, you'd creosote a shed every 2-3 year but with this stuff, I'm painting the shed 2-3 times a year. Cuprinol, £2 unused from a bootsale. Won't have any more of that when it's used up.

The rotten fenecepost wood which I chopped up and split has been hanging off the shed in the sun and wind for a week and is beautifully dry. Have now put it away in the shed until the October bonfire, and will be prepping some more fenceposts. Little and often is necessary for me with manual work, due to the old ME (boo! hiss!) but there's plenty of time to get this done.

freyasmum

I'm just back from taking my car into the garage, I drove up and then walked the 2.5 miles back. It was a lovely walk this evening!

I have, however, just eaten a whole pack of little lemon meringues from m&s On the plus side, they were delicious. And, really, I was just kondoing the kitchen :A

I am folding my first load of laundry and I have the next ready to go into the machine. I'm just go to attempt to fold my first fitted sheet. Fingers crossed!

I took a load of clothes into one of those cash for clothes places earlier. I ended up with £10 for the trouble. Which will go into savings - not a huge amount, but better than nothing!

I'm also going to get my stack of books ready to send off to welovebooks and zaffit.

Keep up the good work, girls - and clutterfree, I hope you feel better soon. It's rotten when you don't feel well

iQueen

Morning everyone.

Well, I got diverted yesterday, but still had a good kondoing day.

Didn't get back to the 'maybe' clothes but, after hanging around near the phone all day, waiting for call-backs, I kondoed part of a legal headache, which is driving me crazy.

Dunno why, but I had a very broken night's sleep and was up with the Dawn Chorus :eek: - much earlier than usual, so I'm good for starting my kondoing today. :T Listening to the birds 'starting their engines' brought me great joy!

Busymumofthreeplusdog

iQueen wrote: »

Morning everyone.


Dunno why, but I had a very broken night's sleep and was up with the Dawn Chorus :eek: - much earlier than usual, so I'm good for starting my kondoing today. :T Listening to the birds 'starting their engines' brought me great joy!

Me too! Still in bed listening to the birdies contemplating getting up. Wonder if I can persuade OH to make us a cuppa...

VJsmum

Interesting, if extreme

http://www.offgridquest.com/inspiration/other/100-possessions

oceanspirit

iQueen wrote: »

I must add, that I have a new, positive mood, which I had mislaid for years, and it is bringing me immense pleasure, in all sorts of ways!

So, now, this minute, I am back to the kondoing! :A

I am so looking forward to finding mine and releasing it from under all the junk. I have chronic fatigue and get so frustrated about the mess I am living in - I used to be a highly efficient, organised PA so mess is not my natural state. I'm sure the fatigue will improve once I'm living in a clearer space.

Clutterfree, hope you're feeling better today.

Ivyleaf, good luck with the box room. Don't get lost in there!

Rosie383, it must feel wonderful to know that you are all sorted well before your move and won't be dragging unneeded things with you.

Thank you all for posting your progress. As I'm having to take it so slowly, it is of great help to keep reading each day to keep motivation up. It would be so easy to give up when my own progress is difficult to see as there is still rather a lot of "stuff" lying around. Like several others, I live in a small space so whilst I'm in the midst of sorting, I have to create a mess somewhere in order to be able to do so.

So, more paperwork has left my home and the recycling was full to bursting again before being emptied this week. Now the challenge is to fill it up again! I have also pulled out a few more books to go so one of the shelves now has several gaps. Can't wait to pull a few more out now. I'm even thinking of fully emptying the bookshelf in my bedroom so that I have some space there instead. That's quite a scary thought it is quite big and there are also things on the shelves in baskets other than books so there's a lot to find space for somewhere else/bin. Big challenge that one.

tibawo

Morning all... Awake but not had my morning coffee yet ... It is well known not to speak to me until I have had it!

I finally moved the old base of the bed outside yesterday. It was bulky but not heavy. It has been in the landing and i do agree putting things there can get in the way but sometimes if in a bedroom etc I tend to conveniently forget to move/do things as they are not in the way!

Been back to my list from last week. I managed five of the eight and the other three are part done. Pleased with that. Without the book I am probably more random in my KD but until dd1 bedroom decorated have no space to get things out anyway. We have been KD her bits and she turned it into a game. We had stuff laid out and she got a basket and went 'shopping' and got the things she loves and wants to keep. Then she went back with another basket for things that had caught her eye but she wasn't quite sure of. Then we put the rest in the third basket to go. These baskets are from her shelves and full of bits and bats. We are down to three from five and that includes maybes!

Oh and I forgot I really like the idea of rolling my tea towels and storing by the oven in them built in wine racks. I had never thought of it before and frees up drawer space for other things. Thanks!

somerandom

VJsmum wrote: »

Interesting, if extreme

http://www.offgridquest.com/inspiration/other/100-possessions

Wow ! I've probably got around 100 items on my desk !!!:rotfl:

I love stories like that - although it doesn't make me aspire to own only 100 items - it shakes up my thinking & makes me question how much I need ! I felt the same after reading "How I lived a a year on a just a pound a day".

Thanks for posting that VJsmum - it's given me a good motivational kick to start my Kondo weekend.

iQueen

VJsmum wrote: »

Interesting, if extreme

http://www.offgridquest.com/inspiration/other/100-possessions

Thanks for that link. I'm seriously aiming for the least amount of stuff as possible. For some years, I have been comparing the little that it took in the 50s and 60s to have a happy, comfortable life. The biggest eye-opener is that we didn't yearn for more, more, more...

I can't think of a realistic number to aim for, and it would be depressing to pick one, but fail to meet the target. So, I'm going to start with Kondo Ruthless, and then have more runs, getting even more ruthless, until I'm down to what feels comfortable, essential, and joyful.

Looking at that man and all that stuff, I do wonder... is that some of his discard, or what he kept? If it's what he kept, I bet I could get him down to 10 things or less! :rotfl:

oceanspirit wrote: »

I am so looking forward to finding mine and releasing it from under all the junk. I have chronic fatigue and get so frustrated about the mess I am living in - I used to be a highly efficient, organised PA so mess is not my natural state. I'm sure the fatigue will improve once I'm living in a clearer space.

I get tired too, my stamina is not what it was - it's age in my case.

I was only thinking today, I never had this problem in the past. My family's things always left the house when they were no longer needed - we never got cluttered, so we never needed a clear out. Tidying up toys was the only nag.

I found the MK method on underwear and nightwear was my inspiration - those tidy drawers really motivate me. No wonder people keeping going to them, just to marvel. This has lifted my spirit and continues to motivate me. Also, my happier mood has made other parts of my life happier, too.

I hope you find yours soon - it'll be in ther somewhere, just buried. :rotfl:

Thank you all for posting your progress. As I'm having to take it so slowly, it is of great help to keep reading each day to keep motivation up. It would be so easy to give up when my own progress is difficult to see as there is still rather a lot of "stuff" lying around. Like several others, I live in a small space so whilst I'm in the midst of sorting, I have to create a mess somewhere in order to be able to do so.

Keep at it and visualise how you want it to be when you finish. Imagine the things that you will be able to do in your newly spacious and tranquil home. This what keeps me going. My house is a 3-bed semi, ex-council, and so a looong job and a huge amount to get shot of.

Finding clear space to do the sorting is a problem for me too. My answer is to put all the [STRIKE]!!!![/STRIKE] stuff on my bed - NO WAY is it going to be there at bed-time... my bed is my sanctuary!

So, more paperwork has left my home and the recycling was full to bursting again before being emptied this week. Now the challenge is to fill it up again! I have also pulled out a few more books to go so one of the shelves now has several gaps. Can't wait to pull a few more out now. I'm even thinking of fully emptying the bookshelf in my bedroom so that I have some space there instead. That's quite a scary thought it is quite big and there are also things on the shelves in baskets other than books so there's a lot to find space for somewhere else/bin. Big challenge that one.
I'm breaking my (100s of) books into sub-categories - couldn't possibly get them all in the same place at once - not even my bed! :rotfl:

tibawo wrote: »

Morning all... Awake but not had my morning coffee yet ... It is well known not to speak to me until I have had it! Er... SHHHHHHHHH!

I finally moved the old base of the bed outside yesterday. It was bulky but not heavy. It has been in the landing and i do agree putting things there can get in the way but sometimes if in a bedroom etc I tend to conveniently forget to move/do things as they are not in the way!

Been back to my list from last week. I managed five of the eight and the other three are part done. Pleased with that. Without the book I am probably more random in my KD but until dd1 bedroom decorated have no space to get things out anyway. We have been KD her bits and she turned it into a game. We had stuff laid out and she got a basket and went 'shopping' and got the things she loves and wants to keep. Then she went back with another basket for things that had caught her eye but she wasn't quite sure of. Then we put the rest in the third basket to go. These baskets are from her shelves and full of bits and bats. We are down to three from five and that includes maybes!

Oh and I forgot I really like the idea of rolling my tea towels and storing by the oven in them built in wine racks. I had never thought of it before and frees up drawer space for other things. Thanks!

It's a common cause of clutter... becoming blind to items that have been away from their 'homes' for a while!

Brilliant, turning kondoing into a 'shopping expedition' for DD1 - you could put that on MumsNet, for the Konverts there.

I hope you get the book - worth the price many, many times over! It's the joyful method that makes it work so well - it changes our mindset. :T

Thanks for passing on the wine-rack tip, for rolled tea-towels. I've got a rack and I don't drink! Great idea that. Now I just have to find where to kondo half a dozen bottles of wine.. I reckon they should be Vintage by now! :rotfl: