The KonMarie method

luxor4t

iQueen wrote: »

..... Sat and kondoed all my lesson plans, this morning. It's TRUE - I feel so much lighter, recognising that I will never need them again! :T ...... QUOTE]


Pre-MK I emptied a large bookcase full of school 'stuff' - most had to go into recycling as it, and I, were no longer "fit for purpose" as the saying goes. At the time I knew keeping it gave me no joy whatsoever. After reading MK, I got rid of the bookcase too :j


Middle spare bedroom is now without a big bedside cabinet, a triple mirror and a bag of assorted joyless clutter. DH has swapped round two pieces of furniture, moved the pictures around and put up a mirror that was wasted in the other room. It feels much happier - and airier too.


We're having a breather before round two!

iQueen

mavvymoo wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl: I refuse to buy a new laundry bin so will carry on as before a binbag and then tipped straight into the machine :rotfl:Great news on the new kit and the bonus of Kondoing stuff to your friend

GQ I do love the earthy colours so your house I am sure would spark joy for me But they just look awful in here so I am a cool colour person in this house

I have a friend who has a very dark cluttered house :eek: Stuff everywhere and has decided to paint her lounge a very dark burgandy red :eek:
With a dark red busy busy busy pattened carpet and all dark brown furniture It looks like one of those old fashioned pubs when you walked in you thought you had walked into a dark cave and it took ages for your eyes to adjust to the darkness

Its honestly shocking ! and that is a bit of an understatment. I always feel low and that Black feeling just washes over me when I go in there. She has started saying you never come to mine I always end up coming to yours Under my breath I am saying 'just the way I like it' :rotfl:

But saying that she doesnt like my house either as it feels too unlived in for her so it takes all sorts and we are still friends she hasnt been kondoed yet;)

So each to their own I suppose !

Oh just remembered she is on MSE but I doubt this thread !

Mav x

You can always kondo any identifiable details via edit - she could be a lurker, or even following your posts! :eek:

GreyQueen wrote: »

Your mate's place sounds overwhelming. I have walls which are a pale, warm (not lemony) yellow, with the exception of the kitchen, which is sun dried tomato and the bathroom, which is white.

I pretty much like the white-walled aesthetic, but my tiny flat is at the foot of a tower block, and in the shadow of other buildings with limited direct sunlight, so I stick with the warm yellow to cheer it up.

I am finding it hard to spend time in cluttered environments, it's a sensory overload, where even things which are of themselves attractive and interesting can, by having too much other stuff around them, become ugly and 'noisy' and overwhelming. Urrghhh!!!!!!!!!!

I agree entirely! I have a friend in a tiny cottage, which I used to rent from her and we had very few possessions at that time. It was a haven for the children and me. Now, she lives there, surrounded with eclectic stuff, which she has collected on her travels - it messes me up: I want to cover my eyes and ears! :rotfl:

On the other hand, one of my daughters has a house that could be photographed for a glossy home magazine at anytime, and I feel afraid to tread on the (white!) floors or sit down!

I want the tranquility of space and light, with a few joyful possessions displayed. I also need a light, backgound. When I've finished kondoing, I shall decide if white will be too stark, or settle for buttermilk.

Now, I really must get back up them stairs!

Susan1962

This thread has been a godsend for me - I never realised how depressed the house was making me until I started getting rid of stuff! Am finding it hard to stick to the MK order of doing things but as I've already gone through my clothes and did my books a while ago, it shouldn't take long to finish them and then move onto the paperwork mountain. I've noticed that the Kondoing seems to spill over into other areas without me realising. I was making breakfast and my eyes jumped to the jar of spatulas, etc. Immediate thought - get rid of that daft spaghetti lifter which I've never used and then - get rid of the jar - the tools would stay cleaner in the drawer. Now do I wait until I've reached the komono stage (which given the paperwork levels could take a long time) or do it while it's in my mind?

Craftyscholar

Any suggestions for what to do with a bag of assorted electronic cables?
No useful male relative/friend to pass them to.

GreyQueen

I'd go with the emotion and do it now, Susan1962. You either use this thing to lift spaghetti or you don't use it, so it can be dropped into the donations bag now. These things are a nuisance and take up a fair bit of room. And if you have sufficient drawer space and prefer to use it rather than the utensil pot, that can go, too.

I don't have vast amounts of clutter to tackle, because I have lived in this tiny one-bed flat for a decade now, and if I had that much, I'd be living outside in the communal stairwell, because I wouldn't fit inside it.

But, although I haven't spare bedrooms or lofts to tackle, I do have to be hyper-alert for clutter creeping in, and to maintain the throughput, or it quickly becomes unmanageable.

Last week I had a cataglogue through the post from Goo Oootdoors; have one of their discount cards which I won't be renewing when it comes up later this year. I normally flick thru the catalogues and end up yearning for some of the stuff. Which I am disciplined (read; poor ) enough not to buy in most cases, but why expose myself to unnecessary temptation? I am either in the market for outdoorsy stuff or I'm not, in which case, looking is redundant.

So I ripped my address off to shred that and chucked the rest unopened into the recycling bin.

I bought a double CD secondhand last week for 50p, part of a sequence, and have played CD1, which I have a ripped copy from a mate from years ago, didn't realise it was the same. CD2 isn't brilliant. I was going to rip a copy to keep before donating the CDs but have decided that it's nothing too special and I can just pop it into the donation bag. I don't have to beat myself up over 'wasting' 50p - it's less than the price of a newspaper, and will help another good cause.

Craftyscholar - bung 'em on Freegle/ Freecycle. Someone will want them.

Susan1962

Thanks GreyQiueen - you're absolutely right! The problem here is that, after my divorce, I bought out the other half, leaving me with a house that's way too big for me and which has a lot of cupboards. I know I shouldn't complain when so many people are stuck for space but it just means that the clutter creep is vast! It's getting better now after recent decluttering and I have a whole shelf and a half in the kitchen that's empty - I just have to fight the temptation to fill it again as it doesn't "feel" right to see it empty! Weird eh? But it comes from being brought up by a mother whole lived through the Depression and WWII and couldn't bear to throw out anything, even after it stopped working.
Anyway - sorry for the ramble. I'm going to chuck the blasted thing in the donation bag, get back to Kondoing the rest of my clothes and mark down clearing some drawer space for the Komono part. Between now and then, anything that causes major irritation and can be dealt with in a couple of minutes, will be dealt with!!

in_need_of_direction

Snap to susan 1962 on both the house, the ex and the parents. I'm really struggling currently and for a week or two wasn't able to move beyond the sock drawer. got it first time finished this morning thanks to a well applied kick from super dave and the encouragement from here. thanks everyone

luxor4t

Craftyscholar wrote: »

Any suggestions for what to do with a bag of assorted electronic cables?
No useful male relative/friend to pass them to.

I took my "what is it? " cable collection to the electrical skip at the Recycling centre.

iQueen

Taking yet another break - my stamina is not what was, when I was a lot younger!

Susan1962 wrote: »

This thread has been a godsend for me - I never realised how depressed the house was making me until I started getting rid of stuff! Am finding it hard to stick to the MK order of doing things but as I've already gone through my clothes and did my books a while ago, it shouldn't take long to finish them and then move onto the paperwork mountain. I've noticed that the Kondoing seems to spill over into other areas without me realising. I was making breakfast and my eyes jumped to the jar of spatulas, etc. Immediate thought - get rid of that daft spaghetti lifter which I've never used and then - get rid of the jar - the tools would stay cleaner in the drawer. Now do I wait until I've reached the komono stage (which given the paperwork levels could take a long time) or do it while it's in my mind?

I wasn't depressed, but I certainly had a pessimistic outlook. I still have a very long way to go with kondoing, and some imminent RL problems to get through - but I don't care! I'm ridiculously happy with my life, after starting this journey! :rotfl:

I've been sticking to the list, but I'm also being dragged 'off piste' at times, as my determination has grown. I'm now noticing things which irritate or annoy me :mad: and I kondo those immediately! My, it feels great and boosts the motivation!

Craftyscholar wrote: »

Any suggestions for what to do with a bag of assorted electronic cables?
No useful male relative/friend to pass them to.

If you have a scrap merchant nearby, you might get some cash for them - the copper wire is valuable. That's what happens at the tip - they cut wires off any electricals brought in.

The upstairs' komono is calling me back, but I must refuel with a sandwich first!

ali-t

I am having issues with keeping fleecy jammies and onesies neat in the drawer. They get caught in the drawer and spill out -any suggestions for keeping them neat? They seem to have a life of their own.