The KonMarie method

GreyQueen

MMF007, I suspect it's a generational thing, people raised in wartime, who had personal memories of post-war rationing, who didn't throw anything away Because It Might Be Needed One Day. Plus, a few months before my parents moved in 1971, Grandma died, her home contents went into our home and were only partially-digested by the time we moved into their present house, which was smaller than their previous one. And life went on, children were being raised, paid work being done, relatives being cared for, the whole nine yards of Life.

My parents are in their seventies and Mum is waiting final confirmation of the diagnosis of a serious and life-changing degenerative illness. I think this, and having Nan in her nineties, has brought home to her that the loft is full of SABLE yarn, and the house is full of Stuff, and that her ability to deal with this is trickling away with every passing year. As it was, she wasn't able to get up into the loft, hence Dad being sent up there.

And as I remarked to her, although I have a brother with many virtues, he couldn't organise a booze-up in a brewery, so ultimately sorting out their Stuff will fall on me. Who lives an hour away, has no car, has a job and who also has ME. Eeek!

That's Selfish Me. Unselfish Me would like Mum and Dad to enjoy the benefits of an uncluttered home now.

I have some hopes that recent moves, about letting stuff go, and discovering the world doesn't end, and that you can hardly remember what went, might beginning of a whole new chapter in The Hoard.

We have a family tradition (started by me) called Domestic Archaeology. Which is when, in the dog days between Xmas and New Year, I gird my loins and venture up into the loft to cull the easy wins like appliance boxes etc. I'd love to get everything up there organised and categorised.

Actually, I'd love it mostly empty, but that's a whole 'nother story.:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

mavvymoo

Morning all you konverts or wanna be konverts

Been reading all your very thought prokoving posts infact I read them last night but needed a while to think about it.

iTwin we really are twins and I do find it very woo that we are nearly always on the same page so to speak.

I think as I did my kondo so fast it does take a while for my head to catch up where as some people do it over a much longer time.

Kondoing is one of those moments where I dont believe you are ever the same as before you started it.Its like you are completely exposed with no carp around so your barriers have to come down as they are not there anymore.You see things far more clearly and also make more use of your time just to stare and see things you wouldnt have noticed before.
You also notice things about people friends and also family which before you would have let go over your head.

I have kondoed so called friends as really I couldnt stand them when I really thought about it and there was no fluffy white clouds blurring thier edges :rotfl:and I could see them for what they really were.

I am done with making excuses for people and get so fed up when I hear others do it.and you do all the time. I just say stop the excuses and see it for what it is but if you dont want to then thats up to you but dont keep laying on me as I cant do a thing about it.

Yes I have changed in many ways right or wrong I dont know but it feels right to me at this moment in time.

I have my biggest change to come I think as I am now making the first steps in kondoing our biggest asset the house :rotfl:Need to sort out a mountain of problems over land etc :mad: But have asked DH to try and get the ball rolling with his Father. So we will see if at anytime soon we can put my 2 hours to move boast into place.I really thought before KM I would be here for ever but not now.As it has made me see we dont need the hassle or the headaches of what I know are going to come. We have tried to buy him out but he thinks we are trying to rip him off for some crazy reason. So our time to put the ball back in his court and tell him to get his on the market as that is what we are aiming to do(he owns house ajoined to ours and all the land surrounding ours) Think that will come as a shock to him as I think he likes to be in control (of DH) He knows he will never control me (which is where I think the main problems lie)

So like I said it leaves you very very exposed so continue at your peril :rotfl:


Mav x

Like you said iTwin time is short and getting shorter every second that goes by and thats what I have also been thinking about very hard for a while now.

missyrichards

I only have four paper books in the whole house and I am donating two to a charity shop as I have read them. I have two left but I haven't got around to reading them. I will try and read a chapter a day and then they can go too.:)

I have moved the lamps around this morning now there are more darker hours during the day and my desk has a much better light now. I was thinking of getting rid of one lamp as it doesn't bring me joy but I don't know whether to keep it as a spare.

I was thinking of taking the rail down in a cupboard as it is taking up space and I have to wrangle the vacuum cleaner in there daily.

Hope everyone is having a good Monday.:)

GreyQueen wrote: »

I went offline deliberately mid-morning to stop myself reading MSE, and simple living/ minimalism websites and get on with err simple living and minimalising.

You sound like me.:D What are your favourites?

Siebrie

I'm slowly kondo-ing my little box of letters. I've been through it before, and kondo'ed the unjoyful ones (mainly the ones sent during a 10-year friendship that went sour at the end). This time, I'm reading them to see if they spark joy. And I'm taking my time, I want to read a whole letter uninterrupted, to be in touch with my emotions; so: after dds' bedtime, no dh watching a movie next to me, not too tired, not head full of things-to-do. If that does not happen for a few days, that's fine; the letters have been there for 30 years, they are not in a rush. The box will stay the same size, whether it contains a hundred or 20 letters, and is nicely tucked away in its proper place.

Kondo'ing is my natural way of storing items. I fell to it when I started living on my own. My mum does not get it at all, which sometimes causes me problems, because if she suggests clearing something a certain way or doing something before I do something else, I feel obliged to follow-up on that suggestion or -at least- do not feel comfortable doing it in another order. And, for me, it's important that I follow my gut feelings, and feel comfortable making decisions about which stuff to store, and how and where to store it, and in which order.

My solution to this? A deep internal sigh (not 'against' her, I must add, just for recognising the problem), recognise it for what it is (a loyalty/growing-up problem), and I'll follow mum's suggestion, making her happy, and keep in mind that I will do it 'my way' after she has left. (They come here for a week about 4x per year, and some long weekends in between). I've tried explaining my method to her, but she just smiles. I love her very much, she is 79, still happy to babysit with my dad for a week at a time, and has cancer; what would I do?

dragonette

Morning all. Well, after all my smugness yesterday, I'm exhausted and still in bed. Oh well! At least my room is tidy to look at

Last day of looking after the bf's cat. I (with permission) have been cleaning a lil bit each time I'm over. Today there's the last two radiators to do, floors to sweep, cat dishes to wash and recycling to take out. Not huge things, but tiring enough thinking about it. I have suggested they thin down belongings, I think the intention is there but nothing much has happened yet!

Yawns, so sleepy. Will stick the radio on and see if that wakes me up properly.

mrs-moneypenny

Morning all
Just back from opticians happy to report neither me nor Dh needed new specs she said mine had changed slightly so if I fancied a change I could have new ones I could. Err no thanks I only wear them for reading and stitching so wasn't shelling out any more cash than I had to.

Welcome to all the new konverts, I love reading the stuff people are kondoing, the dusty soap convo had me giggling as did the fact someone already had a copy of the book but had lost it in their stuff.
Years ago I borrowed a copy of a decluttering book f rom the library only to find when I made a stRt I owned two copies of the same book on two different bookcases:rotfl:

Mins list
Day 19
1/3. 3 big tubs of vegan sweets given to dd2 for step children
4. Sisters birthday pressies
5. Brothers birthday pressie
6. Niece 18th birthday pressies
7. Mums Christmas pressies
8. Sisters Christmas pressies
9. Bro in law Christmas pressie
10. Nephew Christmas pressie
11. Niece Christmas pressie
12. Bro Christmas pressie
13. Bro partner Christmas pressie
14/15. Nieces Christmas pressies
16. Assorted Christmas cards
17. Assorted birthday cards
18. Assorted gift bags
19. Assorted wrapping ribbons and tags - used up

All of these are leaving the house tomorrow.HAVE A JOYFUL DAY ALL, it's half term here so I'm on holiday:T

jinny

http://youtu.be/C-ici2n3cKE

I thought this might be of interest to some konverts.
This nice young lady talks about the apathy involved in getting the stuff out of the door after tidying with the kon Marie method.
I think she makes some valid points.

wort

Hi lovely day today so decided to change my curtains and cushions, from my spring - summer duck egg blues,to my autumn - winter russet tartan.
Gave everywhere a really deep clean added the faux fur throws to my leather couch, then snipped some pretty hydrangea heads to pop in vase on windows.
In the conservatory my seaside style blue cushions were swapped out for reds,and it's all bringing great joy!
:j
Yesterday made the most of the mild weather by attacking the garden, chopping back and clearing,whilst dh and dgs power washed the conservatory roof and gutters. wrapped the garden furniture frame in waterproof covering, summer baskets still going strong so will leave that a while.
Enjoyed Mavvymoos story of the tele sales girl, must try that !;)
Also must agree that keeping up with everyone s progress on here is really keeping the momentum going. I am constantly thinking about what I can get rid of and what needs re looking at!
Enjoy the fab weather we're having everyone :T

GrannyKate

Mins Day 19

1. Cardboard packaging for new saw DH bought
2. Bubble wrap to Dil
3. Wooden craft shapes to dil
4. Batteries to recycling
5. More family history papers
6. 7. Pots of recycled bulbs (daffs etc not light bulbs) reduced from 3 to 1 through planting out
8. 9. Culled 2 writing folders of stuff I will not use
10. Garden pot emptied
11. Piece of warped plywood to recycling
12. Large plastic lid with no matching box
13. Old history class papers
14. Old Amazon papers all on line anyway
15. More OOD vouchers found buried on desk
16. Health scheme letter returned with note to say I left scheme in 2011
17. Supermarket free magazine to RC
18. Junk mail catalogue to RC
19. Packaging from mil doorbell which has been sitting on side for 3 months

The rest of week could be difficult as I am away. Could kondo son's house as he is about to move. Not sure if that counts.

lollyfin

I had thought/knew that my kids wouldn't get involved in this clearing out of stuff that I am doing but amazingly life came along and kind of forced them too. It's funny how it's happened but also really really not. Today my son discovered we have a mouse, I know there's probably more than one but I am hoping it's a Lone Ranger haha, so I told him and my daughter they better clean up their rooms and do it properly (they are 16 and I haven't had anything to do with cleaning their rooms for a long time). So since we started clearing stuff about 6am this morning, between the three of us I have taken 20 bags to the charity shop and a whole car load to the skip. I have another 4 bags waiting to go to the skip but will be doing more later on so they will go tomorrow. I still have to demolish a 4 door wardrobe in my room that now has nothing in it whoop and move the other wardrobe over to where it is and when I have done that I think I might collapse But I feel amazing!