KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

GreyQueen

Chieveley wrote: »

Evening folks - see this thread go a mention in Martins Wednesday email -just finished reading Spark Joy courtesy of the library -preferred the first book. Must have a look on you tube for the videos. Hopefully so unworn winter scarves/mitts off to cs tomorrow. Have a great week-end everyone, but one hour less kondo time.

Wa-hey, we're famous!

Well, I've always been a legend in my own lunchtime, but it's nice to see a namecheck for this thread on the main site. Perhaps lots more people will come out to play? Really hope so.

Today I have kondo'd a pair of unmentionables, a pkt of something random from the storecupboard and some recycling. Better get off my beam end and kondo the washing up before bedtime.

Karmacat

I'm bypassing books for the moment, and I've arrived at letters, from friends and relatives stretching back approximately a million years (I'm very old). What do people do? I realise I've never talked about that with anyone - what do people do with handwritten letters? As a genealogist, a handwritten letter from, say, a hundred years ago, would have been a wonderful thing, but I also keep notes from my mum that tell me she sent me an article she cut out from the Radio Times, all sorts of things. The notes can go, yes ... but what do people do in general? Help, please!

GreyQueen

It's a hard one. If I open Grandma's Mrs Beeton (over at Mum's) and there's a recipe noted on the back of an envelope. If it was the only example of something from her hand, I'd keep it. As it isn't, I wouldn't.

I would think about keeping the most meaningful and gently and ceremoniously losing the rest, perhaps to a meditative fire. We can't spend our whole lives as keepers of an archive of everything the previous generations touched, or we'll be so busy that we won't have time and energy to live our own lives.

I'm sure I read somewhere that it was an old style romany custom to burn and destroy everything owned by someone who died, even down to their wagon. Pretty drastic, but it does stop the endless passing down the generations of Stuff no one wants but no one dares to get rid of.

From Thoreau's Walden;

Not long since I was present at the auction of a deacon's effects, for his life had not been ineffectual:

The evil that men do lives after them.

As usual, a great proportion was trumpery which had begun to accumulate in his father's day, Among the rest was a dried tapeworm. And now, after lying half a century in his garret and other dust holes, these things were not burned: instead of a bonfire, or purifying destruction of them, there was an auction, or increasing of them. The neighbours eagerly collected to view them, bought them all and carefully transported them to their garrets and dust holes, to lie there till their estates are settled, when they will start again. When a man dies he kicks the dust.

Karmacat

Lovely post, GQ, thank you, this part of it is a bit new to me, so I hadn't been able to verbalise it, but thats exactly right - both your own example of the Mrs Beeton note and the Walden quote.

Gently ceremonial might be a very nice way to go, actually. These particular bits are from the last 6 - 7 years, but I know there's 3 boxes under the stairs. I never ever use the under the stairs cupboard, it only gets opened because the gas meter is under there. And that says it all, really - its dead space because I store things that I don't use, and that don't spark joy. This is the lifechanging bit - not following a book by rote, however lovely the author is, but by distilling the essence and applying it to our own lives.

Thanks GQ! I can actually shut the computer down happily now especially as Katniss is on the go

Siebrie

I have done my letters in stages: tore off all stamps to send to charity, removed envelopes and shredded/recycled, quickly checked importance of sender/timeframe/content, removed any that did not meet these criteria. The leftovers are now in a small pretty wicker basket. Whenever I have time and energy, I will read one or two and decide what to do with it. It has taken five years so far, and I expect it to take at least one more

dragonette

Evening all, I've decided I'm def getting rid of my coffee table - the extra air and wall space behind my desk feels lovely! I want to talk to the friend whose mother I got the coffee table from, but I'm almost positive that sending it to a CS will be fine.

My friend that cleans (the one who does it well) has been round and my flat looks peaceful. This will last till i start pulling the cat tree apart to recover it from midnight blue to green and cream. Hopefully this will make it loom less threateningly in the corner!

Need to sort some RL until into next week, then I want to attack my bedroom again. I'm a bit like a kondoing yo-yo atm, running from room to room. I don't have much choice so I'll be patient.

I agree that some of it is very woo, Rolled socks work fine for me, I use a similar folding technique for most other things though. Emptying my bag everyday?? Not a chance but I do try to clear it out every few days

greent

OH and I have been hitting the CDs again today - we got rid of a lot of them a couple of years ago when we redecorated the dining room (where they are stored) but they still weren't working in their new storage, and we rarely play them. We've therefore been uploading some to our I tunes accounts and putting them in the 'to go' pile. I won't get rid of my faves, as I play CDs in my car (OH has Bluetooth, so plays from his pod or phone) He also has about 60 CDs by his fave group which are not to be touched! However, we are making progress (although we're only up to 'K' (I store my CDs in alphabetical order...:o) Most of the unwanted are being accepted by Ziff!t and the remaining few will be off to the CS. Have also added some now-read books to the Ziff!t pile (I have a whole 3-shelf bookcase with double stacking on one shelf of books to be read.... Marie would not approve!! However, I acquired most of them when the children were smaller. I make more time for reading now and the pile is gradually decreasing - and if one doesn't spark joy when I start it I won't persist) Will go through Quidc0 for added cashback when I post the parcel :money: Cds have been done out of order as many of them ended up with a sentimental bent to them when they were *meant* to be done, as m-I-l died unexpectedly - and OH and mil shared a lot of music as he was growing up. Six months down the line he can view them without the rawness which was so evident back then


DS2's bedroom is being cleared over the weekend for decorating - and nothing is getting back in the newly decorated room without its joy factor being considered and then where it will be stored - a long process:rotfl: However, I've recently done this with DS3 and it was worth it and has made a real difference to his room - it's staying tidy!!:eek::T


DD is still going through things in her room and a nice stash of items for the next NNS is building up, so hopefully she'll raise ££ from it all


DS1's room is waiting until after his GCSEs - when his will be redecorated and everything in there will be considered (he is especially looking forward to getting rid of his school blazer! )


xx

mavvymoo

Morning all some great posts going on here so thank you.:)

'Spark joy' has arrived and I have dipped into it already.But the book does spark joy for me as its a hardback and a nice size ;)sad but true

Today I am getting ready to get the dreaded ceiling painted over the long weekend. Would really like to poke my eyes out with a stick than doing it as I hate doing ceilings but its got to be done and need to do it when DH is off as he can help move things.Still not decided on the wall colours so need to get a move on with deciding that.

Window cleaner is here today so will splash out and get him to do the insides as well then at least its crossed off my very long list.:) I would rather spend our money on things that make my life easier rather than spending on more carp to bring into the house.I cant remember the last time I wandered round the shops picking up stuff I dont need :rotfl:My goodness I have changed so much when I see that written in Black and White

Thank you Marie and your very strange little books :rotfl:You have done me one hell of a favour


Enjoy your day and the bank holiday weekend

Mav x

greenbee

Mav - I've just had to decide on wall colours as the builders are getting on faster than I expected! The west-facing bedroom (which has pink blinds) is going to be Gardenia (which is a yellow-based cream), while the rather dark north-facing room which I turned from mental-institution green to brilliant white will be Edwardian lemon (with yellow/blue/green curtains). Floors are going to be colour-washed the same as the walls. Ceilings are white. I just need to decide whether to have white woodwork or not. I could use a darker colour. Or match the walls (at least in the Gardenia, not sure I can with the yellow).

It's tough making decisions on paint!

Karmacat

Siebrie wrote: »

I have done my letters in stages: tore off all stamps to send to charity, removed envelopes and shredded/recycled, quickly checked importance of sender/timeframe/content, removed any that did not meet these criteria. The leftovers are now in a small pretty wicker basket. Whenever I have time and energy, I will read one or two and decide what to do with it. It has taken five years so far, and I expect it to take at least one more

Thats interesting! I *do* do the envelopes and stamps straight away - but there's 3 fair-sized cardboard boxes to do if they could end up in one little plastic crate (no wicker for me, I'm rubbish at dusting, and I don't want to improve ) then that would be great. Five years - ooh, I hope not. But it might be
Thanks Siebrie!

mavvymoo wrote: »

Morning all some great posts going on here so thank you.:)

'Spark joy' has arrived and I have dipped into it already.But the book does spark joy for me as its a hardback and a nice size ;)sad but true ...

Thank you Marie and your very strange little books :rotfl:You have done me one hell of a favour

Totally agree :beer: and what I'd forgotten is that I'd reserved the ebook at my local library - the reservation turned up in my inbox last night, and I've been reading it, while waiting for pages to finish uploading (I'm a long way from my router right now). Which has saved my fingers, because usually I might have been playing freecell or something Kondo helps in many ways :beer:

Enjoy your day and the bank holiday weekend

Mav x

From me too xx