KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

MMF007

Wow Charis, what an interesting post. I LOVE that you are tackling things head on! I LOVE that you are excited by a challenge (and your self confidence has grown?).

I totally get where you are coming from re nostalgia. I twigged that a while ago and now I live in the present with plenty of plans for the future (NB, 'the future' may just be the next day, depends what I am considering doing, not all plans are grand ones!). Family and friends drift in and out of focus, sometimes individuals involve us less on their lives for a huge variety of reasons. The pressures of work, family, commuting, bills, job insecurity, etc can easily dominate people's lives and somehow their parents and indeed friends get lost in the melee. You may be able to add yourself back into your kids' agenda (agendum??), simply by performing a small kindness, as I bet you have done any times, takng a cake, helping wth a chore etc?

Yes, the Woo does happen!

M

GreyQueen

:T Wow, charis, just wow. What a humdinger of a thought-provoking post to wake up to.

I'm coming belatedly to the understanding that a person has to be the own driver of her own life, not in the sense of being utterly selfish and inconsiderate of the wants and needs of others, but of being prepared to face oneself and say : I know (insert name) wants me to do this/go there/ be a free warehouse/ whatever, but what do I want?

Such as saying to someone; I know I have an empty (or half empty) garage but that doesn't mean I want it holding your Stuff. I like it empty. If it wasn't available, you'd have to find other storage, or sort out your own belongings without making me your warehousewoman.

I've been working for years to get my mother to do less and feel good about it, such as quitting or very much limiting the ironing. When I call her up and find she has spent the afternoon engrossed in a book, ignoring the chores, I feel very pleased with my progress. She lives with my Dad and my brother - they want ironed clothes, let them iron their own.

WeeMidgie

Absolutely agree, it's about boundaries and if we have respect for our own time, energy and space then others will by default have to have more respect for us too. My lbm concerning this came when I had four other people storing things in my garage and eaves. Sorted out by downsizing... no garage, no eaves:rotfl:

VJsmum

Great post Charis. We also have been trying to get through some of 'those' jobs.

I was finding that as things broke or otherwise in the house there was less we could do "don't open that window, it's broken", "put something in front of that door to hide where it's rotten" (old back door), "don't use that shower, it leaks", "can't sit in that room the radiator doesn't work" "use the small oven cos the big one takes too long to heat up", "don't let anyone in front of the garden wall in case it falls". We are getting stuff done now. All windows are repaired (who knew opening the window could be such a joy?), we have a quote for the old back door - to brick it up and put in a window - we have the conservatory door that we use as the back door. The old garden wall has been partly demolished and the rest repointed (It was a helluva wall - 10 tonnes of rubble went to the tip :eek: and overall it's cost us £5k to put right :eek::eek: but if we'd rebuilt it, it would have been 3 times that, it's 150 years old and 10ft high). The shower has been repaired and is now usable. Oven is now usable. Only the radiator to get mended now, so that i can use the office instead of the dining room.

Still sorting photos.

ooh and a bit of 'woo' - though not kondo woo. As part of my research, i have had to read others' PhD theses. Last night a Facebook friend made a post and someone commented with the same name as a significant thesis i'd read. Contacted friend "is VC on your timeline, Dr VC who wrote a thesis on...?". Turns out she is - so contact made. :T

Charis

Wee Midgie, I bought a new-to-me car in May 2014. It has yet to see the inside of the garage At the start of my KonMari adventure one offspring's worldly goods, including furniture were all in the garage following the end of a relationship. In February 2015 they were re-homed and by the end of April another of my offspring had the same dilemma. I think you are right, time for me to find a home in an area where I don't need a car so much, so won't have a garage. Preferably somewhere without a loft

Karmacat

Charis, amazing post, thank you for that! Though I also like GQ's addition:
"Such as saying to someone; I know I have an empty (or half empty) garage but that doesn't mean I want it holding your Stuff. I like it empty. If it wasn't available, you'd have to find other storage, or sort out your own belongings without making me your warehousewoman."

Not much kondoing going on yesterday here, of branches or anything else, felt a bit tired after rushing about like a mad thing ...

mrs-moneypenny

Morning all
Excellent post charis

Hope everyone is as well as can be.
Small amount of kondoing done this morning, after throwing loads of non working pens away in ds1s room yesterday I had a quick rummage in a drawer this morning and found a load more old receipts and non working pens so they are binned as well.
An old mag has just hit the cycling bin as well.

MMF007

Space in our homes, hmmmm. We have a very smal, 2 up - 2 down terraced house. Rooms are small but having looked round some new-builds, not that small ! The back bedroom, AKA the multipurpose room doesn't contain a bed and may just fit a camp bed in, in theory.

DH once moaned that we needed a bigger house so people could come and stay. Oh definitely not, says I. It is a jolly good thing that folk cannot come and stay. Anyone that wants to spend an extended period in our company is put up in nearby self-catering house or Prem Inn down the road. That way we all get time to relax whilst making the most of the visitors, iyswim.

OK, off to prep for wallpapering.

M

MMF007

Karmacat , PLEASE be careful with cherry laurel. I am sure it gives off cyanide when cut or burned.

M

VJsmum

MMF007 wrote: »

Space in our homes, hmmmm. We have a very smal, 2 up - 2 down terraced house. Rooms are small but having looked round some new-builds, not that small ! The back bedroom, AKA the multipurpose room doesn't contain a bed and may just fit a camp bed in, in theory.

DH once moaned that we needed a bigger house so people could come and stay. Oh definitely not, says I. It is a jolly good thing that folk cannot come and stay. Anyone that wants to spend an extended period in our company is put up in nearby self-catering house or Prem Inn down the road. That way we all get time to relax whilst making the most of the visitors, iyswim.

OK, off to prep for wallpapering.

M

Very wise. We have a fairly big house and MiL keeps hinting (or even more direct than hinting) about a granny flat. :eek: Don't tell her, but it is possible to do that in the house we have, with little upheaval. BUT. IT. IS. NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN...

I would go off my rocker very quickly, if she lived here (or my dad, or anyone really). Seriously, certifiably. I would have to leave as my mental health would suffer terribly. OH knows that and doesn't want her here either - but i fear he is going to have to directly tell her soon as she is hoping against hope.