KonMari 2016 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

iamsalt

Thanks Kittie, it is reassuring to know that, others have been there, and survived without regret the recycling of jars.

Not much kondo here today, but I have found someone who will take 2 tubs full of colouring pencils from me. I am hoping to be able to spend a bit of time focused on KMing the weekend after next when I am off. At the moment it's minuscule wins just by stopping more come in...although I must confess that I have bought a going out top, I haven had one for a couple of years,and I saw a bold floral print one a while ago, it was more than I wanted to pay but I spotted it for £11, ordered it and it fits like a dream. I am thrilled and it's just in time for holiday!
S x

PollyWollyDoodle

I'd like to thank Lizzie R again for the bullet journal link - it's proving unexpectedly powerful. Maybe we should have a separate thread about it, but bear with me because it's very MK as well! I'm renowned for over committing myself, I always think I can achieve everything without always being realistic about time and then I get stressed.

Last night I wrote down the tasks I need or want to do today, and then I wrote down the events - actual timed appointments for today. They're always in the diary of course but I don't usually put the two side by side. Immediately I could see that I just wasn't going to be able to do all these things without rushing through some, it was such a simple thing and yet a lightbulb moment.

I love sewing but don't seem to find time to do as much as I'd like. On a new page I wrote down all the current projects and the ones in my head and again, LBM - at current rates it'll take me a year to get through this and I either need to spend more time actually doing it or stop planning! The MK element is the power of putting everything together - just as we don't realise how many trousers or tops we have till they're all in one place. I've been very successful at keeping all these tasks in different places in my head and not seeing them all together.

I got up an hour earlier and struck a couple of 'wants' off the task list!

dragonlily

Last night I wrote down the tasks I need or want to do today, and then I wrote down the events - actual timed appointments for today. They're always in the diary of course but I don't usually put the two side by side. Immediately I could see that I just wasn't going to be able to do all these things without rushing through some, it was such a simple thing and yet a lightbulb moment.

Very insightful, I have the same issue re overcommitment and overwhelm so will try!

I have now finished my wardrobe, and it is so much better. I got a jewellery hanger for inside the wardrobe door and have hung my long necklaces on it. I have also gone through my jewellery, sold a watch on eBay (as I now tend to wear a fitbit 98% of the time), and gave some lovely pieces to my family, that were their thing but not mine (mainly as I wear very little jewellery) and mainly it is necklaces.

I'm off work until Monday so would like to continue to take a few more steps to get things more in order.

I have four parcels to drop off today (sold on eBay), and a few more donations to take.

x

[Deleted User]

just sitting and having a late lunch, kondo in action is truly working and yet again my kitchen is remaining tidy and is a pleasure to go into, even in spite of making ice cream yesterday and meringues. This is all freeing me up to do things that I like and today have been sorting a garden raised flower bed, deadheaded narcissi, have started the finishing process on a wood carving I made a few months ago. I went on an eight mile cycle ride, through lovely countryside, this time taking in more hills. Shortly I will go to the allotment for a potter. What a day!!

All pleasures for me, now that I am not spending my time cleaning because it is all remaining clean

Debsnewbudget

Thanks from me as well
I have started with a bullet journal and I love it
It was something I had looked at a few times but never spent much time actually working out how to start.
Now I am flying and it goes everywhere with me

LizzieR

PollyWollyDoodle and Debsnewbudget I am so pleased to hear you're getting on well with the bullet journals! It really has made a huge difference to me - having all my to do tasks in one place is so helpful and I love the freedom of just being able to go to the next empty page and write a list of whatever is in my head - I have a list of stuff to take when I go camping, one that details all my foraging hotspots (in case i forget where I picked certain things), a list of things to take with me when I do a craft fair, etc. Also, just little notes to myself - for example when I did a charity hike last year I wrote a couple of lines about how I felt afterwards which is lovely to be able to look back on.
In terms of starting a new thread - I suspect that once you have the journal going there wouldn't so much to say about it -
apart from a bit of evangelising maybe Personally I've found it really fits in well with the KM method as it really helps organise my ideas and get rid of unnecessary thoughts. As you mentioned PWD, it also helps me to see what is actually realistic for me to achieve in a given day / week / month. I no longer get so annoyed if I don't get everything done that I wanted, as I can see an honest picture of what I've actually achieved and celebrate that!
Of course the tricky thing will be what to do with the journal when it's full, but I think I've got at least another year in this one, so I can worry about that another day :rotfl:

Debsnewbudget

I have a page in my bullet journal called
Things that make me happy

GreyQueen

Evening all.

Anybody like a giggle? The phone calls to the parental home have been suffering horrible crackliness for two weeks now, to the point where the line is barely usable. Line tested OK and you'll never guess what the fault was?

The socket box was full of dead flies and even the occasional small dead spider, and these were causing severe interference. Lawks, there's something I never ever thought about in terms of needing cleaning.......... :rotfl:

Now that we can actually talk properly, we can firm up plans for Sunday. The scaffolding poles fit in the car (they aren't full-size any more) plus a few other bits. The worm-eaten handle which I burned off the onion rake has been replaced with an improvised one (an old cricket stump, apparently) and this will be coming up to the plot as well.

I will also be picking my Mum's clever brains about how to turn a motley selection of salavaged wood into a little fence for the foot of the plot. My lottie only had surveyor's tape marking the boundaries when I took it on and it's been an ongoing project to fence it as economically as possible, mainly with found materials. I call it Trigger's Fence.

Interesting about the bullet journals. I've learned over the years not to schedule more than 2-3 errands per day, and to group them to minimize travel time. I'm one of those bull-at-the-gate characters who wants it done and wants it done NOW but that isn't always the best use of my limited energies, so I learn to modify.

Righty, have just nuked a sweet potato and will now find some accompanying veggies and call that supper. Tell ya, given the amount of veggies I eat, I expect to live to be a hundred and eleventy-leven at the very least.:p

MMF007

Lizzie and Polly, thank you for introducing and explaining the concept of bullet journals.

Like many people I have a calendar for the household and my work diary setting out appointments, then I have to consult DH's work diary should i want to schedule a joint activity!

I also sometimes have a full 'to do' list if the day is going to be particularly complicated or have additional compulsary events of any sort (medical appointments etc), or just lots of things that I want to tackle without panicking

I do sometimes amalgamate all of our commitments for a busy day onto one page of my large sticky notepad when I know i need to be really aware!

As you can see using the bullet journal style has great potential for me
Polly is right, it is a question of getting all commitments, plans etc together to see what you have and then decide how to deal with the various things. Very MK indeed!

As it happens I have several beautiful Paperblanks journals, left over from when I used to retail them. I feel a trial run coming on!

MMF007

Ooh, I forgot to say.... I have put a bid on a Pembroke table ( at a real auction room:).

Last year, when I was trying to get the best out of my small kitchen-diner, I mentioned looking for such a table (I thought I had found one but it wasn't quite right). I have seen a nice antique one, very plain, nice patina, just the right size. Have put a slightly cheeky bid in because brown furniture is not selling well and if I miss this one there will be another . I should hear whether i have been successful tomorrow. Just one thing, I haven't actually told DH about the bid, because, er, he doesn't want to get rid of the current table, because We Spent GOOD MONEY ON IT (26 years ago :rotfl:)