KonMari 2017 - The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

GreyQueen

:eek: Blimey, savvy! :eek:

I've had CFS for 32 years now (got it after a go-round with glandular fever) and feel slightly faint about reading about all your activities up-thread. I may have to go lie down in a darkened room for a while.

Firstly, you are doing wayyyy too much, even for someone who did not have CFS. For someone who does, you're in danger of burnout and relapse. Sorry to sound such a bossy mare, but I have overdoing it tendancies myself, and have to try not to go at my own life like a bull at a gate. Please please please slow yourself down before your poor body collapses.

I have to piece tasks, by which I mean go at them a little at a time. That's everything from kondo-ing to gardening, to running errands to working. I couldn't do an MK and pull every single item of a category out at once, it'd be chaotic and there's no room and I couldn't face it. So, I might do socks, and that would be enough, rather than all the clothing at once, IYSWIM.

RE getting stuff done, my old Dad's motto is; just because you can't do it all, it doesn't mean you can't do something.

He was specifically talking about gardening but I find it applicable to all kinds of things. Say your home is a pit with Stuff every which way and you're shattered and you don't know where to start and want to go hide under the duvet........... we've all probably been there, right?!

So, you could say to yourself; I'll wash up enough crocks for breakfast tomorrow, perhaps lay the breakfast table, put out tomorrow's clothes, make sure my phone's charged, and then SIT DOWN. Or go right to bed. Whatever is needed; I've had to crash into bed at 9.30 pm on two on the past three nights, slept for over 9 hrs and still felt like a walking zombie.

You could KM by having a chazzer bag on the go, and adding things to it as they come to light, and then taking it out with you when you are going on another errand in that same direction. This may be a lot easier than trying to set aside a block of time to sort stuff, time which will always have other demands on it.

And definately step back from the volunteering, IMO.

camelot1001

Hope you're ok picklepot, I had to laugh at your post - I put cs bags in the car too only I tend to forget they are there. There's one in my boot that's been there for about 6 weeks!

One of the classrooms at school needed a large rug replacing so I took in one that was under DDs bed, she took it out of her flat when it went up for rent and isn't likely to need it again in a hurry, better off someone getting some use out of it.

We have had a plague of mice at school so have had to empty lots of cupboards ready for the deep clean at the weekend. It's hard going but lots of stuff isn't going back into mine!

catshark88

Another bin liner, this time of outgrown school uniform, to the recycling bin.

Honestly, with growing children, one is never finished MK'ing!

MMF007

daisy_1571 wrote: »

Savvy, it's only my opinion but I was exhausted reading all the things you do plus what you want to do and adding in a health condition Jeezo!! Lol.

I would suggest (and this may be controversial or not 'feel' right) but take one year out from your volunteering as
1) whatever it is you are doing you are no good to them burnt out and exhausted
2) its perhaps better using your energy on getting your studying, your business and your family under control before you look outside the family unit
3) sadly whatever cause it is is unlikely to be fixed in a year and volunteering can be a huge sucky minefield of guilt and over work far beyond what you originally thought you would put in per week and politics but therefore you can come back to it refreshed, renewed and bursting with good ideas next year because
4) if u start kondoing soon you will see it will free up energy, time, resources, physical space, mental space and good feelings which will help you run your life easier. As far as I understand fly lady will be helpful once you have kondo'd because there is simply no point using your limited energy storing, cleaning, tidying and corraling things that will end up going out the house once you get round to kondoing. 15 mins on kondo will reap huge results.

Just in my opinion on your short post without background etc etc and hope this helps

Daisy xx

I'd agree with Daisy, wholeheartedly! I speak from experience, even just a 15 minute 'go' at, say, one kitchen drawer, or a cluttered tabletop, or a quick,look at your scarves, or any small category or location of your choosing will pay dividends. Crucially you do need to release (get shut of) selected items asap after the decision to let them go. Otherwise you can just stall.

As I dropped off the large bags to Barnardos today I literally and metaphorically felt a weightmlift from my shoulders. Most of the Stuff was from the bedroom. I also dropped 2 bags off at the tip, all non-recylclable crud. It felt so good!

The bedroom looks much better (for 'bedroom' substitute 'DH's side of the room', cos my side was already neat and tidy, of course :rotfl:).

Today, with its timetable of about 8 jobs to do, had an additional suprise in store. On visiting my Auntie I was asked if I would give her a hand with some gardening. No problem, she is 86 after all! So, picture this - me up a set of ladders, cutting back some ivy and then some golden hops. It certainly loked neater, so probably counts as MK magic?! All part of the adventure :rotfl:

GreyQueen

Right, an hour on the allotment (15 mins' bike ride each way) and I have done Something; turned over the windrows of drying weeds, to get the air to them. Will be burned next month.

Forked thru an area of ground previously bust up. Clods are still wet, didn't try to fine-tune, just made a fast, rough pass. Will let the anticipated dry weather of the weekend do some of the work for me.

Fished a jamjar out of the nettles beside the shed. I slung it there several months ago, was meaning to get it out again but the nettles grew...... hoiked it out with the pitchfork, rinsed under the tap and has come home for a proper wash before going back for storage of nails etc.

Dug up a mega beetroot. The best leaves have been put into a jug of water to be eaten as saladings, starting tomorrow, the beet is in the pan on the stove.

Filled the rear bike basket with sawn logs from the stored ones from spring, nipped by a pal's on the way home, and offloaded them into her woodpile, as she's started having fires again.

The jamjar and the wood delivery are little niggles which I kept meaning to deal with, so am pleased about that. Feeling pretty satisfied with life and having de-niggled it a trifle.

Sj62

Savvy
Sorry but I have to agree with cutting out voluntary work. If your health is poor you can't give your best to others if you're wearing yourself out. Like pebbles in a jar of water - the more pebbles, the faster the water spills - and your energy levels equate to the water.

I've tried both systems and mix and match these days. MK is brilliant for decluttering and Flylady for cleaning and tidying. Take from each what suits you best. For me, MK advice on things sparking joy. For Flylady she says that it didn't get dirty overnight so it won't get clean overnight. Flylady is probably best for pacing yourself.

On a lighter note I Kondoed nothing today but some major anxiety over a meeting which turned out to be much more helpful than expected.

Good luck Savvy whatever you choose!

Wednesday2000

daisy_1571 wrote: »

Savvy, it's only my opinion but I was exhausted reading all the things you do plus what you want to do and adding in a health condition Jeezo!! Lol.

I thought the same thing!

I have fibromyalgia which is similar to CFS and there is no way I could do all of that.

I didn't even do that much before I was diagnosed with fibro.:p

The thing about MK is that it can quickly get addictive as you see how your home is being transformed. Little bursts of effort soon add up if you do them every day, even for 15 minutes as others have said.:)

[Deleted User]

cs visit done and dusted, I picked lunchtime, they were busy, I could see them sorting in the back. I offloaded my carefully labelled black bag and scuttled out. Job done

MK is on its last legs in my house, I mean I just do a small bit at a time, when I see it. I have done all over and now is tweaking as and when. I keep the cs trolley in my hall and will put donations in when I have them. I am loving my rolsers, very attracting multi use trolleys, I have three but they are wonderful for storage too, under the stairs. One is smaller and that stops in my hall, so It always have a purpose

Upside to all this is that I am sleeping well at night, at least 7 hours now and good sleep too, the type that used to elude me

House cleaning is mega easy now. Savvy, KM in tiny doses first, easier cleaning follows as a matter of course and can I suggest that you KM your lifestyle, you do far too much and it is not good for your future well-being

mrs-moneypenny

Morning all
Sorry I've been absent kondoing is still going on but after getting rid of loads of paper I find I'm acquiring more - finically I've been offered a classroom assistants course so am working my way through lots of print outs and reading to do with that. But this is what kondoing is all about isn't it, getting rid of the old deadwood to make room for the new growth.
In that vein this morning I plan to Kondo weed and old stuff from the garden teasles did look lovely through the summer but look sad and dead now so garden bin is being emptied in a week and I plan on it bring full by them.

Sj62

On third or fourth round of clothes Kdondoing so this time had only three items for the CS bag. They have been well supported with kitchen stuff recently so am happy to be slowing down a bit. I'm sure there will be more as I change seasonal clothing plus there a couple of worn out sheets that will go as well for ragging.