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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to wonder why Marie Kondo transforms lives

113 replies

Teenageromance · 03/03/2018 19:55

This is a genuine question - on a recent thread about self help books that have transformed your life the Marie Kondo book came up a lot.
I’ve got the book on kindle but now need some inspiration to read and do it.
So tell me how it had transformed your life and home?

OP posts:

Liskee · 03/03/2018 19:57

I am watching! I read MK and started with my wardrobe. I don’t think I was ready....I didn’t get far!

Need some inspirational stories to set me back on course

tortelliniforever · 03/03/2018 19:58

I don't think it does. It's just one of those bandwagons that people like to jump on.

GoldenWondering · 03/03/2018 19:59

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SantanicoPandemonium · 03/03/2018 19:59

I found that the method made me question what I wanted to bring into my home a lot more, and as a result I spend a lot less money on clothes I'll hardly wear and 'stuff' I don't need. I've saved a lot of money over the last couple of years!

I also spend a lot less time on housework and my home's a much nicer place to be without all the clutter I used to have.

Isaulte · 03/03/2018 20:00

I spent New Year's Day Kon-Mari-ing my wardrobes and drawers. They still look fabulously tidy. I'm also finding it much easier to throw out crap.

Some the book is a bit to read through but I'm a convert to the general concept, definitely!

TittyGolightly · 03/03/2018 20:02

I read it. Still about 8x too much stuff in the house, but my socks are beautifully folded.

Glitterkitten24 · 03/03/2018 20:05

I wouldn’t say it transformed my life! But it made me think a bit harder about what to bring into my home, which saves me money/ time shopping for useless shit.

GoldenWondering · 03/03/2018 20:05

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notmyredditusername365 · 03/03/2018 20:09

I can't imagine it transforming my life. It just seems like hours and hours more work to add to my to do list. I now put my underwear in my drawer completely unfolded because I think to myself "what insanity is this that I need a drawer that no one but me ever opens to house a load of garments that no one but me ever sees all perfectly folded". It's like a kind of brain-washing.

SmurfOrTerf · 03/03/2018 20:14

It transformed my wardrobe. I took about 8 bin bags to the charity shop. Previously I'd hung on to stuff thinking I'd wear it one day

I'm looking at doing my spare room next.
Stuff that made sense was about being emotional attached to some stuff unnecessarily - that was true. I also kept too many books, so now I'm getting rid of loads.
But some of it - like thanking your handbag for its hard work, just made me laugh

Downtheroadfirstonleft · 03/03/2018 20:15

It has transformed my life and I say that without hyperbole.

I have been able to realise what really, really matters to me and just how much I had kept that was either unimportant now, or actively made me sad.

It has led to me moving to a smaller house, that ticks all the boxes that really matter to us and none of the superfluous ones. There have been real and very positive ramifications.

LifeBeginsNow · 03/03/2018 20:18

I've just finished my wardrobe today and found the process very motivating. I've kept hold of so many clothes I might fit into or that I've been given and feel guilty about throwing out.

My wardrobe now looks fantastic and makes me happy. I've even ironed everything left (I don't normally iron). I've got bags sorted for charity so it's not going to waste.

It's like a weight has been lifted. I can see once I've completed the steps, my house will have more order, be lighter and filled with things I really want.

Some of the wording of the book can feel a bit ott but the further you read, the more it seems to click. Just need to work on the husband now...

ReluctantlyRedundant101 · 03/03/2018 20:19

Yes to all the above!
Also for me it made me realise you don’t have to ‘hang on to your mistake buys’ you can feel happy in the knowledge that someone else can enjoy them

Freshprincess · 03/03/2018 20:22

I did the clothes thing last year and it really helped me. 4 bin bags of stuff went. The bit about keeping only the things that bring you joy (badly paraprhasng) helped me thinking about chucking out clothes that I don't really like, don't fit that well but 'they're ok for round the house/work'. Now I only have stuff that I like and wear it all regularly.
However, I never got round to doing the rest of the house, And I'm drowning in crap.

NotLinkedInSnowedIn · 03/03/2018 20:23

I did it quite obsessively about two years ago but she is VERY anti-storage and I have re-calibrated back towards getting better storage again. I have lots of clothes but I don''t want to throw any more out. I never did MK the kitchen so I could do that and I'll be happier for it but I think she's too anti-storage.

I was reading the book and I had to put it down I was laughing so much, because she was crazy!! she used to throw out her siblings' jackets if they hadn't worn them for a while and she described a scene from her childhood where her brother was tearing the house apart looking for his coat but she'd thrown it out because she decided that one coat was enough for him! Definitely a bit of a harmless personality disorder there!

Mymouthgetsmeintrouble · 03/03/2018 20:25

I got rid of a ton of crap but my house doesnt look any tidier i think i will have to do it again

Anymajordude · 03/03/2018 20:25

I did my wardrobe and cupboard. I chucked lots out and tidied it and it looked great for a couple of days. Now it looks the same as it ever did and I miss a couple of things I dingied. I'm just not made for being tidy.

CircleSquareCircleSquare · 03/03/2018 20:27

Sometimes you deep down know what you need to do but you just need someone to tell you you’re allowed to do it and give you a solid method.
It’s like a form of therapy.

B1rdonawire · 03/03/2018 20:28

It made a huge difference to my mindset - totally removed the guilt re passing things on when they're no longer needed or wanted. The house takes less than half the time to clean, and I can usually tidy the whole thing in about 15 minutes because everything has a "home". The house feels peaceful and less noisy, and in some ways more personal than before because the things I kept have a chance to stand out.

It was the first step in really listening to what I wanted life to be like. Big changes followed on in the rest of my life. I wouldn't precisely say they were because of the book - I probably picked up the book in the first place because I was feeling ready for change - but I'm really glad I did it.

PussCatTheGoldfish · 03/03/2018 20:33

I bought the book, read-through first bit then put it down and lost it in the clutter for 6 months .

I find it overwhelming having to do it for the whole household (2 DC and hoarder husband) with very little spare time.

Hmm, maybe I should start with my wardrobe...

flirtygirl · 03/03/2018 20:41

I used the book to declutter to move home and i will do it again when unpacking. Also in getting my current home estate agent photographer ready, taught me that i can live without so many things that i wasnt ready to part with. I found that focusing on whether it gave me joy or had served its purpose and thanking it, was really good for focusing me.

BattleaxeGalactica · 03/03/2018 20:45

Nah. YANBU, OP.

I got the second MK from the library which is apparently pretty much a re-vamp of the first.

Wanktastic toss.

SmashedMug · 03/03/2018 20:55

I read it and didn't really like it much. Sparking joy as the decider for keeping something or not is so vague. If anything the book helped me because it made me google alternative ways of de cluttering and I found a quote that ended up working for me instead. So I'd say even if you don't end up applying it exactly, it can help in other ways, maybe even if it just gets you more interested in downsizing your belongings.

AlisonWunderland · 03/03/2018 20:56

I did full wardrobe Kondo nearly 2 years ago and I still fold my pants!

Yazoop · 03/03/2018 21:04

I find MK a bit mental twee for my taste, so I can't say she has changed my life. But I do like her method of folding and the overall ethos is sound - basically, following William Morris' adage that everything in your home should be either beautiful or useful.

I've finally got my stuff under control over the past few months by getting rid of things that I generally don't love or have a specific use for. Doing it all at once is far too overwhelming so I've focussed on doing one area at a time, when I can. It takes a bit of time, and you'll sometimes have to revisit some areas more than once, but when you do get into a rhythm and have you're own system it is so great.

It actually saves time because there's less stuff to keep on top of, and everything has a place. It also saves money - with my clothes in particular, I've focused on what goes well together, what purpose each piece of clothing has... and it feels almost like I've bought a new wardrobe! I don't impulse purchase stuff that I won't wear as much either - because I have less stuff, I know what to invest in to compliment my wardrobe and/or what needs to be replaced.

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