'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying' - Marie Kondo

[FrancesHB]

Has anyone else read this? I did a search but couldn't find any previous threads.

Marie Kondo is a Japanese expert in tidying and decluttering and her book has been translated into English and is best selling. It's wonderfully eccentric and inspiring and in some ways rather a breath of fresh air compared to other books on the subject (have read 'em all and my house is still messy...).

She asks us to ask if an item brings us joy and if it doesn't we thank it and out it goes. A bit like fly lady 'you can't organise clutter', but in a less annoying and at times quite endearing way.

I wondered if any MNers had used her technique and if it helped them 'get their house in order'.

After doing my clothes, I was wondering what to do with my unwanted bras. Googled and found this. Will take them with me and drop them off when I go to work. Have already put them with my work things. faints at new me

MrsJavier I have an unopened bottle of Martini, maybe I should send it to meet your glassses

IKEA have martini glasses for £1.50 if you are ever really in need.

I got all my mugs out on the worktop so I could see them all at once - and encouraged my husband to agree we didn't need so many :) Looks much better in there.

I also found a whole pile of glasses cases (3 of us wear glasses) and agreed we only needed one spare each....

I haven't come to terms with facing the clothes. I've put on a lot of weight and its a bit of an issue for me!

Today I cleared out some of the boxes left over from moving house five years ago. They were full of CDs - I was tempted to keep some for sentimental reasons (most were from my uni days) but I resisted. I haven't played them in years, fgs! Took three bags to the charity shop, full of books, CDs and a ton of DSs old school uniform. The charity shop is just down from his school so hopefully other parents will find use for the uniform - lots of wear left in it, he just grew out of it.

Spare room doesn't look much better yet though. Will continue tomorrow.

Today I have done........

Nothing!

Couldn't decide what to do - ironing or sorting DS's wardrobe or starting mine. So I had a snooze on the sofa and then sat in the sun reading.

Got my antibiotics so hope they'll kick in as I have two bin bags of paperwork I've got my eye on ploughing through tomorrow. Then I want to hang up my photos in the hallway so I can see them nicely (using the wires detector that I borrowed off my dad 4 months ago )

Well done to everyone making headway and welcome to the new people too!

Today I have: bagged up loads of discarded stuff ready to take to charity shop and dump tomorrow; decluttered dd's wardrobe and toy box.

I decluttered the kitchen before I found this thread and am finding it so much easier to keep tidy. Same with my wardrobe. I am actually hopeful that, after being an untidy person my whole life, I might actually manage to change my ways!

Today - more clothes, useless ornaments, old seed packets (was I really ever going to plant them?) Also spice jars which we had too many of.

I've got my eye on all the coats hanging up in the hall now...

Mrs Javier step away from the martini glasses! They can join the novelty shot glasses from my cupboard in going to the charity shop.

Hope you feel better soon Cecy

Today I tackled the shed, amazing transformation. You had to shove everything in a shut the door before it fell out. Now we've gotten rid of 2 recycling bins, 2 shoe racks, lots of duplicate garden tools and a heap of car cleaning stuff. Even my shed is happy!

My wonderful library is getting the book in for me

I wouldn't buy it as I am decluttering!

Well done everyone! So exciting to hear of all the progress being made.

MrsJavier it sounds to me as though your martini glasses do not spark joy. Remember our glorious leader KonMari says only keep those things that spark joy... Not "those things that we might possibly find a use for one day even though they make us ."

Cecy I hope the antibiotics have kicked in.

I was not planning to, but I started work on the kitchen last night thanks to a cockroach on the microwave. I hate the foul things, the kids had to go hungry because I couldn't open the microwave until dh got home to rehabilitate it! I wouldn't call it a phobia but I actually felt vomity and shaky.

Anyway after that I moved everything off the counters and cleaned and have not put anything back yet, am just enjoying the look of kitchen counters with nothing on them!

You lot have all inspired me! I have ordered the book from Amazon. Quick question though, what if you don't have many clothes drawers, I use IKEA bookshelves to fold and store t-shirts etc.

Rock my son's clothes are on a shelf - I just grabbed a cardboard box that happened to be the right depth, cut off the flaps, and folded all his things inside it. Used a plastic shoebox for the leftover space on the shelf and put pyjamas in it. The folding worked fine and the box just pulls out like a drawer. Not the prettiest solution but one day I can replace it.

What a great tip!!! thanks Cough

I was planning to do the decluttering with DS as well (and he keeps asking "When are we going to do more of that visualise your destination thing?") but I have decided he is far too picky about clothes to be merely allowed to decide which bring him joy. One day he's insisting he hates these trousers and will never ever wear them and three months later they are his favourite ever ones I think I'll just get his stuff all together and see which he's grown out of, and maybe get him to do the folding thing.

I am raring to go on the books, but I am not letting myself start until all of the clothes I have discarded are out of the house. So one more charity shop delivery and then I have to get to grips with selling on eBay, which I haven't done before.

Done the 2 bags of paperwork in my room- very cathartic, nursery accident forms from 2009 which I have no idea why I kept so long but also lots of wedding paperwork and things like that. Mainly boring bank crap though!

Ties- how does your DH store his? We've tried rolling up on a shelf and now have special tie hangers but still they worm their way onto the wardrobe floor. I think it's part my husband being a bit lazy but also I can't fully blame him as they are slippery creatures (ties, not husbands!) any good ideas?

Sounds like lots of people are making good progress. Like the idea of getting rid of one lot before moving onto the next.

So far today I've done one "snowdrift"of paperwork. I really can't face doing all of the paperwork in one go but then I am recuperating, so not beating myself up about it.

No I'm just starting on de cluttering the Jaffa cakes

I'm making slow progress on the big decluttering jobs, but I do think having 1 organised part of the house definitely makes me make more effort in the house in general as I cleaned the hob yesterday for the first time in months weeks. :)

I made a start on stationery last night - when you gather it all together its scary how many duplicates you have and I thought I had 'no pens' and found a heap of them lurking round the house! Amongst other stuff I also found a box of those circle 'reinforcers' for the holes in file paper, which must have been there for years! Does anyone even use those anymore? Perhaps the dc can use them for an art project?

Well done to everyone else making progress.

Kitchen utensils done today

Hi, can I join you guys?

This thread inspired me to buy the book. I really liked the humour and the quirkiness. I was telling my DP about how I should only keep things that bring me joy and he said "Well, that's me gone then!" , which reminded me of that testimonial of the person getting a divorce.

Anyway, I have sorted (discarded any clothes that are too small for him) through my DS (6) clothes and put them away vertically. I already put different items of clothing in their own designated boxes (to encourage DS' independence) but now it's really easy to see what he has and how much. Interestingly he has loads of vests but hardly any pants. What will be tricky is that DP does the washing and putting away of it and he has already told me that he is not going to be folding it, but I guess I can do the folding one it goes in the box.

once it goes in the boxes

Shoes and books done today! Another bag for the charity shop tomorrow.

I have to do handbags before starting on the giant pile of makeup and cosmetics that I own, I am sort of dreading it because I hoard make up and samples and there is stuff dotted all over the house.

Been really disciplined since reading it last week and have tried to do a sub category a day. So now I've done my clothes, shoes, underwear, bags, and same for DS. I had same problem of only having shelves not drawers, so will be nicking the cardboard box ideas. The massive reduction in clothes (six bursting peddle bins worth) has already helped to make it look tidy though and my ipad box and lid were perfect for my tights and socks. Today I did books. It was so easy. I am fairly ruthless about keeping books anyway, but have just bought a kindle so my aim was to go almost paper free for the future. I found all my cookbooks shoved in a box after our house move. They are now all in the kitchen in a shelf together where they belong and even husband noticed and made a little ooh noise! Can't wait to start using them again as dinner has been boring without them!
My vision is to get my stuff down to a level so if I want to move house, it's not that big a deal like it was this time. I want to feel unchained to my surroundings so we can travel a bit while we're still only in our 30s.
Tomorrow is papers, which I'm most scared of, especially getting rid of my payslips for some reason? Think I will keep a hold of the first and last three ones in my latest job just in case!
Thanks for this thread everyone, your posts keep me focused and motivated!