'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'.

BOOK LOVERS: HELP!!!

I have just started trying to tackle books. It is so hard. I thought it would be easy but it's my rational mind kicking in and saying stuff like But you haven't read it yet or It might be useful for work (which is sometimes true. How do I shut that voice down? I was going to put all unread books in a box and challenge myself to read them by Christmas but there are so many it would be Christmas 2018

How did you do the breathless let-go of books and guilt? I'm thinking I might try talking to them and taking a photo of the covers so I don't forget them crazy person. Any advice?

Coughie I know exactly what you mean, it's like the messy house is something to focus on but what happens when it's done?

Skinny maybe you can convince yourself that it would be more joyful for someone to use your books instead of them sitting on a shelf? I love books but I have no problem passing them on, yet I can't seem to get rid of things I don't love at all!

I'm not doing books.

Well I will do a quick clear through but we did books last year and got rid of lots. And we did books before we moved back to UK three years ago and got rid of lots. I did DS's last month.

In one spare bedroom we have two huge bookcases which are full. I will go through that again but most of them are DH's and I think I would struggle to get him to clear any just now.

IN the other spare room we have an ikea bookshelf and it has two shelves of books that I haven't read but I will! And as I read them they go straight away.

I do need to stop buying more of course.......

I'm a bit stuck at the moment for some reason. Have come to a halt in bedroom although there is still a lot to do. Might need to read book again!

Re-marking place. Need to get back with the KonMari programme - stuff I sorted but haven't made leave the house is creeping back!

skinny I've been prevaricating about books for weeks... Finally started them on the weekend and have almost finished. For me it's probably the hardest thing because I have thousands and I love them all. I was dreading it, but I really did hold each one and just tried to feel if it should stay or not. Cleared out about 5 massive boxes already and I'm happy to see the back of them... Someone else will get a great when they're next in the Oxfam bookshop and they'll make hundreds of pounds for a good cause.

I still have three floor to ceiling bookshelves stuffed full of their comrades so not feeling deprived at all!

I did a book cull today, mainly getting rid of books that are too young for the DC. I did have one wobble when i found a book which DS was given as a newborn. I may yet retrieve it from the pile, but shall try to stay firm and imagine another baby enjoying the book!

We have booked a table top sale for early November so I need to stay ruthless until then!

As well as getting rid of all this stuff I think we need to support each other not to buy more...well unless you want to of course :) but I am a bit of a shopperholic and obsessed with buying in bulk

No more clothes, shoes and accessories for me. No more ornaments, kitchen stuff etc. No unneccesary food especially bogofs and the like.

What are you pledging to Keep out??

For those worrying about life after Konmarie can you have some non tidying projects lined up for afterwards like painting a room or piece of furniture etc? That may help you feel less anxious while you are finishing this part and hopefully working on why you are feeling anxious to begin with. I am the opposite, so many projects I am desperate to complete that I feel anxious about all the stuff that I need to do (although nothing is time critical or important in the grand scheme of things!).

Was very excited to see this thread yesterday as i had recently downloaded the book onto my kindle, so can I join in too. I seem to have spent so long trying to get rid of clutter, especially books, paperwork and clothes that i don't really like.

After I had read the whole thread I felt motivated to start on my clothes and my remaining socks and underwear are now happily folded in my drawer.

I think the reason this method works is that it makes you much more mindful of which things you really love, so you take more care with them. And I can't believe how much more space there is in the drawer!

Shocking / Asheth / book cullers - how did you get rid of the ones that your brain wanted to keep or that induced guilt? Because there are lots I want rid of but feel like I should read because they would be useful. My job does involve a lot of reading and research so I have a stupid number of books but lots of them are ones I feel like I should have read rather than what I currently want to read

I clear books out fairly regularly and it can be hard, especially with the children's ones, with my own if I'm dithering I sometimes buy the Kindle version and then let the hardcopy go, if it's not too expensive. Also I tell myself I can always get them from the library if I find I really want them again. I actually wish I'd kept a few more of the DCs ones, I have been a bit too ruthless at times.

I kept the ones I either immediately went "ahhh" to (about a quarter of the books) or just couldn't bare to put in the box for the charity shop (the rest). Some were books I'd used for work,but for projects I'd completed. Some were really rare but I know I'll never get around to ebaying them, so someone else can do that if they want and make some £££.

But agree withwhoknows, unless something's super rare or very expensive you can always order it from the library or buy it again if you do really need it.

I kept all the books I meant to read but never got round to. Quite excited about discovering so many "new" books!

I must confess I have been buying clothes and shoes, the shoes I got tonight aren't much different than a pair I got rid of , however they are not scuffed, ripped heels, needed heel tips, so not being worn. Now I have shoes I love and will wear instead of the dozen I didn't wear but we're making me feel too guilty to buy new. I've also bought tights to replace all the scratty ones I binned and a lovely new jumper and skirt, previously I was living in the same old scruffs as I believed I would slim back into everything else. Bizarrely it's having an impact on how I present myself not just my house.

Shockingundercrackers - true, yes life moves on whether you want it to or not, so its good to try and take charge of it I guess. Its reassuring that you feel more un-stuck and happier for what you've cleared out - I'll hope I feel the same. :)

"I too am afraid of life-after-tidying...I think what I'm most afraid of is that nothing will change, nothing will shift - I'll be the same non-person, just with a tidy house." -

Exactly Cougle! I think part of me holds on to stuff to prove I was once/am/could be someone in my own right, at the moment I'm just "ds'/dd' mum" & in some (most) ways its exactly what I wanted with my life and I love that I can spend lots of time with the kids (most of the time anyway!), but without the stuff/memories of who I once was... I don't know... who will I be? Tbh most of the clutter is probably post-children, so its irrelevant anyway. I just worry I'll be left being a bit lost & miserable still, but without the clutter to blame.

Re the book cull: I'm just focusing on making some money for Christmas at our table top sale. Not sure what I'll do about the ones that don't sell. I shall need you to all keep me strong and encourage me to donate to a charity shop!

For those struggling with parting with books, is there a hospital/hospice nearby you could take the books to? You could be making a big difference to someone's day there. I have visited a large cancer hospital many a time for someone I love, sometimes you have to sit and wait a bit in a 'lounge'. If every ward has these lounges where a patient can escape the ward or a visitor can anxiously wait for the nod from doc to go in, that's a lot of potential to distract someone from a very crappy time.

I've found with books there's ones I'll definitely re-read, the ones I haven't read yet but do want to, and then there were quite a few I kept on my bookshelves so people could see I was the sort of person with that book - and those ones have gone because there's enough of the first two for anyone to decide what sort of person I am.

Books that are easily replaceable I'm mostly not saving for ds. I do have a lot (as in hundreds) of out of print books, so trying to decide what to do with them - will I really re-read them? Will they be available online? Dd (age 2) is doing her bit by finishing trashing the very battered Richard Scarrys inherited from MrNC - a couple pages of 1950s ones are now decorating her room but the rest have been thrown out.

October - time to Ebay/Gumtree lots of stuff. I keep finding more coats to get rid of...

Thanks so much to FrancesHB for starting off this whole life changing process.

3 weeks into this, I have organised all clothes, socks and underwear (socks do feel better worn after being folded up FACT!) scarves (all swirled in a box standing up like sushi a'la my colourful tights) shoes all nice and easy to grab, clothes hanging in the wardrobe lined up via large to small items, I have even konmari'd my vast collection of wool!!! now coordinated by yarn and colour grouped in their own shoeboxes (labelled too!!) [please insert gleeful sad face here]. Two bags of clothing have been given to chari'ly.

What I have noticed is that the areas I have konmari'd have not become disorganised or cluttered again, I am getting more speedy with the clothes folding now, and feel such immense satisfaction I never knew could have existed when sober or not high on crack.

I still have to do various other categories and am itching to start on the kitchen, god knows those cupboards need it, but I know how to do it now and if I feel overwhelmed I know I can just take a deep breath because there are others like me, all smiling at the after effects of konmari whilst wearing stress free socks.

I'm really chuffed with this thread. Totally inspiring, you lot! I work full time so I'm still on clothes and books (doing my children's, one by one) but I too have that 'itchy' feeling pf wanting to get on with the next category!

Made a start on books. Can't get them all off shelves as too many and in several rooms. So have approx. 120 and another bag of cds ready to go (Though slightly freaked as have only scratched the surface of the books)

Can relate to what people are saying about emotional attachments to things. Many of my books relate to former stages of my studies/careers and ditching them requires sussing out whether I am ever going to do that work again (or did I just waste loads of money training in things I haven't used much?!)

Zing thank you, what lovely encouragement. I saw my counselor today and told him that I've been tidying my house and that "it's a project with an end" - he raised an eyebrow and I didn't get into explaining too much! But I keep reading over and over again the last section of the book, where she talks about the transformative power of tidying.

Things I pledge not to buy any more of until Project KonMari is finished:

• storage containers
• furniture
• books

I started brainstorming "life after KonMari" ideas but I've decided to just focus on doing this and be open to whatever emerges.

To those struggling with getting rid of old uni stuff: I went back to uni after ten years to do an MA and none of the books I had saved from my undergraduate course were any use. They had all been superseded by new research or at least by new editions so I had to get everything new. Ditto with all of my old lecture notes. When I tackle paperwork I will only be keeping certificates and copies of marked assignments from my MA now I know how quickly stuff will date.

I have just decluttered the recipe books. These are all a bit pointless tbh as when I want a recipe these days I look on the internet.

My top find was 'meat and poultry recipes' - I'm a vegetarian, for ffs

seasalt & coughle

while you are tidying allow yourself to daydream and make a list of all the things you think you'd rather be doing!
then when you are done go through your list and do things you still really want to do!

On my list are:

• swimming 2-3 times / week
• learning Spanish & Italian
• practicing piano often, just 10 min a day would be fab!
• reading more books
• baking own bread again etc etc etc

I'm sure you already have your own little and big dreams. so be brave a dare to imagine what it would be like to do them, try them,,enjoy them.
And when the time is right all you need to do is get on with them!

What came after paperwork again? I can't remember the kimono order and have left my kindle at work

So far today I've chucked out some catalogues and more kids' workbooks from last year.
I gave a bag of stuff back to MIL.
I butchered trimmed the stupid plant in the front garden, so the leaves don't get me wet every time it rains asI try to squeeze past it. It's been bugging me for weeks, but DH hasn't got round to doing it.
it looks dreadful but I'm proud of my handywork and happy with result.
DH will not like it, but thankfully that's all the gardening I'm doing this year.
MIL is visiting SIL2 next weekend so I will try my best to sort DD's clothes and send back what's hers.

I've also sorted the washing. While I was putting away my clothes I realised I just won't be able to cull my clothes successfully until I stopped bf, because it's not practical and I'm not ready emotionally.
I'm also not sure how I will be after my op (gallbladder removal), some people loose weight, some put on so I'm just going to wait and see how my body changes, if at all.
However, I will be getting rid of a bunch that I haven't worn and know I definitely don't like. that's the best I can do right now.
It's a process. it's not perfect but I'm ok with that.