"The Life Changing Magic of Tidying" continues to magically change lives (PT 2)

[BeCool]

Come fold your loved clothes, and feel the spark of joy in every object you own (or thereabouts).

Continuing our journey on from the Original thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/good_housekeeping/2178442-The-Life-Changing-Magic-of-Tidying-Marie-Kondo?msgid=50091328#50091328

Iquitos - no idea where that word came from...

leelo thank you! Oh the tidying a nook only to find it is messy again by the time I have finished the adjacent cranny really describes my house! Actually thinking about just doing for eg clothes would make quite a dent in it

So , I have not done much in the last two weeks but am pleased to report that all my linen and towels are still folded. It makes such a difference being able to see what is in the drawers. I think the folding makes such a difference and everything takes up less space.

:) Glad it was as useful explanation.

"Oh the tidying a nook only to find it is messy again by the time I have finished the adjacent cranny really describes my house!"

I've definitely always been like this too! Thinking 'oh the shelves look lovely' then turning round to see that the rest of the room/house is filled with the crap komono that's been displaced from said shelves is pretty much my tidying history. I've also been a big advocate for the 'oh my house is a mess, I'd best go to Ikea and buy some more boxes' school of tidying! Oh and the 'I hate the house, I'll do some online shopping to cheer myself up'... oh wait I don't even want to open the parcels as I know I have nowhere to put the stuff...

So, as a result of these bad habits, I have a lot to declutter. I do think that the Konmarie method is revolutionising my thinking though (hurray!) as I now feel loath to bring any more things into the house as I can see now how it was just adding to the problem.

e.g. I had already costed up and was about to order a new wardrobe for the kids' room so they had hanging space instead of just shelves/baskets, but after reorganising and decluttering mine and DH's wardrobes we had a whole bottom hanging rail free - perfect height for the kids to reach independently and saved about £150 for the new wardrobe & 1m x 58cm in floor space!

Oh & no, I'm definitely not a morning person - since clock changing dd's 6am wake up has become a 5am wake up though. [weep]

I have just finished the book for the 2nd time. It was really interesting to see how much I had forgotten/stopped doing since the 1st read. And bloody hell, she's adorably bonkers isn't she?! She finishes the book with "couldn't get out of bed, had to call an ambulance." So what happened next then? Is this method of tidying dangerous? What a way to end!

I have realised that:
1)I've not been decluttering in categories.
2)I've not been thanking things.
3)I've been folding incorrectly.
4)I have a fear of the future!

So, I am starting attempt no.2. Our bedroom already looks much better. Our under bed storage is now just shoes we do need and a box of wires I have made DH promise to sort. I feel enthused again so whoever it was who said they had lost their mojo, maybe a reread is in order for you too?

Waswondering - try this which has videos of folding plus some interviews with Marie Kondo.

This video is good - she folds a hooded sweatshirt which I find particularly tricky.

Thanks for those links Nick - they're really useful

Hey I've found a new product in ikea that could be useful, if you don't have loads of shoe boxes lying around to repurpose- HYFS paper boxes.

Looks perfect for making pull out drawers of tshirts for my DH. Rather than toppling piles of stuff he never wears & it's all a big old mess.

Have just bought the book thanks to you lovely people so may I join in? Have such difficulty keeping my house tidy these days.

Hi Kiwi welcome to the cult club.

I'm most upset this afternoon as I've had to get my schoolwork out and plan the week ahead & catch up on data. I would much prefer to continue attacking the house (which is something you would NOT have heard me say before I joined Cult of Kondo).

I am actually scheduling a day to get all the Christmas crap out of the loft to cull it & charity shop it, rather than leaving it too late and just leaving it for another year.

Had a total 'wow' moment at my own tidiness this weekend - had an older relative over and had to find some writing paper for her.

My DH asked where it was and I just said 'oh, fourth drawer down with the wrapping paper and card'. It was only later that I realised quite how much our Goddess of Tidying has changed my lifestyle for the better! Still have a way to go but my de-cluttering is going so well!

Feels good, doesn't it trainers.
I know where all my clothes are.
I know where to find any bank paperwork I need. Any post that arrived over the holiday has been dealt with and filed or recycled.

...Just need to keep the momentum up as this half term progresses with all the Christmas-related manic-ness.

It feels amazing! I'm so proud of my efforts

Look what you've done ! I was going to sit down on the sofa and watch TV and now you've made me want to start on tidying the paperwork mountain we have. I think I'm going to baracade myself in so the family can't help and get it done. And then have a glass of something in front of the fire where I'm going to burn the last decade's bank statements.....

Hey guys...can i play too??
Must have been meant to see this thread as yesterday i emptied my under sink draw in the kirchen and binned loads of mouldy bits and empty bottles! Also started on kids book piles and small toys kept in lounge...now binned :-)
my wardrobe this week...will have to get my head round folding...im a hanger!!

Welcome to all the new people. :)

Mofro, I still hang all mine & dh's tshirts, but do fold my underwear now (its actually v nice to see such a neat drawer), dc's & some of dh's stuff. I think there's a fine line between folding being 'good' & knowing that you'll never be able to maintain it! For dc, folding their clothes has made it much easier to see what they have, and ds has been choosing a wider variety of clothes for himself than he used to when he only ever saw the 3 tshirts that were recycled at the top of the pile!

On the back of this thread I went up to start on clothes . I have done this many times and am quite a good whittler /chucker out of unworn stuff.

So .

I opened the wardrobe doors and started to take out some things in order to see what sparked JOY . I took out the lot but did not spark even one tiny bit of JOY. I have come down dejected and left the lot of them lying on the bed.

All the clothes I own are crap.

What do I do ?

KillmeNow I know EXACTLY what you mean. Why don't you get rid of shapeless/stained/broken/ill fitting stuff and then at least what's left will be good quality. Then, on future shopping trips, you can choose more joyful items.

Thanks for the folding vids, love the hoody one. It all makes so much sense when she does it

killme - same experience for me with the clothes. I did however fold my underwear and doused a few hankies with lavender oil to interlace them so at least when I get the unjoyful items out I'm sort of happy. And while I'm not in the market for clothes right now, I'd like to think I'd only buy joyful ones next time around.

Have started reading the book. Feel odd that I'm excited about tidying my house!

jimmysilenthill your post strikes a chord, I started off great guns sticking to the order then fell off the wagon which essentially means I'm just moving stuff around again, time for a re read I agree! The hub of the mess seems to be the kids' stuff though.

Welcome grouchykiwi, you'll get lots of support and cheers here.

ohhelp you've made me think, we've tonsof plastic beakers and drink bottles and the kids use one each! Looking forward to tackling the kitchen if dh will allow it!!

Have started reading the book - enjoying it very much.
Does anyone have any ideas about dealing with fridge clutter? I always have a top shelf of half finished jars...anchovies, horseradish, various chutneys, other preserved stuff...and about once every 8 months I go through it only to find that (a) I'd forgotten about 80% of it and (b) roughly the same percentage needs to be binned.