Kondoing this and kondoing that - thread 4 for Marie Kondo's lifechanging magic with tidying. All welcome!

[TheSporkforeatingkyriarchy]

Here's thread 4 for all the KonMario converts, wannabes, and guests to the magic!

Thread 3

littlemarvel - hmm, I'm exactly the same as you and I'm going to throw everything more than 2 sizes too small (of which there is very little) plus things that don't give me joy.

Unfortunately I appear to have literally thousands of things that give me joy

A lot of these are lovely clothes that don't fit yet. They are not just lovely clothes empirically, I'm genuinely getting joyful touching them knowing that they will fit me soon. I have 4 ikea bags of those so far. The only way I can cope with that is by what? Setting a time limit, say 6 months on whether they fit? And then saying thanks for the joy you brought me when I bought them but off you go?

If I got rid of everything that didn't fit I'd be very sad as I've been a small 16 and a large 20 in the last year! My size varies enormously.

I love these clothes and I'm really quizzing myself like she tells you to do about whether they're about attachment to the past (there's a tiny element of it) or whether the 'joy' is also about thinking about how lovely they are.

I have no obviously hideous things to get rid of apart from 'gardening clothes' and I'm going to be ruthless and keep 2 sets and discipline myself to wash every 2 days - instead I have 7 sets and hate washing and only do it once a fortnight

Happy New Year! This morning, I woke up and went to my pants drawer, pulled out a pair that bring me joy and thought 'yes!' This is what it is about.

I went downstairs to the kitchen and it is tidy, I find myself doing things at the time, rather than waiting, like an empty tub of chocs (neatly Kondoed last night was destined for the Hama beads. Instead of placing it in the playroom, ready to do later, I found the beads, emptied them in, labeled the box and put it away.

Last night whilst waiting for the bath to run, I did the bathroom cabinet and towels, took all of half an hour and there is plenty of room for my towels rolled.

Like many others, I feel calmer and less stressed, things are getting done and remaining done. I am still not sure quite what is it that is making so much difference than the usual tidying and organising, but I seem to have a different mindset, almost a release of worrying about stuff in the house, because it will get done and has got done. I too am a bit of a hoarder, but this Marie Kondo thing feels different, I am letting things go without stressing it all feels a bit 'woo'!!!!

Why is is working so well?

Bras to throw out - 19!

Bras to keep - 3 categories, Day (11), night (6), 1 that doesn't fit yet but I really like it.

Ringinglikebells I think it works because it starts at the beginning!

Clutterers try to start by tidying, but the key is discarding excess. Then organising, so that everthing has a home. After that it is self-discipline (or disciplining others!)

Housework is a doddle (these days) in a clear home.

Good to hear about how everyone's doing. :)

Laurie for clothes that don't fit now - how about getting vacuum bags, labelling by size and putting in e.g. the loft? Then you'd know exactly what you have when you have lost weight. If it wouldn't bring you more joy to re-buy clothes when you have lost the weight?

Waves to the fellow-childminders (and totally feeling the paperwork - pain, I've done all my paperwork, except the CMing stuff - which I put away for another day :(). All my CMing toys are at least organised in Trofast boxes with labels (except the ones the latest 2 babies have pulled off - grrr! at naughty baby fingers!) there are just too bloody many, but its hard to know what to lose - although I was ruthless when I had a big sale at the end of November and lots of stuff from the attic went.

I think you're right in that losing some from each category may be the answer... its just hard to know where to start. e.g. I have 2 sets of these blocks neatly in a shallow Trofast drawer - the kids like them and I'd only 'clear' 1 drawer by getting rid of them... Or animals - I have a Duplo set and a happyland/little people set (and about a million new schleich ones that I must ebay at some point) - the Duplo ones are 'better' but the babies like the cuter ones...

Argh! I guess I just need to get them all out and see which spark joy... (and then hide in a corner crying! )

Agree there is something a little bit woo about this! Noticed this morning there is something slightly empowering about CHOOSING which pair of pants to wear rather than just taking the pair at the top of the pile, does that sound odd?

Erm, am I the only one whose house has got untidier on the outside because I am focussing so much on the inside (of cupboards/drawers)?

I am stopping today as am exhausted (still recovering from a week long cold). I have got rid of 56 items (pile below). In my head I keep saying 'discard, discard' rather than tidy.

The tidying part can come later, I've done 8 drawers folding but there are two that have had loads of items discarded but I've yet to fold them - ive just chucked the small pile back in as they're all the same so doesn't matter which I pull out.

Yes my house is going to look very messy Iike CoolCadbury because all the discards have to actually leave the house and all the keeps have to find their rightful home.

I've bin-bagged a very nice wool coat that I've just never taken to for some reason, and several themed outfits from a very trying girls weekend a few years ago! But now it's too dark for me to appraise things properly so I'll start again in the morning, and clothes bank some more stuff on my way into town.

I'm starting to worry about my ebay pile. 18 dresses added today to all the tops and jeans/trousers. I think I'll have to kondo that and edit it down a bit! I don't want to be running down to the post office every week for months.

Discards

Cadbury I have some lovely drawers but bags and bags of crap everywhere else. If it wasn't for the Christmas tree you'd think we just moved in today. It's awful, but I go and look at my drawers and it sparks joy.

I think my thing is that I actually spend a long time thinking about where I want to put stuff, the komono, so they hand around on the outside for quite a few days until I find the perfect space. It's driving my dp crazy.

laurie remember to thank all your lovely clothes before discarding.

For any newbies/lurkers who have not read the book, this is a good synopsis.

I've done all the kids' clothes in their trofast drawers and they look beautiful BUT when DH is putting things away he is folding (ish) and putting stuff in haphazardly, and not vertically. It is driving me mad! I don't want to put him off putting the washing away but I end up having to refold everything.

How is everyone storing Tupperware? Mine is all different shapes and sizes and falls out when I open the cupboard.

Just checking back in to wish my fellow Kondo-ers a happy new Kondo!! Can't wait to get going again -starting with the tree and dec take-down (new dec storage too) and a Kondo back through the wrapping paper stuff. Then I'll return to categories - will be rolling up sleeves to blitz paperwork!!
We're still finding it easier to get out of the door, clothes still tidy...went away to MILs for a couple of days and had the joy of Kondo-packing!! Baggage much easier to deal with! The living room with all the books in usually ends up a total dumping ground after its tidied, but nope, it's tidy too still. Miracle!
Got to get a serious Kondo move on when we re-start as would like to get house on the market by then. Got some serious amounts of s**t to get rid of thankfully let go to a new home by then!

Yes, mrsheen I love opening my drawers/cupboards. I started in September and my clothes cupboards still look great. At the moment, it's kitchen cupboards/drawers that keep being looked at.

Am going to look into shops that sell clothes on for you for a cut as as I know I won't get around to ebaying and also it gets the stuff out of the house in one hit, I'm sure my mil mentioned one recently, I don't have that much stuff worth selling so for a few bits it might be worthwhile.

Happy bright and tidy New Year everyone! Lovely to see the joy is spreading and new people joining

I was discussing things with my parents this morning and they mentioned they were having a big sort out so I gave them my coy of The Book They also pointed out that most of the stuff in their second bedroom is mine Looks like I'll be having to do some more sorting next time I go back

Like lots of you, Kondoing is on hold due to other things going on, but I did have a minor success this morning. Someone was talking about storing baking tins upright upthread (which I already do) when i realised I could do the same for my saucepan lids. I'm now using a shoebox I was about to chuck to keep them together and it's already significantly less irritating to open my saucepan drawer. I will have to find a slightly sturdier and taller box in the medium term but I'm already happy to have sorted something that has been bugging me since we moved in a year ago

There is definitely something magic about her methods!

Wejammin, lurker here but posting to say I'm pleased to see that it can be done with Trofast as is been worrying about that!

Happy NY Kondo-ers!

Am almost done with clothes. Spent last night trimming and re hemming a pair of track suit trousers that give me joy but were worn at the bottom. (I don't know if the Great Leader would urge me to throw and replace but it is far more joyful for me to get more life out of a pair of good trousers than replace them right now.)

Once my other clothes were all lovingly folded I realised I couldn't have ragged stuff in there. Also feeling I need pretty drawer liners to make the clothes really happy

My house is also looking decidedly un-magic as I deprioritise ordinary housework in favour of Kondo-ing. I just ignore it all and cross my fingers that if I plough on with the Kondo the mess will sort itself, and the cleaning will be easier.

I did some textile recycling the early hours of New Year's Eve! Just wanted the ten pairs of jeans out that didnt really fit and various tops I was keeping but didnt really like.
I'm still slowly catching up on washing but at least feel like I have a strategy now.

I alo use samla to sort lego into piece type rather than colour. Though I do enjoy sorting lego by colour, very therapeutic and pleasing once done!

I am keeping my joyful-but-too-small clothes in the wardrobe with everything else, there is enough room to do that now because such a lot of clothes went... I am just being relaxed about the fact that they just don't fit atm.

I'm not putting a time limit on getting back into them but I'm hoping that the house will be easier to look after so I will have more time to focus on getting fit again. I'm reluctant to get rid of everything that is too small as I have baby weight to lose, I've slimmed down into my old wardrobe twice before after 2 of the DC's so I'm hoping the same will happen again.

The amount of crap komono in this house is amazing! Has anyone else been left with a stack of abandoned storage draws and boxes?

I find myself doing things at the time

YY to this. I found myself Kondoing chocs last night and I automatically emptied the packaging out of the mini-hamper they were in, and used the hamper box for some kitchen items. All before I'd finished eating the chocolate!

I've had a lazy day today but it did bring me joy that I could go into my wardrobe and select a tunic top to wear easily as they are all hanging side-by-side. I'm also looking forward to buying some joy-filled tops.

Well done everyone! Leeloo your Lego/toy shelves are beautiful! Thanks for sharing their joy!

Hiccup haddock ill buy playmobil from you?