Clutter, emotions, and folding our socks - Kondo thread 6. All welcome!

[SteptoeAndDaughter]

The Book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo, Cathy Hirano

Summary of the process link from mipmop

Article of top tips by Marie Kondo

Thread 5
Thread 4
Thread 3
Thread 2
Thread 1

And BeCool's copy of Coughles list of ORDER from Thread 2 for everyone:

"ORDER TO DECLUTTER/LOCATE THE JOY*

Clothes folding by rummy
Books
Papers
CDs
DVDs
Skincare products
Make-up
Accessories
Valuables (passports, credit cards, etc.)
Electrical equipment and appliances (digital cameras, electric cords, anything that seems vaguely ‘electric’)
Household equipment (stationery and writing materials, sewing kits, etc.)
Household supplies (expendables like medicine, detergents, tissues, etc.)
Kitchen goods/ food supplies
Other (If you have many items related to a particular interest or hobby, such as ski equipment, then treat these as a single subcategory.)

KonMari stresses that sentimental items should be left till the end. So for example, when you are doing papers, don't include photos of your children, love letters, old school reports etc, leave anything with a sentimental connection for later."

*As discussed in previous threads, your order for decluttering and finding the joy/spark/recognizing may be different to recommendations.

[CoolCadbury]

miss I have taken cookbooks and fiction into work and left it in the staffroom with a note to say it's free to take home and enjoy. People love free stuff (and it helped the books were immaculate), especially when they don't have to make an effort.

[Pointlessfan]

I like the idea of borrowing a library book every time on a subject I know nothing about, what a good idea!

[CanIKondo]

Happy Birthday JKS. Good luck going back to work Pointless. I hope it all goes smoothly. I've hated going back each time, but it was never as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Kondoing is going slowly, but I feel like I'm still moving forward which is good. I'm still doing clothes, but have done the odd cupboard as well. Slightly nervous about moving onto books...and dreading paper...though the worst thing will be komono. I find it so hard to throw out something I might use sometime or something I think the kids would like. I'm trusting that I'm going to get better if I keep going.

At the moment I'm really enjoying the kitchen cupboard with less pots and pans in, that I can see what I need and don't have 20 things falling on me when I try to get it. What bit has brought you the most joy so far?

[HazyShadeOfWinter]

Happy birthday JKS

[Iqueen]

Happy Birthday, JKS! Hope you had a joyful day... even without any kondoing!

Nearly at the end of this thread 6000 posts! Go, MKers!

I kondoed some duplicate pages of on-going legal stuff and, finally filed everything in chronological order. OMG, that feels so much better!

Another half sack of clothes, ready to go, too. Also, used up a can of evap milk dated March 2013! Tasted and smelled OK; can hadn't blown - no ill-effects yet!

[stiffstink]

Paper is still lurking in a laundry basket in our bedroom. Its DH's but it relates to his joyless job and we have agreed that it can lurk until he finishes then it has to be dealt with so that he can officially move on from it.

If the paper lurks indefinitely, he will never close that door. I haven't mentioned the thanking side of kondoing to him but I may have to put a thankful spin on it!

[Thesnowmansnose]

Well, I'm fed up of attempting to sort things out. 5 of us. DCs 1 and 2 are pretty tidy, and like knowing where things are etc. etc. DC3 is only 2, and still at the pouring everything out onto the floor stage.
The problem is DH. He was brought up in massive houses, and has never needed to make decisions about anything. He'd like to keep everything, just because it may come in handy one day. We've just had a massive row about his CDs (he has about 500, all classical, not very interesting recordings). He almost NEVER listens to them, but apparently that's all my fault, a) because I don't share his taste in music, and can't cope with music on in the background; and b) because he's had to give up his study for DC1's bedroom, and so doesn't have his hifi in his new study any more. NB, he's taken over MY study, so I don't have anywhere at all now.
I am really cross and frustrated and I just have no idea of how to make any progress. Most of my stuff IS sorted out - but the house is in utter chaos, with DH's junk strewn all over our bedroom, the hall (piled high), the living room (huge piles), his office, and then his 3 remaining personal glory holes: bike shed greenhouse and shed. Grrrr.

[Pointlessfan]

Thanks, CanI. Am cooking lots of meals for the freezer, don't seem to be getting anything else done at the moment.

[APlaceOnTheCouch]

thesnowmansnose It is very frustrating if your DH isn't on board. Can you move his stuff into his office; bike shed; greenhouse and shed? Then shut the doors and let him have them as messy as he wants. YY it means you taking responsibility for moving them in the first place but at least it will take his clutter out of shared, public spaces. As long as his CDs aren't in piles all over the house then I'd drop that argument. They might be part of his sentimental items and that means he's not going to reduce them because you've asked him to.

[Thesnowmansnose]

Aplace - good advice, thank you. I've moved loads of his stuff, and I think you're right, stuff he can't sort out just needs to go into the shed. Problem is, it will get wrecked there, really quickly (no space in other places/too damp). Urgh.

Yes, I need to drop the CD argument. He does love them, it's true. Any good ideas of a way he can store them?

[LinzerTorte]

Thesnowmansnose If he doesn't mind getting rid of the cases, CD wallets free up a lot of space - we bought one from Amazon like this one.

[APlaceOnTheCouch]

YY we use CD folders/cases. The best one I've found is from Tesco. It stores over 200 Tesco CD wallet
I found it after spending a fortune on posh ones from an office supplies store

[Iqueen]

Can someone, please, set up a Part 7 Kondo thread? I'm not confident that I could do it.

[weaselwithin]

help!

kondoed my books. they were all on a bookcase along with dh's books, we both love books. although I've only kondoed books I've read / that don't bring joy, the book case looks emptier. I liked having so many books! I've looked into styling bookcases with ornaments etc but to be honest I miss it being full of books!

Any advice?

[Pointlessfan]

weasel I have lots of empty spaces now. I am just waiting until I think something would be good stored there. It will happen, you will Kondo something else and think - ooh! This would work well on the bookcase.

[LinzerTorte]

weasel If ornaments, pretty boxes, etc. don't work for you, my only answer is to keep on reading and find more books that you love to fill up the empty shelves. (Or replace your bookscase with a smaller one if that's at all practical.) Although I suspect that's not really in the Kondo spirit...

I'd be happy to start a new thread although as a relative newbie, I don't mind if anyone more experienced wants to do it.

[Zippidydoodah]

Weasel- could you move all the books to one shelf and then get some pretty baskets or something to go on the other shelves? Then these could become home to your Sellotape/ batteries or something like that? Though I suppose one shouldn't be buying more storage!!

I'm stuck, completely and utterly

[LinzerTorte]

Have started thread 7 here - I realised afterwards that all the links are also on the tips and links thread, but I don't suppose it hurts to have them in the OP of the chat threads as well.

[Zippidydoodah]

Bring me- will reply on the new thread!

[weaselwithin]

thank you for your replies replied on new thread