Kondoing away the chaos: Kondo thread 7 for yet more life-changing magic

[LinzerTorte]

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 6
Thread 5
Thread 4
Thread 3
Thread 2
Thread 1

Tips and links thread

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.

def, if you literally haven't used your popsocks for years, are you likely to use them again? Although I rarely go out, I do keep some clothes for those rare occasions.

JKS, good job on improving your old shelf! I have had a lot of outgoings the last 2 months, I so want to get a handy man round for those bits that I can't tackle myself, but it will have to wait. My current project is to get more pictures on the walls, and Wilko is my friend, their frames are cheap and quite nice looking.

I'm sure spring will get everybody back into it. I find that the side effects of kondoing are lasting, I have much better ideas and solutions than I used to, my head is stll very clear.

Have just listed another bunch of stuff on eBay. Already have a bid too. Got the school run to do and meeting up with friends, but I'm hoping to get the rest put up this evening.

That's a good idea; dp is away ATM And I have tons of stuff to eBay. Maybe I'll do it tonight whilst watching something on catch up

I'm still working at it, slowly as I work full time. I'm trying to do each category fully and not skip things. It get very overwhelming, I still have paperwork all over the bedroom! However, 4 bags of dh clothes went on Saturday and all clothes complete for 4 people, only dsd not done but we can do that together. Paperwork has improved, tin now has 4 passports, 4 birth certs, 1 marriage and 1 divorce! Dh is reluctant to help with paperwork so I will slowly complete it on my own them move on a category. Hardly sat down this weekend, I went in the lounge 10pm on Saturday for the first time! Good news is clothes are staying folded so I must be doing it right. Haven't read thread all weekend so glad it has slowed

I redid socks yesterday and now they are in colour order the drawer brings much more joy. Also continuing good work in my classroom. A colleague who teaches in there twice a week was stunned earlier when she looked in my drawer for a pen and it was all organised plus the top of my desk has been clear for two whole weeks. I feel much more relaxed and on top of things at work and I'm sure that's partly to do with being able to find everything!

Hi!

Please can I join in? I got the book yesterday and am halfway through reading it. I've just done my underwear drawer as I was nagging to get started. How nice is it feeling to get rid of my maternity bras? (Can you believe...! DCs are 5 and 3!). Though in my defence, DS has been very poorly in his little life and has spent a lot of time in hospital so I used to use the nursing bras as an extra layer in hospital! Feels very good to say thanks for a job well done but that part of my life (on both counts) is (hopefully) over. And now I just have cute underwear.

Hi trazzle - I remember being on a very early thread about your ds. Is he totally better now then? That's great news if so

Pointless - I get the same wow reaction from people when they open my kitchen drawer of doom. Doom no longer

Have put my shelf back up and out my books on it. Can sit back and see them now. Ahhhh.

Also framed and hung 2 kids posters from christmas and Jan birthday! Have framed a multi photo thing of me that my mum did. But not sure where it's going yet. Not sure I want to look at loads of photos of myself all the time!

Cubs to collect then kids to bed. Then have a look at the exit piles for listing on freecycle/selling fb page.

Plus wine.

Hi JKS he finished treatment in Dec 2013 and, since then, there's been no evidence of disease. His Cancer is so aggressive that there is no "remission" but he's as good as it gets thank you for asking.

Trazzle- bless your little Ds

Welcome to the thread!

I have cleared out some random things from some hooks in a cupboard and can now fit my shopping trolley in there. Hurrah! :)

I am a bit annoyed with myself as I had a day off today and planned to sort out more of the kitchen. Instead I lay down for a 'little rest' at 11:30 and woke up again at 2:30! So didn't get anything useful done at all.

JKS could you put it inside a cupboard door or somewhere not to obvious but that you will still see often? Marie talks about decorating cupboards with things we love and I rather like the idea. I don't have a wardrobe but have framed and hidden dd's scan photos on the wall at the end of my open clothes rail. Every time a go to get something from that end of the rail I have a little ahhhh moment :)

I have my driving theory test tomorrow morning so really should be revising for that not nattering on mumsnet...back to work!

Good luck lions.

Good luck Lions

Good luck lions. And maybe re he cupboard. Not sure. I'll leave it for now and have a think.

Trazzle - that is good news

Have taken up a pair of trousers for ds1 - only tracksuit ones but he loves them and they are way too long! I'm not great at sewing but they'll do.

Good luck tomorrow, lions. I did mine last year, and passed the theory first time... Hazard perception was a close call, though: I got a bit trigger-happy on one of the videos and lost it when a pigeon flapped past the camera

Progress today: a couple of bags for the bin, another couple filled for the chazzer. Reconfigured the interval fittings of my wardrobe, so half of it can be used to store the useful-but-ugly stuff I've cleared from the ugly cupboard, ready for that to be collected on Saturday.feeling better about this process than I have done for a couple of weeks.

Good luck lions!!

Kondoing at a standstill here. I'm exhausted.

I'm looking forward to the promised warmer weather towards the end of the week! For the past few weeks, I've just been ticking over, kondoing whatever irritated me and could be done in the living room - everywhere else is far too cold. Surprising how many things I found to do.

Today, must have felt warmer - I spent all day upstairs, doing bedding! Finally got to the airing cupboard and discovered it already kondoed! (Sshhh! Haven't used the cupboard for several years!) Lovely fluffy towels, rolled and stored neatly, flannels neatly stacked and some random bedding that had forgotten what sunlight is. Gathered all the bedding, including what I've been using - half of it all, is in a huge recycling sack and maybe more will follow, tomorrow.

Folded all my fitted sheets following the video - easy peasy. Also, changed the duvet cover 'burrito style' yesterday - really cool!

Need to weed out the tatty towels that I've been using, and start using the the lovely posh ones, and go through spare duvets - got far too many!

Off to bed now, to rest my aching back, with my leccy blanket! I'm still really excited by this project, even though I have a loooooong way to go!

Good luck lions, hope you stopped reading mumsnet last night! Let us know how you get on. Can't really Kondo much during the week, but I keep on top of clothes folding and incoming paperwork, which is an achievement in itself. Have a plan in my head how to tackle the last of the paperwork so when I do get some time I will try to implement it. Could do with kondoing work drawers, might have a go today!

Hope your test goes well, Lions.

Not done anything here the last few days as we've had family staying. House is now a tip so will have to do a day of tidying first.

Iqueen, burrito style duvet cover changing? Have I missed this? Sounds intriguing!

Have spent a few evenings sewing patches on the knees of quite a few pairs of DCs trousers - very satisfying ;) DCs and me love worn-in jeans and we don't like parting with them, so a patch on the knee is like en emblem of love. I like sewing, although I am not very good at it. Kondoing has freed up time to do it!

Still ebaying, but not fetching much money! Any tips? I list mainly brand name childrens clothes.

I was wondering about burrito duvet changing too!

I had an interesting experience today. I have recently been awarded £0 in tax credit awards, as thankfully we earn more now, but unfortunately we have ended up with an overpayment. Obviously they want they money back, and I asked for a payment plan as I couldn't pay it in full. The very nice lady on the phone asked for in and out goings to be able to offer me a payment plan. I gave her the figures I know, and the calculations showed that we have £800 to spare each month! Obviously that is not right, so I thanked her and asked if I could go over my bank statements and ring back with any adjustments. I have just jotted down the forgotten figures, and its very interesting what I forgot: Swimming lessons, MOT and repairs, the extra energy bill when we switched providers, pets (we have a dog, 2 rabbits and 5 chickens), child care in the summer holidays and childrens shoes and clothes. It's interesting because my first thought was "oh, I need to kondo my finances!" ie. I must be flittering money away, but I actually found that the forgotten items were very real and hardly "unessential". I am actually quite pleased that I don't appear to be throwing money out of the window ;) I find that now that I have more head space I am much better at taking a closer look at issues and often discover that I am doing okay - I find that my self esteem is improving! Not sure if it makes any sense ;) Has anyone else had financial eye openers related to kondoing?

BURRITOing DUVET COVERS

There are several videos online. Here's the one that taght me, but there are others.

www.facebook.com/InteriorDesignIreland/posts/918440851501179

Oops - taught

Just popping back in to say hello, I have not done anything for the last month as life has been rather complicated. What i can say is, in spite of the paper mountain that is on the table waiting to be filed, life would have been even more difficult in the last month if the house had not been order.

What do you use to store jewellery in? I have a proper jewellery box but I loathe it.