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.

Bertie, hopefully you didn't lose the book in your komono ;)

Haha, no it's on my phone.

Ive done books - well the ones in the spare room on the bookshelves. I'm amazed at how few we've got down to already actually. We used to have miles of shelves full.

I've also amazed myself at how easily ive been able to say goodbye to loads of them.
Have kept a handful to reread/display as I love them/part of a set that is like to complete.
Also want to think about having a bookshelf downstairs as we've hidden them in the spare room for far too long. I want them where I can see them and appreciate them.

This is the order for clothes:

• Tops (shirts, sweaters, etc.)
• Bottoms (trousers, skirts, etc.)
• Clothes that should be hung (jackets, coats, suits, etc.)
• Socks
• Underwear
• Handbags, etc.
• Extra items (scarves, belts, hats, etc.)
• Clothes for specific events (swimsuits, uniform, etc.)
• Shoes

Am now wondering exactly what accessories are as everything I kondoed under accessories are included in clothes.

Afternoon, all! Golly these threads move fast

Took all my bin bags of clothes to the local hospice for their next jumble sale, and half of my books have gone to the charity shop - trying to summon up the energy to take the last lot as I don't have a car so it's a bit of an effort!

Have done papers now and just did make-up and toiletries today - another big bag of stuff gone, hooray! Well, I say gone, what I actually mean is sitting in a big pile of other bags on the floor, but that's close enough. What has everyone done with their used toiletries? I don't really think anything of mine is in good enough condition to send to eg Give and Make Up but it does feel quite wasteful throwing it all away... I suppose I just need to get over that and bin the lot.

I have kept all my travel samples, but is that cheating if they actually do bring you joy? I go away a lot so they do get used up, and I love not having to carry a massive washbag around with me. Plus most of them are much posher brands than I normally buy for myself to use at home so I see them as kind of a treat

Linzer I was confused by the second 'Accessories' category - I kind of renamed it 'Jewellery' in my head as I did all my belts, hats etc with my clothes.

Wilding If your travel samples bring you joy, I don't see it as cheating to keep them - especially if you're getting through them. I think one of her arguments for not keeping sample sizes is that the small amounts don't keep very long, but I've never had problems with any going off and am sure I've used some that are several years old at least. I've kept enough of mine to see me through my travels this year and am gradually using up the rest, although I think it may take a while! But I've used up six sachets of body lotion and a small shower gel this week alone.

Ah yes, had forgotten about jewellery - I did kondo my jewellery with accessories. I think someone mentioned sunglasses too, but I can't think what else would come under accessories.

Re used toiletries, Give and Make Up say they'll take lightly used cosmetics that you would be happy to pass on to a friend - so if your toiletries aren't in a good enough condition for Give and Make Up, it sounds like you wouldn't be able to pass them on to anyone and the bin is probably the best place for them.

I did end up binning a few bits and pieces (mainly from my Glossybox subscription) that I'd tried and just didn't get on with, which felt slightly wasteful but I told myself that I'd already had the joy when my box arrived. And they certainly weren't bringing me any joy sitting unused in the bathroom cabinet, so it actually felt like quite a relief to give myself permission to bin them in the end.

All the new stuff that I knew I wasn't going to use (also virtually all from Glossyboxes) I passed on to our cleaner, who was thrilled; seeing how much joy it brought her meant I didn't feel too guilty about getting rid of it. Kondoing is also saving me money as it's made me realise that I really didn't need a Glossybox subscription; my last ever box has just arrived, so off to open it now...

Hmm, three things that I'll be able to use (eventually) but really didn't need plus two that I don't (including brow powder "to fill in sparse brows" - they obviously haven't seen my eyebrows!). No, I definitely won't miss it.

That's a good point about Give and Make Up - I will definitely feel less guilty about the bin now! I do have a few nicer bits and pieces that I've barely used so will fish them out and send them off to salve my conscience

It's funny, I always really wanted a Glossybox subscription but since I started Kondoing I'm finding that the last thing I want is more stuff coming into my house regularly - I got a free gift box of beauty stuff from M&S before Christmas and it was really exciting to receive, but if I'm honest with myself, I've only used a couple of the products and the rest are just sitting around taking up space. I'm just really hoping this minimalist state of mind is a lasting one!

hi all, well done everyone! I'm nowhere near sentimental items yet but I came across some and wondered if you had any ideas for when I get there because it's playing on my mind.

When I was in my teens I wrote 100s of songs. I don't have electronic copies but I have printed copies and some handwritten ones in a book. They're too embarrassing to share with anyone but they meant so much to me at the time, I'm not sure what to do with them? any ideas??

LinzerTorte - LMAO at all the clasping.

Accessories to me covers handbags, purses, scarves, hats (wooly-type and wedding-type), gloves, jewellery, hair clips, glasses, sunglasses, handkerchiefs (if you use such things!)... And that's all I can think of for now, but there must be other things I've forgotten.

On my way home from work now, having picked up the extra plastic crate needed to finish my fabric stash... Maybe even this evening, though walking the dog and making dinner probably have to come first! I keep meaning to leave work a bit earlier, and it keeps not happening.

Weasel, how do they make you feel now? The trouble is with sentimental stuff is that your feelings about it tend to be more complicated than obvious joy/lack of joy. That's why you do everything else first, so you get better attuned to your reactions to things.

I think it's interesting that you say they meant so much to you at the time. Does that mean they don't anymore? It's like my size 10 jeans - they were great at the time, but hanging on to them makes me feel inferior. It's ok to leave behind stuff that no longer resonates... It doesn't change the past. You don't have to live in thrall to your former self.

That's a good list Hermione; I'd agree that all of those are accessories but was just a bit confused by MK listing handbags, scarves, belts, hats, etc. under clothes and then having a separate accessories category (could only think of jewellery otherwise). But yes, had forgotten about hair clips; I did hair slides etc. when I kondoed my hair care products. I suppose as long as you kondo things at some point, the actual category they're in - whether they're clothes or accessories - doesn't matter too much.

weasel I went through something similar when I decluttered all my old teenage diaries several years ago. I could hardly bear to read them myself, let alone contemplate the embarrassment of anyone else reading them, so they all went; there was no point in them taking up space in a box if I died of embarrassment every time I opened it. And post-Kondo, I now realise that they brought me very little joy; it just felt like a shame to get rid of them when I'd spent so long writing them. But I haven't regretted decluttering them for an instant.

thanks Hermione, it is definitely me holding onto the past. they've been in a childhood box, unopened, for about 10 years! but coming across them again stopped me in my tracks, I didn't realise I still had them! hopefully you're right, by the time I get there I should be ready to make a decision, I hope!

thanks linzer I have the diaries too! already decided to burn them - and like you I can't even bear to read them myself!! I guess I just wasn't expecting to come across the songs, completely forgot about them!

note: burn them! terrified someone might find them!!

I should really have burned mine weasel, but put them right down at the bottom of our paper recycling bin (the neighbours' DC have occasionally been known to rescue things from the bin and take them back up to their house!) and kept my fingers crossed. AFAIK they weren't discovered but the neighbours' DC wouldn't have been able to understand much if any of it anyway; I would have felt differently about putting them to be recycled if we'd been in the UK or another English-speaking country.

Perhaps you don't need to keep/ lose the songs as a whole? when you look through them, perhaps a couple will bring you joy and will be nice to keep as memories? Important to remember with kondo that it's fine to keep a small, joyful, part of a formerly larger collection.

yeah I should read them, will take ages!

what do you all do with sentimental things your keeping but not displaying? do you have like a little box of sentimental items??

I chucked some old diaries and writing books from my teenage depression years. It felt like the right thing to do at the time but I've occasionally thought "I wish I could re-read..." so perhaps it wasn't right. But then they always made me feel sad when I read them. So probably was right! :)

Hah! No. Have a loft-ful!

Hi all, just checking in to the now not so new thread. Life has got in the way over the last couple of weeks and I haven't had time to Kondo - but clothes and toiletries have stayed tidy and I'm just so much more organised. Ditto the DCs clothes. I'm still plugging away and discarding things as I come across them (another bag to charity today) and hope I can get back on the wagon and return to categories properly next week when other stuff calms down.

Another one just checking in.

I know the thread has moved on but just wanted to say that I love those packing cubes. So what have I been doing? Yup, surfing the web looking at those Eagle Creek ones - found some at Cotswolds on sale for £25. See here Seriously thinking about getting them. Will sleep on it I think.

mixedpeel thank you for the encouragement! My reason for doing this is to free time and space to enjoy being with DC so any stories of how lovely life is once kondo'd are very welcome.

Re diaries, I am pretty sure I will keep mine, I love to read back through them and remember the intensity of those years. Plus I went to school with DH so sometimes I read bits to him about shared friends. However, I have thrown out a half filled book of poetry (cringe doesn't cover it) and a book I used to make notes about temp jobs when I thought I might write short stories about them all.

Not much done here as my back continues to be bad and DH is making me stay in bed as much as poss. but I did go through some bags of komono and photos, removing the obvious rubbish and moving remaining stuff into prettier bags to be stored for when I get to the right categories. I found a lot of info sheets we were given and photocopies of books I read before birth of DC1. Made me very tearful for a lot of reasons, and it was liberating to just put them in the recycling instead of feeling I have to keep them for a friend who is pregnant - even having them in the house waiting for her would sap my joy so I just binned the whole fat wedge of them.

Small steps towards the final goal, but steps nonetheless.