Kondo thread 8

[Isisizzie]

New thread for Kondo addicts.

Sorry I can't do all the links that were on the top of thread 7.

I think I'm Kondoing all my stuff which is in my apartment! YEAH ME!

So the only stuff left is: stuff stored in England for when we go home (which I already sorted once) and the basement room (which is pretty empty).

Annnnd...now I think I need a lie down.

Oh wait, I still need to hang out the washing.

Don't sweat it, prettymess, no matter how much you Kondo, there is always laundry.

ALWAYS.

And mixedpeel, so glad that the tidy bits make you want to stay on the wagon! I am hideously lazy, which is why the whole 'one big tidy and then it's easy' appealed to me so much.

s for everyone. Or if you prefer.

mixedpeel

I still have a very long way to go with kondoing, but I've seen a profound change in my thinking.

A couple of months ago, I suddenly re-discovered what Happiness feels like!

While I was discarding and looking for the Joy feeling, I recognised the feelings that I used to have about life, before I got into the habit of feeling sad about the past and worried about the future. It hit me like an earthquake! Now, I have that feeling grafted into me, and I will NOT ever let it go again.

I have some major matters and concerns in life, but they no longer touch me - I deal with what I have to, and then let go. I'm no longer spending all my time, anticipating possible scenarios and solutions. I will deal with whatever, IF it happens! I'm now happy all the time, and nothing at all is getting me down!

Oh, and I'm totally focused on having only joyful things in my home and life. This will strengthen me, so I will be able to cope with any future crises appropriately, and still maintain my happiness.

Iqueen -What with Sandringham, Windsor and Balmoral to do as well as Buck House it is going to take you a bit longer than average.

Seriously - so glad you are feeling happier.

I've still got loads to do - paperwork is going to be a killer for me for a loooong while. I've got basic "do it" and "keep for the moment" magazine files set up though which is helping with incoming stuff - but the "Backlog" is dire!

Iqueen, I've reread my post and realised how it's very much focused on the practicalities of the changed mindset. I would agree with you that the change goes much deeper than that.

For me, I guess it's a combination of the Joy factor and the practicalities of a simpler, easier to keep on top of home, which have enabled this deeper change.

In fact, I have just realised something while typing this post. Kondo Joy does not automatically mean less. I now realise that a big factor in the decision to get a puppy was the longterm Joy that having a dog will bring into all our lives. So in addition to Kondo providing a safer environment to bring her home to (unlike a year ago when there was stuff everywhere for her to find and chew), it gave the impetus to go for it. It involved giving up some income too, while she is little and can't be left for long periods. Which actually meant I kondoed a particular part of my job that I have hated for the past two years. Would I have seen it as a healthy thing to do without kondo? Not entirely sure, tbh.

Omg. Without these threads, we may very well not have our dog. Who does indeed bring enormous joy to all the family.

educatingarti Thenk you, so much for your welcome sapport with thees kondoin. We hev ectually feenished Weendsor, end we even menaged to get Phil to kondo hees sorck drawer! Eet looks so lavly thet we hev to keep goin beck to gaze at eet! He threw away all hees darned sorcks, end now hez only half a drawerful. He even menaged to get hees medal regalia in thet drawer, too - he made a drawer divider frawm a Weetabix bawx and thet velcro staff! (royal ) We also hev the Throne Room et Back Hise, to do - eet eez full to bearsting with caddly toys, sent for Charlotte!

Seriously - I think I'm happier than I have ever been! I'm sure I was just as happy in the past, at times, but I didn't realise it - just took it for granted! Now, I feel joyful, content with my life and invincible. Wooooo!

I haven't got to Paperwork, as such, although I have done current stuff and it is all in neat files. The actual category is going to be a nightmare - piles, boxes and bags, all over the house, going back at least 26 years! Tempted to pile it all in one room and chuck in a lighted match!

I stopped buying newspapers and magazines, years ago, so the only ones will have been kept from before that, hiding in the piles etc. I have two years worth of Cross Stitch mags, neatly stored in magazine files, on a shelf in the Boxroom of Doom and (when I get to the category) I shall spend a day going through them, scanning charts I want to keep. I should then be able to sell them, because I don't see Cross Stitch mags on newstands these days. Joy!

For all the important paperwork, I'm 'old school' and prefer to keep hard copies if necessary, because technology is changing so quickly (think taped music, CDs, DVDs and Operating Systems!), so there is no telling how long digitised stuff will remain accessible.

I have files for this stuff and when sorting, I go through a pile and sort into keep, burn, recycle. Then I go through the keep pile and file it, before starting another random pile. I definitely would be be looking for a match, if I tried to do it all at once!

On with the motley! Good luck!

mixedpeel Changing our lives to include only joyful things, according to what I have observed on these threads, can lead to unexpected compromises/changes.

Kondoing doesn't necessarily mean less, but it follows that less means more time, less maintenance, and more space for joyful activities = Happiness.

If we fill our lives with joy, so far as we can, it builds our strength to cope with those explosions that, in a frenzied life, could knock us off balance and floor us. The inner calm, that joyful living brings, is amazingly powerful.

Iqueen, i burst out at laughing at that weetabix reference! Love it!

Defk0ndo - MrNC would like to point out that he's very good nowadays at almost always using a notebook to write in. Tbf, the production of scribbles is less than it used to be, and some do go on his phone. I'll suggest nicking his phone and photographing, but it's hard enough to decipher his handwriting in hardcopy...

I have just found a couple drawers of komono that I had thought were only useful stuff, and it's because I keep having helpful people put things in drawers (usually in that 'oh shit, the cleaner is coming at 9am tomorrow' moment!), so actually what I need now is labels for the insides of all the drawers in the hall and the rest of my filing cabinet, so everyone else can find and put away stuff.

I did successfully kondo the most annoying part of my job last Thurs - explained to other team leader that it was more of his thing, didn't need to be me, and quite honestly I wasn't good at it either, whereas any of his team could do it. And given how much other work I have, if I kept it, it wouldn't get done properly anyway. Result!

Hello again. I'm going in to Do Clothes this evening. I did recently do a big cull following some other list that was drastic!

So this folding... Do you all have folded socks pants etc still?

Its so encouraging to hear how well its going for people. I'm quite excited after reading the book. Our house is small and there currently isn't enough space for everything. The kids constantly leave trails of chaos too so just keeping on top of cleaning is hard never mind anything new!

TeacupTravels My socks, knicks, nightwear, tops and sweaters are all immaculate - kondoed them in January! Wardrobe still neat with hanging clothes, scarf/gloves drawer still tidy. Folding and 'filing' is definitely the way to go - making use of the drawer height.

Doing well with books, today.

That's great to hear! I've even you tubed for evidence of the folding... I had no idea she was so young!

I might have to do my childrens at the same time.... I'm not sure they will stay sorted.

TeacupTravels Let the children help, and teach them how to fold and file. Point out the advantages of being able to see everything and how easy it is to choose what to wear. You might find the one or more of them really gets on board. I've read of some really young children who love doing it!

That sounds good! I'll see if I can suss the funny folding on its side tonight...

Gotta admit, teacup, I haven't quite got the hang of the folding yet...

How are you doing on the books, Iqueen? Or should I call you ma'am?

Teacup - my clothes are staying folded and filed. It is so much easier to keep track of things and as I fold I notice where things are getting worn or not bringing joy so the odd extra thing gets kondoed.

I've done a little bit of work paperowk konding this morning - think it will probably take me till I semi-retire (in 10 years!) to do it all at this rate!

Argh lady next door came in our back garden (we were checking out a bee problem) and I was so embarrassed. Need to tackle the garden. Got my friend who's a gardener coming to do weeding next week and I cut back some big weeds and shrubs for now. Any KM gardening tips?

As a positive, I went through the KM checklist and I am only missing a few items. I'm dreading sentimental.

MsUrsa You can call me what you like, so long as it's kind!

We are making very good progress with the laybrary on the grend starcase. Thenk you for eenquairing!

educatingarti I think odd kondoes was what happened in the past, so there never had to be a Grand Purge.

I haven't got to paperwork proper, yet, but I had to sort some imprtant stuff out, so got that and current stuff into files. While doing that I found Important takes time to carefully do, along with Confidential papers, by which time I've lost patience, so all those random sheets, for future 'doing, making, reading or whatever' just go in the recycling, without a second glance!

prettymess My garden has degenerated into one big bramble patch! So the only advice I can give is to concrete it all over! Seriously, plant perennials and let them all spread so the whole garden is covered and weed-free. Then, you only have to thin them out every 3 years.

My garden is pretty much all paving!

Simples, prettymess, just spray it all with weedkiller! Or you could sprinkle some very low-growing seeds between the paving? Pretty, or a Mess?

I have been spraying weed killer and then pressure washed it. Need to reapply weed killer again.

I'm firing at full happiness level today! I hope eveyone else is, too.

I'm going to finish the books ON the staircase library! I've got more clothes to put in CS sack, and I'm going to do some housework.

Yesterday I was housebound, in decent clothes, awaiting a phone call to go out. So, no dust-bunnies. I got so bored, I even shined the !£$%^& sink!