KONDO Thread 9

[Iqueen]

Kondo your Home and your Life. Live the JOY!

Properly done my clothes, 5 bin bags out. DH was v impressed with my wardrobe, but thought I had gone a bit OTT when he saw my sock drawer!!!

Grey, I had a pile of letters from my Dad, died 10yrs ago too and I felt surprisingly light when I sent most on their way. I've kept a couple that make me smile and I think I will actually look at them from time to time rather than them being mixed up in a box. It is hard as it is a part of them but I don't feel I need them any more. I hope you will be happier too and can remember your Mum when she was well rather than the bad bits.
(I am doing things a bit tipsy turvy too I think I will get stuck with the general stuff rather than the big categories!)

Topsy turvy - I'm not drunk!

I've just found a shoe I lost 2yrs ago - bought them for a holiday and only found 1, I thought I had dropped the other on the way home from the shop! I think I may have thrown the other out a few weeks ago

Well, I am pleased to report that, due to the magic of tidying, I have been able to get my house show home tidy, and it is literally live on the market, viewings being booked, within 1 week of making the decision to go on the market. I am very happy.

If we get the house we want, I will have space for all the books I've jacked. A slight regret I think. But it's made me feel I should make more space in my life for reading, and fill some bookshelves with new joy. Its not quite the same, but I suspect I can get hold of a lot of those books fairly cheaply if I decide I really went them again.

Boot sale not as successful as hoped. Will likely try again.

Well Done Starface! MK says that people turn their lives around as a result of their tidying. Looks like you've now joined their ranks.

Very and MadAunt, it was hard throwing away the cards and letters, but I realised as I was reading them how miserable I felt and why should anyone feel obliged to hold onto items that make them cry their eyes out?! I'm feeling that I could probably let go of a few other things that provoke a similar feeling too.

Cycle I am dreading doing my craft and sewing stash!

Feeling your positive vibes Starface! Well done.

I am going to try to persuade DH who is working at home today to make a start on going through what is left of his clothes today...

Had a few days off due....but back to it today. Started in the dreaded kitchen. I'm being brutal - half the stuff hasn't been touched in months. So it is going!

You lot have inspired me to sort my clothes out properly. Will re Kondo them in the next few weeks.

So impressed by the approach to old letters etc. Mine are all stashed in the attic....

Hi. I posted about three weeks ago after reading the first two threads and the book, and doing my clothes and drawers and the kids' drawers, although probably not completely kondoing all their clothing. I've since read every thread and am coming to the end of a two week holiday so it's going to be interesting going back to my house with all of your insights and experiences to apply hopefully. We've been staying n a house swap where the peopl are much tidier than us, but also have quite a lot of stuff in places - in their main kitchen cabinets they have 42 dinner plates across three separate sets and then a whole different cabinet in the dining area full of even more stuff! Not sure who they are planning on catering for - there are five of them...

I've found the changes people have made to their lives across the months since thread one started interesting too, in terms of job changes and house moves etc. I very much feel that this process is not just about tidying my house, but clearing out my mind and focusing on what exactly I plan to do with the rest of my life. I really feel I need to gve my job a long, hard look, as, while I am good at it, it doesn't spark joy for me when I think of it, and my relationship needs similar analysis. I don't really know what does bring me joy these days except the children sometimes (and I'd even like to Kondo them at times!). I know what my vision fr the house is I think - as many have said, a tidy, calm place where I won't be embarrassed to have visitors drop round unexpectedly, where there is space to breathe, where the dc can really utilise the toys and play area they have rather than not playing because they can't see the wood for the trees. And where there is less stress and shouting.

CaminanteNoHayCamino Good luck! Reading through all the past threads and The Book, really does hype us up.

Kondoing our physical space is mind-bending! Have space and time does draw our minds to other areas of our lives, and make decisions easier to work out.

I think, sadly, that I need to re-read the book... still keen but not focussed enough, at present. Must get my drive back.

Still got joyful drawers and wardrobe, but still too much clutter in the house. Still ridiculously happy with life!

Brilliant result Starface! I hope the 'woo factor' kicks in and you get the house you want!

Is anyone else getting impatient with the process?! My clothes and bookshelves look fantastic and they just highlight how cluttered and disorganised the rest of my house is! I would love to have a few weeks off work with no one around to do the whole of my house - doesn't help that DH thinks I have completely lost the plot (only told him that I am having a big clear out!)

Ah, I know what you mean. It's tricky in the holidays with the children off school, friends coming round and going away on holiday to have the space and time to pull everything out at once and sort through it in approved Konmari fashion. I feel like I have to hang in there making very slow progress (a few more of the discarded books left the house this week) until I have a bit more time to really attack the clutter.

I always feel like the new academic year is a good time for new resolutions so I'm hoping to make good progress in September.

Funambulist I completely agree that the start of school is a great time for those resolutions. New Year is a dreadful time - cold, dark, middle of winter. Who on earth wants to start anew then??

ohhelp God to hear it can be done! Do you pop the photos you are keeping in albums?

I really agree it makes you re-look at your life. I think if my house is organised then other tasks seem less daunting. I am also frustrated at how bad the rest of my house looks. How have I lived like this?!

I can empathise with the frustration. It feels really weird to clear out and tidy one half of a cupboard and leave a whole pile of other crap in there.
Good luck Caminante, your vision sounds a lot like mine.
I managed to do most of my paperwork yesterday, got it down to 3 slim piles and felt quite proud until I failed to locate the new folders I had bought , slight kondo fail.
rooners I really need to do the kitchen stuff soon as we are having the only set.of drawers removed to make space for a dishwasher, I'm dreading it as there is so much crap.
iqueen, good luck with the re-focus, lovely to hear you are still ridiculously happy.

theverything once you start on it, you'll get into the swing and enjoy it. It's the starting that's the daunting bit

Well I am staggered that DSs clothes drawers have remained beautifully folded and organised, and DHs sock drawer is also a joy to behold. I can't believe it has lasted this long!

I did a massive cull of my clothes but there are things I kept that I am not convinced make me joyful. In reality there are very few things I have that I truly love and I seem to think I have to hold onto more, even though I don't wear them!

I've recently been away and am now pretty sure I have Kondoed clothes to a near-optimum point (there's about 4 items likely to be ditched soon, and I need some new pants). Which is great! The kids don't have excess clothes but about to take ds shopping...

Paperwork will be my main problem for ever - with a couple medical letters a week for someone in the family, being a charity trustee, and being both employed and self-employed and probably my own company soon, it really needs clamping down on. Have ditched the whole folder relating to previous car, though.

The garden will be sorted out soon though as bricklayers will start work, which means various bricks and timber can then be ditched and there will be more space, and then can do the kitchen. Once ds is back at school, I have a list of items to try selling and then if not sold in 2 weeks, they go to charity. And lots of books and craft supplies to donate to ds's school (mostly from Compulsive Buying Friend - at least they will be used so I can act thankful for them...)

Greymalkin I was dreading my stash as well- then when it HAD to be down from the loft (new insulation) I made the decision to not put anything back up that wasn't joyful. So I HAD to go through it and DH had to go through a lot of his stuff

The loft is mostly done now (just 1 box of his books and 1 of misc crap, mostly computer stuff) I suspect KonMari would find loads more for us to thank and send on it's way, but I am happy with what's been put back, and things have started to leave the flat so I'm starting to feel comfortable in my home again. Has anyone else started to feel ill at ease in a messy environment as a result of this?

I've also gone through cooking utensils, food storage continers, and kitchen gadgets. We rarely use what we have (George Foreman Grill, Toastie maker, slow cooker, Raclette grill, food processor, wand blender, ice cream maker, and electric whisk/cake mixer thing) but I am always so happy to have the stuff when we do need it! (with the possible exception of the food processor because it's a pain to clean and we store it in it's original packaging so it's also a pain to get out. Oh also the breadmaker: I am so ready to send that on it's way but himself wouldn't DREAM of it. So it stays.

TheVeryThing "It feels really weird to clear out and tidy one half of a cupboard and leave a whole pile of other crap in there."- I clear out everything, then sort, then decide what's joyful for what I'm doing and put in piles/bags/a spare drawer or box the things for catagories I'm not currently on. (assuming they aren't obvious garbage from the first handling!) This way, I can use the space right away, and sorting things gives me a leg up when I get to that kind of catagory.

GreyMalkin For the clothes that aren't joyful but you're keeping out of fear of going naked/not having enough to wear, I'd suggest embracing the capsule wardrobe idea Or else stick the "kept just in case" clothes into a bag, and then if you haven't pulled something out of that bad out of desperation in about a month (so by Oct), you'll KNOW that you don't need it and can get by only with the joyful things. (obvious caveats about seasonal stuff, obviously)

Good afternoon,

Do you mind if I join your thread?

I just put a post in housekeeping and was signposted this way so here I am

I am pregnant and OH moved into my house in Dec. We are both naturally pretty messy and I'm looking for a way out.

This afternoon i have sorted the tv cabinet. I've decided what needs to go in there and have sorted everything else out into piles to go in the shed (seeds for next year), OHs tools to go in his van, stuff to chuck, stuff for charity and a random pile of stuff I don't know what to do with.

I desperately want this place sorted before baby comes otherwise toys will just get dumped on top. Currently my address book is missing as is OHs pregnancy book that I bought for him.

House is tidy because although we are messy, we like a tidy house so we dump things in cupboards.

So, that's me..... Hi

chelle792 Welcome to the Kult! Congratulations to you and OH on your pregnancy. Exciting times!

Look at the previous Kondo threads1-7 - they have the categories listed.

It is easier to deal with one type of item at a time, otherwise, as you have found, you end up with a messy pile of assorted Stuff without a home!

So, the first category is clothes, which, to most people, is the easiest... unless they're at some point in reproduction! They have a home.

Pack away all the clothes that don't fit now. But, chuck any that didn't make you feel joyful to wear. Checkout YouTube and learn to fold and file your underwear and other clothes - this releases space, and makes each item instantly identifiable and easy to retrieve.

The next category is books, which usually have a home, too. Handle them, but don't open them. Decide whether they bring you enough joy to outweigh the space they take up.

Avoid bringing anything into your home that is not essential. Look on some of the threads here when you are considering baby clothes and equipment - much of it is not essential.

Buy the book! And read it. This is the map to a calm, life.

Follow the categories, although you can do them out of turn if really necessary. If you do follow them faithfully, it builds your decision-making ability and strengthens your motivation.

Do NOT try to sort by room! You need to have a firm focus on the task in hand. Trying to do a room, or miscellaneous cupboard is full of distractions.

Good luck.

Welcome chelle and congratulations! It's very addictive but I agree you should read the book. It's a change in mindset and, for me, quite life changing and energising.

DH says I am addicted....

I did books in the living room and got rid of three carrier bags worth. Books are a big love for me so I was not expecting to remove many and indeed I don't want not to have a good chunk of them around. But I'm pleased with what I did. I also helped my mother inadvertently kondo a tiny fraction of her stuffed house. She had some girls' clothes which I imagine were my niece's old stuff. Most of it was too big for dd and I didn't want to take much anyway as you can imagine. However when she said she was going to take the rest to a charity shop I thought 'you won't' so when I left I quietly bundled them into my car, and when I dropped the books off at the chazza a few days later took the clothes in too. She won't remember she had them probably so I have done her a Kondo favour . I'd love to do the rest of her house too!

Welcome chelle

I've just started a new job so komono is on the back burner until I get settled on my new routine. especially since I don't want to neglect ordinary housework any more than I have!