Kondo categories

[Skichick34]

Hi
I've been reading through some of the kondo threads to get some ideas of what it's all about. I've not got the book yet but have seen it's available at the library so will reserve it soon. However had a question for kondo experts..In other thread it says how you sort by category rather than area however thinking about some of my crap filled drawers there is probably about 50 different categories in there and if I started for example on pens and pencils i know I'd be all over the house grabbing all the pens from all the various locations. .is that the right way to go about it? Just looking in my bed side drawer now there are toiletties, first aid, pens, paper, kids drawings etc...where do I start with these?? Thanks

You start with the big categories like clothes. I think other people sometimes created a "holding zone" box for stuff like pens/stationery and chucked it all in the box if they found it when doing a different category. Then it was already gathered together when it came time to do that category IYSWIM?

I'm doing the big categories 1st then using a massive plastic box to tip all my junk drawers into at some point so I can separate into different categories/ chuck out stuff! Definitely read the book - I thought I knew what I was doing from reading stuff on the Internet, but the book makes much more sense.

I did "holding zone" boxes. I started by just putting displaced odds together, but I had so many, and often the same categories (crafting supplies, make up bits, jewellery etc), that I made about 8 boxes and put things in as I found them. Then when I came to doing that category, I just grabbed the box and added it to the main pile. It worked really well, and helped stop me feeling overwhelmed by the clutter. It also helped keep it all contained, so when I had to stop kondoing (usually because DD2 had woken from her nap!), I wasn't leaving everything in a tip.

As MadauntfromA says though, you really need to read the book.

I've still not read the book, but the principles are still helpful to me. I got pens and pencils in one place on each floor (3 storey house, I can't do stairs fast) and that enabled me to ditch 3/4 of the freebie biros and loads of others. I tried a stationery and a craft drawer but even post-Kondo there's too much so now have a craft drawer for each child and one for parent-supervising craft stuff.

I'm probably on my second time through most categories as more comes to light, I get more ruthless, and building work progresses. I have a whole category of Housebuilding Bricks.

Thanks for the tips. So start with clothes, toys...I am tempted to just grab a bin bag and do a 15 minute blitz in one room this evening. I was planning on starting the decluttering process once kids are back at school and I have a couple of days a week at home but I'm itching to get started now!

you could do that but kondo really needs to be followed in a specific order, item by item, not room by room.

why not start with your clothes? you could look at all your coats for example?

really you need to read the book. I was itching to get started too and ended up redoing things once my book arrived. or if you're desperate the earliest kondo threads might help as they explain the process a bit more

Get started now then :)

Grabbing a bin bag and blitzing is good normal tidying but it's kinda the opposite of the KonMari method. Her method: do all your clothes, including shoes, coats, scarves, etc at once. if you miss a box or bag somewhere, you aren't allowed to look at it, these clothes must not spark joy or you would have grabbed that box when you were grabbing the rest of your clothes. Then do your books, then your papers (which should be quick as she recommends binning the lot), then the rest of your things. Hopefully by then, others in your home will be jealous of your progress and get on board It's OK to help with the gathering and putting back, but only an individual knows what sparks joy for them. a lot of us struggle with this, or have family members who think that if you don't keep everything they've ever given, then you must not love them. Konmari addresses gifts by "the point of a gift is to be given. After that, it's just stuff and should only be kept if it's joyful.

I thought that the idea of doing it category by category was for you to be able to see how much you actually have. I didn't think that we had much paper work until I put it all in one place. I sorted it all out in one hit and sat up until the small hours, I recycled/burned a huge amount.

Same with clothes, massive pile on the bed, largely unused. I loaded the 'unloved' clothes straight into bags and then into the boot of the car the same day. First thing in the morning I was off to the charity shop. I haven't regretted it.

I think for decluttering it is helpful to read the book, so you understand her method of what to keep and get rid of, and how to tidy...but, I don't think it can hurt to get a bin bag and get rid of some rubbish that needs to go in the bin, or collect clothes that need washing, or put kids toys back to where they should be. I think it's more realistic for daily life to spend some time making your living room bearable for 15 mins to make you feel like you are starting, than getting all your clothes out of the wardrobe and not having time to sort them properly so they end up lying around.

I do a combination of both, general tidying in the main rooms of the house whilst I work through her categories, I am doing it slowly but I am only doing each category once and keeping things tidy, for example,my clothes are all sorted and drawers are still v nice and organised.