Kondo thread 10

[SnozzberryMincePie]

Just noticed the old thread was full, so hope no one minds me starting the new one

[BrixtonBunny]

Hello! Another fan here but with an exuberant crawling 10mo DD actually doing any sorting is feeling impossible! How do you juggle with kiddos?

[CutYourHairAndGetAJob]

By doing it very slowly . Eg if I do a cutlery drawer during nap time, that's been a productive day. Just make your categories small and accept that it will take time.

[building2016]

My husband read Kondo a few weeks ago. Today a entire estate boot is full of books to take to the chazzer. The other half of our books we will do tomorrow. Astonished and amazed and slightly awestruck.

[abdc]

Hi, just wondering if anyone else has experienced clearing out clutter making them anxious, and how you deal with it? I'd say we only have a normal amount of clutter but when we sorted out a large shelving unit today I found it was making me very anxious, particularly things with memories attached, and this was overriding the whole 'joy response' thing. It kinda puts me off doing more :-(

[HopeClearwater]

abdc that is the hoarding mindset. Think about what is the worst that can happen if you have thrown something away. Usually nothing very bad.

[NotCitrus]

Today we emptied the entire back of the car into the nice charity shop where they were hugely grateful, especially when I gave them the Gift Aid card so they had stickered all the stuff by the time the last bag was dumped. Eight sacks, couple small bags, box of books, estimate half of it is saleable and rest to the rag man. Mostly the ex-lodger's stuff, but good to have it gone.

I need to re-do my stationery but have a box now for business cards so can Kondo them. I'm near the end of a stint of Ebaying - I'm fast at it but about to bid for proper work so time best spent there instead.

We now have all spare bedding and linen stored in 3 of those giant checked zip-up plastic bags, which is practical if ugly. I'm in the middle of getting pictures onto the walls, even if they move later, as they are joyful and stops them cluttering up other surfaces, so been seeking frames for several.

Have also Kondoed lots of disability kit, some which will be vital in a new job, but much is useless to me. Will see where it can go as some costs a lot still.

[NotCitrus]

abcd Could item X be replaced for under £10? Have you needed it in the last 5 years? I find it useful to mentally charge my possessions rent - I live in London so effectively each room costs around £200 a month. A box of stuff thus costs about £20 if it's taking up space, each year. Makes it easier to get rid of anything that a) charity shops will take and b) could be replaced for £20 if I had to.

Re emotions - I think post-kids I've realised that a lot of sentimental stuff or 'interesting' things aren't going to interest the next generation for long, and that anything that only evokes emotion is unnecessary as I have quite enough emotions already! So anything that triggers bad memories is ditched, and stuff that triggers mostly good memories of the past or may be significant in future or just I don't want to get rid, is in boxes labelled Sentimental Stuff and date. Then in 10 years kids and I can look through it. My dad's advice is to store papers for 20 years as then it's a doddle to tell what can be thrown away! I'm hoping to avoid that...

My parents are planning for when they get too frail for their house and/or die, which leads to interesting conversations about which of their possessions I have no interest in at all versus which furniture I'd quite like. A bit weird, but given an aunt's recent death and various friends of theirs and mine having to deal with their families'possessions after a death, I'm glad they are working on it (it'll take a while...)

[Rummikub]

Hi may I rejoin please? I'm a useless kondo wannabe.

[GrubbyWindows]

Very inspired by everyone's progress!
abcd I think you need to be gentle with yourself, that's the reasoning behind the order of categories. I started with underwear, there is only so much sentiment in saggy tights and pants! Kondo suggests putting aside everything sentimental for the end, when you are well practiced, and have had a chance to enjoy the benefits of streamlined possessions in less fraught areas. Sentimental stuff is really hard! And even just a few categories all lovely and Kondoed are very motivating!
I'm with cutyourhair re micro categories too- easier to fit into odd naps etc...

[BlindAssassin1]

Hi, can I just sneak back in please? Totally got on board with the whole Kondo thing last summer, thought I did really well. Turns out I did not. Didn't really follow the whole 'sparks joy' thing at all. And really convinced myself that I definitely would do a car boot sale and give loads of stuff to the charity shop, and sell loads of baby clothes. I didn't at all. I just shoved old things into different places.

Anyway, I'm determined to get things together. I'm tired of being the one in the house who is responsible for every single material possession in the house - and there is soooo much stuff its depressing, and causes me a sense of inertia in other areas of my life. I don't want to clean a house that's got to be so intensely tidied beforehand. I don't want to study and work in a house that's so cluttered.

So, three bags gone to the charity shop last week, clothes to be picked up next week and another run to the charity shop. And signing in here for a little bit of accountability.

[BlindAssassin1]

abdc yes to the anxiety, and generally overly-emotional about some things. Hence my false-start with Kondo-ing last year.

Prime example was the wooden train set I bought for DD. She wasn't interested and neither was DS. So it went in the to-go pile. Except it stayed. I had all these lovely ideas of what it would be like with this toy and the memories they'd create. Didn't happen. Hanging on to it was more about my sadness that they weren't having the lovely peaceful 'wooden-toy-childhood' I'd envisioned and wished I'd had. Plus I just don't have those sort of children!

It is certainly not sparking joy. But getting rid of it frees up physical and emotional space for me to enjoy the children I do have with the toys that spark joy for them.

Kondo-ing, cheapest therapy ever I tell you!

[Tulipsinmyvase]

I'm joining on out of necessity, we are trying to get our house ready to put up for sale in the next 4 weeks.
It's a small 2 bed semi, with DH, myself, DS, DD & a dog we are bursting at the seams!
I've started to make good progress on the kitchen but bedrooms are a real issue. Someone tell me it'll all be worth it?

[Chorltonswheelies422]

I Kondo'd my bookcase - 3 big bags of books to charity shop. Felt very good

[building2016]

We've just halved the amount of grown up books in the house. About 500 books to the charity shop today. We still have lots left but wow, it feels amazing. (This is all possible because my husband read the book at last!)

[lauzby]

I've been thinking about buying the Kondo book for a while now. I can see myself reading it and thinking it's really good but I'm not sure I'll have the motivation to actually see it through. Is it just tips and ideas or will it give me a push to sort things out?

[building2016]

Lauzby I have read SO MANY books with tips and tricks. This was different. I felt like it reprogrammed my brain. And my husband's. I feel like now I know how other (normal) people deal with stuff.

[lauzby]

Thank you @building2016. That's what I'm hoping for!

[building2016]

And honestly, if you read it and it doesn't transform your life, you won't have wasted that time or money. It will still be useful.

[GrubbyWindows]

Woo hoo KondoAttitide!! Good luck in the kitchen! And oh my god you need to throw that cream out. It is probably mutating into a whole new drug!!!

Re reading the book- totally worth it, you can get it from the library and give it back after, thereby not increasing the books in your life..,

[Nan0second]

Finally felt well enough to do toiletries and make up and craft stuff today.
I have one drawer now instead of 5 in 3 different rooms. I can see the wardrobe 'floor', which I hadn't seen in 5 years...
My bathroom is tidy. My airing cupboard looks great.
Still lots to do in komono obviously but it feels great to be making progress.

[Trenzalor]

waves I've just finished Spark Joy and am going to try and start in short bursts. I cleared out loads of ill fitting clothes this past year so I have less to go through. I realised, whilst reading the book, that just thinking about some of the clothes makes me feel bad so they are going. Mostly the ones I "keep for work". I figure I'll just have to dress differently for work!