Need Kondo-esque inspiration

[PorthCove]

So much to sort, piles of stuff I've accumulated and never use. Mainly clothes but also old old documents and ancient rubbish. Today's the day. I need some inspiration to get me through it. Any useful Kondo-y mantras I should keep in mind?

And the thing about don't buy storage was one of the things I was sceptical about, but I found random boxes all ended up fitting into spaces as I went and really helped with the random wires etc mentioned upthread.

I too have been having a massive clear out using the Konmarie principles (not read the book, just the key points) and have sent loads to charity etc. I have been ruthless until it's come to the sentimental items of the DC's - their new baby cards, naming day cards etc! And baby clothes I've kept - not many but there are a couple of little coats I couldn't bear to part with that prob could do with going but I'm finding hard to let go! Any advice?

Keep them because they are bringing you joy by touching them, looking at them and reawakening happy memories.

I did it a few years ago now. By and large it stuck. We have been through a lot of building work since. I am very glad I did KM first as it meant less stuff to churn around the house. I am also still better at getting rid of stuff.

I still find the short use toys especially eg kinder egg toys are frustrating. I also need to finish sorting out electronic filing. I need to do do more stuff as we end building and I need to revisit some areas. But yes I feel much less overwhelmed, and that it is all very achievable.

I think that's a good point, it's important to remember you don't HAVE to get rid of things, only if they don't bring you joy. If they do - keep them!

Mayor, I heard a vlogger say she had kept just one baby outfit with special memories attached for each child.

Re sentimental objects, I posted on another MK thread recently about parting with many many photos of my teenage years and early twenties, and condensing it all down to one of the little Clarks baby shoes boxes (other shoes box brands available!)

The thing with the majority of the photos is a lot of them really didn't spark joy for me - it was mostly a miserable time.

We sometimes keep sentimental items for questionable reasons if you really think about it (guilt, being a big one for me!) But I think in the case of baby clothes that bring back happy memories Mayor, that's a good reason to keep them! Could you condense them into a smaller box - cards and a few special outfits?

I have kept several things from DS' babyhood, they are stored away neatly and i don't trip over them every day. I wouldn't like to narrow it down to just one outfit, if i chuck 99% i might as well go the whole hog and chuck it all.

Kinder egg toys are sorted through. If DS plays with tjem a fair bit and they aren't the instantly breakable things, then he keeps them in a little bag. Every now and then i'll take the bag on an outing and he plays with them as we have lunch (he is 5yo and can still get bored in a cafe). He rediscovers them all over again.

I am quite ruthless with his toys and tat doesn't last long. If a giift is not played with, it is regifted or charity shopped. If parts of a toy/boardgame get lost or break, then it is gotten rid of.

Having said that, i often repurpose old toys like the baseboard of a boardgame, or use the figures for something else.

Every so often i buy DS a bottle of water in a themed bottle (Darth Vader, Eeyore, Playmobil knight, R2D2 etc). I have collected 9 and 1/4 filled them with sand. They're kept in a box and we play bowling with them. Darth Vader 5 points, Eeyore 3 points etc then count your points. I've had the 'game' 3 years and still not bored!

But expensive bucket of wooden meccano? Not played with > gone. Wooden kitchen and playfood that took up a ton of space wherever it was. Not played with > gone. Bucket of soldiers found for 50p in a charity shop, played with for 1 day last month --> back to the charity shop.

I wait until he is at school. He doesn't notice 99% of the time. If he dors notice i adk him when the last time he played with it was. Then i tell him the toy has gone to a child who now plays with it a lot and he is fine with that.

I try to live by that rule: do i use it? When was the last time i used it? Would someone else get more pleasure from it? --> gone.

It's liberating!

I've got rid of a box of greetings cards and child-drawn pictures by scanning them (I cut the cards along the fold and scanned the front picture next to the written message). Can now look at them whenever I want by scrolling through the pics on the iPad, without having to sort through the box first.

Mari Kondo has a lot to answer for. I have the house to myself and have just had the best fun folding plastic bags into triangles