Has anyone read about the Kon Marie method and decided NOT to put it into action?

[CrochetBelle]

Just that ^

Is it worth buying the book? Will it really change my life or will it just bring more clutter into the house?

[TheTurnOfTheScrew]

It's not all or nothing.
The "sparking joy" part is bolleaux, to the extent that I wonder if it simply doesn't translate well.
Things I took from it are:

• Give yourself permission to chuck stuff even if it seems wasteful (clothes/kitchen gear that were expensive mistakes)
  
• store folded clothes vertically so you can file through them. You find things more easily, and so wear more of what you have
  
• gathering same category stuff together helps you chuck excess items. When we boxed up our kitchen for a refurb we kondo-ed the kitchen gear and got rid of plenty of B-grade mugs, plates etc.

[UrgentScurryfunge]

I like some of her methods.

My clothes are now folded vertically which is more efficient. But not socks or pants
I like the saying thank you to old items. I find it hard to let go of beloved old things well past their best, particularly if they are destined for a bin.
Putting themes together to get the big picture is helpful. I'm not pureist about it as my house is a bit too big to go traipsing off to a particular drawer every time I need a pen etc, but there are times when it is useful to pool it all together.

[AstrantiaMajor]

The book changed my life because after 6 months DH started doing his stuff. He was such a hoarder and we had stuff going back 40 years.

If you are working and/or have a family, I think it is too hard to do it just as she says. It creates a mess and takes a long time. Here are my top tips.

Down load the Konmari Checlist. This divides your stuff into 200 categories. It is so much easier to tackle when things are broken down.

Don’t be tempted to buy storage. Don’t focus on what a waste of money it is to throw away. The money is spent you are not going to get it back.

Look,at what category you are doing and divide into 3. Keep, chuck, don’t know. When you start the bags of don’t knows are quite big but as you move forward you won’t even have a don’t know pile.

Same thing in the same place for ever. This has made the biggest difference to me.

[AstrantiaMajor]

Also,I should have said don’t buy the book. The first half is such a load of drivel

[Daffodillie]

I Kondo-ed my bedroom and upstairs storage areas over the New Year, after reading the book.

As some PPs said, some of it was a bit silly, but I did look at a lot of clothes I had been hanging onto for YEARS, asked myself if they sparked joy and ended up getting rid of about 50% of my wardrobe. I think I have only regretted about one or two things I chucked.

7 months later, things are reverting to a bit of a mess but nothing like it was before. It was probably because I never finished the whole house.... Anyway, this thread has inspired me to re-read the book and refresh the system!

The vertical folding/stacking system in the drawers worked particularly well for me. It is so much easier to see what you have, and things don't get squashed.

[Bingpot]

In case you're interested, it was written about just recently

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/meet-extreme-marie-kondo-konverts-decluttering-sock-drawers/amp/

Just realised I don't know how to do a clickable link...

[Bingpot]

Ah it's automatic. Excellent.

[ICantFindAFreeNickName2]

Although the book is a bit wacky in places and I have not done my whole house, I do think her principles work. I think I have changed my mindset and my house is getting tidier all the time.
Probably the biggest difference is asking what do I want to keep, rather than what do I want to get rid of. It seems so much easier to let things go now. Also giving yourself permission to get rid of things that you have been given made a real difference to me.
I'm hoping to re-read the book and get back into it during the summer break.

[misskatamari]

I loved it! I need to reread it as we had a house move shortly after I started it so need to get going with it again. Honestly the folding clothes thing is a revelation! It's amazing to be able to open drawers and see everything in there, as opposed to having stuff piled on top of each other.

[CrochetBelle]

My kids have fairly deep drawers. How does the folding work with that? Surely they have to be folded a few times to 'stand up'. Do I just fold them as I would for shallower drawers, even though that feels like a waste of the excess height?

[Cagliostro]

It is charmingly bonkers but it has genuinely changed my life. I would say if you're interested it's worth reading, it's a quick easy read so not like you'd waste hours.

It isn't terribly practical for family life and I couldn't do the all in one go type thing for most categories due to life in general and disability/pain issues. It is useful when possible though, for example I did manage it with kids books and it made it easier to see what was worth keeping.

What really stuck with me though was being able to say goodbye to things when they have fulfilled their purpose. I held on to SO MUCH for spurious reasons, and I am now able to let go of things without upset. For example presents that may have been great at the time (not just stuff you keep out of obligation) - it doesn't change the happiness I felt on receiving it, I don't actually need the item anymore.

I had many years of emotional/impulse spending and the money I wasted is embarrassing, but holding on to the item doesn't make the money any less wasted and it just costs me space as well. Being able to acknowledge that the item's purpose was to make me happy when I bought it makes it easier to get rid, and I now find it easier not to buy stuff as I have a better outlook. Actual decluttering still a WIP due to the health issues but it's definitely helped me mentally which was more than half the battle. So worth a read I think, nothing to lose really

[banivani]

OP you fold the clothes a few times, yes. The book might have pictures but there are videos online. The drawback to me is that my son is unable to keep it up himself, however if I’ve cleaned up a drawer he can see all his clothes very well and doesn’t struggle to find anything.

I struggle with folding though because a lot of my tops are that thin viscose jersey that just flops. Now I know Marie K says that the garment will “tell you how it wants to be stored” and you’ll argue that it’s telling me to use a hanger - but I don’t have room to hang them. Any suggestions?

[Xiaoxiong]

@banivani could you put a vertical strip of hooks on the back of a door for the tops? If they're viscose they should be v thin to hang on wire hangers?

Otherwise could you fold them in half flat and lay them out in a drawer the way MK suggests doing bras?

[banivani]

xiao no room for hooks ... re the fold do you mean like staggering them? have to look at an example I think [toddles off to google]

[Xiaoxiong]

Yes something like this but with tops?

pin.it/wzfi34mtpppcek

[banivani]

That's not bad actually. My drawers are very shallow, and I'm having a clearout anyway so can try this after. I suspect I won't have enough space for it though since unfortunately they're also narrow drawers, but it's def worth trying! Thanks!

[purplegreen99]

If you have problems keeping folded clothes standing, you can use dividers to help support them e.g. shoes boxes or similar.

[cleancleanclean]

@Xiaoxiong , late reply because I had decided mumsnet was not sparking joy, so put it in a hidden folder for a while!
I think the book changed my life because it changed the way I look at things. It's not just about tidying. It's about taking control over your life. If something isn't truly bringing you happiness, why do you have it or do it? I realized that I do/have a lot of stuff just because, and I was kind of going through life on auto pilot. Now I'm much better at recognizing when something isn't contributing anything positive to my life (possessions, but also habits and relationships) and letting go of them. People often say say it's hard for your toothbrush to 'spark joy' but I've got better at that too. I've become more grateful for the stuff I have. My toothbrush really does spark joy because it reminds me that I have a healthy life, I'm grateful that I have the ability to look after myself etc. we shouldn't take even little things for granted.

So yeah, my house is tidier but my mindset is different and I'm overall happier!