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Original poster

Marie Kondo Is It Just Me...

46 replies

ZaraW · 13/02/2016 12:33

To be underwhelmed by her concept? I've always lived in small spaces and it doesn't take that much effort to get organised, as a book lover her views on books is a bit ridiculous. She could have said what she needed to in 50 pages or less and yet she's just bought another book out. Even bloggers with shopping addictions are raving about it to then totally ignore her advice and carry on with the excessive consumerism. This was a gift so don't feel guilty donating it and there was no joy in it for me......

OP posts:

RudeElf · 13/02/2016 18:59

Well some hobbies are projects. Time fillers/ distractions/providing a sense of achievement/fulfilment. Like building an extension yourself rather than getting builders in to do it.

MadisonMontgomery · 13/02/2016 19:05

I do like her - she has made me feel less guilty about getting rid of stuff I don't want. However you have to do it so it works for you - I love books and have hundreds, and I can read and re-read books I love forever. So I don't do her bonkers thing of chucking them & not having them on display.

NewLife4Me · 13/02/2016 20:18

Rude

I totally agree, to some it may be a hobby or an interest.
I have a friend who religiously spends a certain length of time doing it/studying it almost daily.
For me, it's just the way I do the tasks now, to save time and space.
I used to be in such a mess before, had loads of clutter and worse, hordes of stuff.
Having nearly finished getting rid of stuff domestic tasks are so much easier without the clutter.

emsyj · 13/02/2016 20:23

Having spent some time following the Kondo threads on Good Housekeeping, it seems the 'saying thank you' and 'saying hello to your house on arrival' concepts are quite Japanese, and would seem less odd there than they do here - I vaguely remember a MNer who lived in Japan making a comment to this effect. So yes, she does come across as a bit bonkers to a British reader or an American reader, but not to her fellow Japanese folk.

I found her book quite an eye-opener. If you've never struggled with holding onto things and become overwhelmed with 'stuff' then clearly it won't be a very interesting book for you. In much the same way as my DMum is utterly bewildered by diet books and the concept of dieting, because she has never had a weight problem. If it doesn't apply to you - lucky you! It doesn't mean her book has no value or is bad or boring - it's just not useful for you. It has been hugely useful for me. But I am definitely not on board with the folding stuff....

hollyisalovelyname · 13/02/2016 20:37

So glad OP and others that it's not just me.
I just got the main points in the Daily Mail when they did a feature on her.
You don't need a whole book( or two)

WhoisLucasHood · 13/02/2016 20:44

Yes it's a bit obsessive but it's basically a message of minimalism and truly enjoying the things you own. It did inspire me to part with a few bin bags of stuff I no longer enjoyed but I do like the concept of minimalism, some don't.

NewLife4Me · 13/02/2016 21:57

I think it's interesting how we take different things from the idea.

I do enjoy the folding as it's lovely to see everything so neat. This was the revelation for me as I have never been and still not really neat and organised.
I like that it makes life easier and less stressful.
The books stay because I love a dusty old library/ bookcase.
Everything has nearly got a place now and I have thrown, charity shop, selling loads of our stuff.

Housewife2010 · 13/02/2016 22:59

I'm very untidy but I do empty my handbag every day (sometimes twice!) I don't see the point of lugging around things I don't need.

Scattymum101 · 14/02/2016 03:20

I found her a bit bonkers as a person but her basic advice has revolutionised my thinking and my life. I've been able to get rid of loads of stuff I had kept out of guilt and freed myself from the burden of having them around making me feel guilty every time I saw them. I now have the tools to decide what things I want to keep and what thjngs I keep out of guilt.
It's so much easier to keep my house tidy now as I'm now constantly putting away things I don't actually like or want. I was skeptical of the folding initially but now I love it as I can fit more into drawers and I can see everything.

Some stuff like talking to my clothes and emptying my hand bag every day are never going to happen as it doesn't work for me but the fundamentals have been amazing for me.

It's about what works for you though. I don't think it would work for everyone.

Stokey · 14/02/2016 08:28

I think it goes hand in hand with current minimalist trends - wear 33 items of clothing etc.

No bad thing to get people to think more about what they have, what they need and what they buy IMO. And I do find the folding useful, although I draw the line at socks.

I think she's been lucky/clever in that she's tapped in to a current trend where everyone is a bit overwhelmed by consumerism.

QuerkyJo · 14/02/2016 09:10

For me, I started with holding on to the possessions that I love. It was an eye opener, because so little of what I own sparks joy.

Everything is just functional. I am much more discerning now in what I buy. I definitely feel much calmer now that I own less stuff.

SuckingEggs · 14/02/2016 10:02

What do you do with the non-joyful stuff? Doesn't it feel wasteful to bin it?

MyVisionsComeFromSoup · 14/02/2016 10:19

if you need it/it has a purpose in your life(eg cleaning cloths, loo brush) then you keep it as it is bringing joy into your life (or not having it would bring less joy, as you'd not have a tool you needed).

But, when it comes to replacing said item, take time to choose one that does make you happy, different type, colour, whatever.

Similarly with clothes, if you hate everything you own, you can't just dump the lot (you could I suppose, but you'd be cold/get arrested) BUT, when you buy new clothes, make sure they do bring joy. So gradually your wardrobe transforms.

As an aside, I think on one of the early MK threads in Housekeeping, a Japanese-speaking MNer reckoned that "bringing joy" wasn't necessarily the best translation, and it was something a lot less "out there", although i can't remember exactly what it was. A much lower bar anyway

MyVisionsComeFromSoup · 14/02/2016 10:20

aargh, hit post too soon....

So you aren't just chucking stuff out for the sake of chucking out, you're just replacing as it needs replacing. So not wasteful per se.

QuerkyJo · 14/02/2016 10:33

I don't chuck stuff no. I am someone who hates clothes shopping. I now realise that when I shop I have a 'that will do attitude'. This has now stopped.

I am wearing the clothes I like more often. Saving the others for lounging around. Those that I hate, mostly uncomfortable ones or those that don't fit, go to the charity shop.

Now that I have got into the folding and putting stuff in drawers, I cam actually see what I own.

LovelyFriend · 14/02/2016 14:27

I don't think it's a hobby but a different approach to household management. We all have to do this - even messy people like me.

Fly Lady made practical sense but I find her impossibly bossy and full time house wifely -,doesn't work for me. Whereas the km love/joy based approach really works.

I'll never do the handbag thing.

Mind you I said I would never fold socks, and a year after initially doing clothes her way now folding socks and knickers makes perfect sense to me and takes no time at all.

The folding clothes style is a quiet revolution. Never will clothes be stacked on top of each other again.

LovelyFriend · 14/02/2016 14:31

Sucking it is no more wasteful to bin it, than it is to keep it in your home when you don't love it.

The waste is in an unnecessary item being created in the first place. Moving forward as we learn to buy less and only things we love. We consume and therefore waste less.

Better to pass it on to charity shop etc so that someone who will love it can enjoy it.

ledgeoffseason · 14/02/2016 15:16

Horses for courses... I expect if you are tidy then of course it doesn't resonate. Which is great!

For us we had been given so much by relations that was sentimental - dh's had died and he felt guilty about letting go of some stuff and mine very successfully do the thing MK talks about which is give stuff to your children/siblings then make them feel guilty if they get rid of it! So it has really helped us jump those emotional hurdles and just see it as stuff. Also I had thousands of books due to my work: because like others I had 'dusty large book collection = good' I my head I hadn't curated or sorted them at all and when I did, I realised I could get rid of about a third (to good charity book shop) - guess what, for me it is great and I love my tidied, cleaned, sorted collection of still many many books! Also agree with pp re having less clothes that you actually love etc. So for the £1.50 royalty or so she will have got from me for the book it is well worth it.

Judydreamsofhorses · 14/02/2016 20:48

We moved house last year and I Kondo-d the life out of the old place in the run-up. Where it was really useful for me was stuff I'd been hanging onto because I just couldn't bear to throw it away, but was neither useful nor pretty. A good example was a beat up old soft toy which belonged to my lovely dog, who's no longer with us - it seemed bonkers to be having a little cry and saying "thank you for giving Barney so much joy" before binning something, but it worked. I do tend to ask myself if something sparks joy when I shop now. If it doesn't, I walk away.

Scattymum101 · 15/02/2016 01:44

Isn't it just as wasteful to keep an item and never use it?

That 'wasteful guilt' was really eating me up as I kept things thinking it was less wasteful but then I never used them and they added to the clutter that was stressing me so they actually became a drain on me emotionally.

I sell what I can - have sold loads of clothes, kids toys that they are too big for, their clothes they've grown out of etc and made enough money to go to London for a wedding and to buy myself new things I needed and the kids new car seats.

mercifulTehlu · 15/02/2016 07:31

Yy - how can it be wasteful to get rid of things which are just pointlessly taking up space in your house? Take them to the charity shop. If they are not even worth the charity shop wanting them, then the bin is clearly the best place for them!

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