Author Topic: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up  (Read 95183 times)

StubbledCPA

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The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« on: December 09, 2014, 09:35:34 AM »
Has anyone read the following book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing?  The Farnam Street blog had a post about it today and it seemed like it would fit in with the Mustachian way of life.  It seems that the focus shifts to what items we have that truly bring us joy and focusing on getting rid of the rest.  I think I will be giving it a shot (once it becomes available again at my lovely local library) but I was curious if anyone else had previously read it :)

merja

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2014, 04:45:13 AM »
I did read it and its a big motivation to really start a more organized and less cluttered lifestyle. Its in my opinion a very extreme book, you have to really trow away a lot of stuff. BUT its great to just start somewhere and see if you like the idea of living minimalistic or not. I did read it and a lot of stuff left my home since then.

NinetyFour

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lizzzi

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2014, 07:35:20 AM »
I read it and found it very extreme…but in a good way. I like the concept of keeping only the things you love…that resonate with you in some way. I have not been able to keep my dresser drawers and storage areas as tidy as the author recommends, but at least I have a goal to strive for. I would recommend her book.

DanaSTL

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2015, 06:04:27 PM »
I just purchased this and am only partway through, but it really appeals to me. It's extreme, yes, but it fits our household philosophy.

sheepstache

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2015, 07:10:07 PM »
I think this highlights one of my problems with tidying up. I'm fundamentally anti-materialist. Not, like, I don't like things but I don't like thinking about them. I feel I should be above having to deal with them or even think about them.

So I can't deal with this, 'Folding your clothes puts positive energy into them and makes your life better,' stuff.

I'm like those people whose financial affairs are in complete disarray because I 'don't like to think about money' (even if the result is that I have to think about money more than someone whose affairs are in order).

Cressida

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #6 on: January 08, 2015, 07:25:34 PM »
Following thread. DH just bought this book, and boy does he need it.

Catomi

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #7 on: January 12, 2015, 09:36:42 AM »
Out of curiosity, does anyone who's read this have children, or does the book address living with small children? Coming out of the holidays, I would dearly love to declutter some toys but honestly don't know where to start (probably partly because I can remember who gave what toy and feel like it would be insulting to toss gifts for my children).

Rezdent

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #8 on: January 12, 2015, 10:41:06 AM »
Out of curiosity, does anyone who's read this have children, or does the book address living with small children? Coming out of the holidays, I would dearly love to declutter some toys but honestly don't know where to start (probably partly because I can remember who gave what toy and feel like it would be insulting to toss gifts for my children).
My apologies for the long reply.  Maybe this will help you with ideas.
I haven't read the book but here's how I did a massive declutter when the kids were young.
I thought it would be traumatic for them.  Truthfully, they were a bit confused about the process while it was happening.  I realized about a month later that they seemed so much happier than before.  The clutter was affecting their lives too.  Plus it was so quick and easy to do chores so we ended up spending more time on the fun stuff.

One of my tricks was to ask them to put aside a designated number of their favorites - example: three favorite dolls.  Then we boxed up all the other dolls together and I put them in the attic.  It was important to let them know they weren't going away; they would be close by in case they were needed.

A few months later I would haul in a box of something (dolls in this example) and we would go through the box.  The boxed toys were new again to them and if they found some things they would rather have then we switched them out with the ones that were in use.  Still only three dolls out, but might not be the same ones.

Then together we would pick some from the box that could for sure go to donation.  This was easier now because they had just picked their current three favorites.  A smaller box of dolls went back to the attic and we would repeat the process in a couple of months, especially before holidays and birthdays.  Sometimes this meant that a brand new gift was snubbed because a child preferred the current three and that's okay.  Into the box it went.

The key for us was to not donate the first time we boxed. One of my children had developmental issues around any change in the environment and would sometimes demand to see something from the box to ensure it was still there.  After a few exchanges it was easier for them to let go of the not-favorite items.

As they began to get older they started doing this on their own because they preferred less clutter.  By the time they were teenagers they usually skipped the interim box and happily donated or sold their excess.  Now they are grown they actually are better than I am about holding onto things.

And I have to confess - I am still holding two boxes in the attic. I am needing to declutter which is why I clicked on this thread. I think I will ask them to go through the boxes one last time and then we'll donate.

HattyT

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #9 on: January 12, 2015, 07:15:28 PM »
I've got this book on hold at my library.  The wait list is long.  sigh

halftimer

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #10 on: January 12, 2015, 09:16:51 PM »
Just read this from my library last month. I really liked some of the ideas: to pick what few items to keep based on what brings you joy; to visualize your end result before you begin; to fold clothing when you put it away so you can see the condition of the item; to not just dump all your discards on family members who will have to deal with it later themselves. Also good ideas on what order to do things - start with the least personal things and work your way up to letters and sentimental items last
       "The best sequence is this: clothes first, then books, papers, komono (miscellany), and lastly, mementos."

However, I don't think having all your dark or visually heavy items NEED to be on the left side of the closet (mine are on the right side), or that having labels with words on your storage boxes behind closed closet doors will psychologically disturb an otherwise tidy place - but I do agree that it will make things look more tidy when you open those doors. It was definitely worth reading, but I wish it had more of an emphasis on reducing what you bring in and recycling or donating what you discard. Right now I'm reading "The Joy of Less" by Francine Jay and I find it addresses those points better.


Catomi

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #11 on: January 13, 2015, 11:39:49 AM »

One of my tricks was to ask them to put aside a designated number of their favorites - example: three favorite dolls.  Then we boxed up all the other dolls together and I put them in the attic.  It was important to let them know they weren't going away; they would be close by in case they were needed.

A few months later I would haul in a box of something (dolls in this example) and we would go through the box.  The boxed toys were new again to them and if they found some things they would rather have then we switched them out with the ones that were in use.  Still only three dolls out, but might not be the same ones.

Then together we would pick some from the box that could for sure go to donation.  This was easier now because they had just picked their current three favorites.  A smaller box of dolls went back to the attic and we would repeat the process in a couple of months, especially before holidays and birthdays.

Thank you, Rezdent. I really like that idea. Did you ever try this *after* holidays/birthdays instead of before? If so, how did your attached child handle it?

I have a couple of Rubbermaid tubs that would be perfect for this. And I would LOVE to have less stuff floating around the house.

Rezdent

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #12 on: January 14, 2015, 04:49:13 PM »

One of my tricks was to ask them to put aside a designated number of their favorites - example: three favorite dolls.  Then we boxed up all the other dolls together and I put them in the attic.  It was important to let them know they weren't going away; they would be close by in case they were needed.

A few months later I would haul in a box of something (dolls in this example) and we would go through the box.  The boxed toys were new again to them and if they found some things they would rather have then we switched them out with the ones that were in use.  Still only three dolls out, but might not be the same ones.

Then together we would pick some from the box that could for sure go to donation.  This was easier now because they had just picked their current three favorites.  A smaller box of dolls went back to the attic and we would repeat the process in a couple of months, especially before holidays and birthdays.

Thank you, Rezdent. I really like that idea. Did you ever try this *after* holidays/birthdays instead of before? If so, how did your attached child handle it?

I believe we did start this after the holidays the first time.  That first time I did it was because we were drowning and I was desperate do something.  I honestly didn't thin enough out the first time - I think limits were like twenty dolls per child out.  Sometimes the limit was too tight, which was easier to fix.  We got better with practice and we just fell into a rhythm.

I realized that before the deluge was a great time to thin stuff.  I told them we were making room for the new toys - LOL. 
After a few days with all the new toys they would be able to pick their current favorites so we would do it again, and that was a great time to thin out old stuff to donate since they needed more room in their boxes for the new stuff (no room for more boxes).

Our last child was pretty far off the bell curve due to some damage as a newborn (now outgrown).  Any change led to weeks of behavior issues.
We opened the boxes often when she was young. She was the least likely to make a trade but most likely to request to look.

Anatidae V

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #13 on: January 15, 2015, 01:31:03 AM »
I read "The Joy of Less" by Francine Jay first, and this book only recently. I think they work wonderfully together rather than on their own, and that this talk of touching things and the concept of "sparking joy" filled in some gaps for me. I like going through my socks and thanking them, and I loved reading about this topic from a Japanese perspective where the base home size is much smaller.

MinimalistMoustache

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #14 on: January 15, 2015, 03:05:23 AM »
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! It brought final decluttering efforts full circle and made me realize how little is needed to create a lovely environment. The author's habit of thanking items for their service and taking the time to tune in to each home she is helping to tidy, was what makes her method work for me.

The spaces tidied using her "KonMari" method have indeed brought great results. Decluttering is now not so much an ongoing process as is discernment. There are more questions asked prior to bringing home new purchases.

1967mama

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #15 on: January 15, 2015, 03:07:43 AM »
18 holds on 5 copies at my library -- should only be a couple of weeks!

StubbledCPA

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #16 on: January 15, 2015, 08:05:11 AM »
18 holds on 5 copies at my library -- should only be a couple of weeks!

I signed up in queue for one from my library the same day I started this thread.  5 total copies through my library, currently 4 of 16 in queue :/ lol

riverffashion

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #17 on: January 15, 2015, 11:57:49 AM »
Thank you for the recommendation, I have ordered from the library :) . I read up on it in the blog you mentioned. & although I tend to keep clutter to a minimum, not to the degree I would like. I love the approach of deciding what to keep, rather than what to get rid of...

Trudie

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #18 on: January 18, 2015, 06:57:42 AM »
I signed up for a one-month free trial of audible.com to get two free book credits.  (I will cancel the service the week before I am to be billed.)  This book was one of my choices, and I am now about halfway through.

As for the book... It is certainly revolutionary, if not a bit odd.  Sometimes I find it a bit difficult to get beyond her tales of treating inanimate objects as having feelings and reading lifestyle magazines and organizing books when you're five hardly seems a recipe for a joy-filled childhood.  Still there is so much helpful advice and I can appreciate that the author comes from a country where a 2000 square foot home for four people is not the norm.

I am constantly sorting and hauling away, so I am hopefully drawn to the idea that once you are done sorting you will be done forever.  In practice I am not certain this works.  It takes constant diligence and I'm wondering how she deals with the problems of other family members.  (I have to counsel my husband each time he sorts through his closet.)

I do like her advice to sort by category, not room.  This makes the process manageable.  It is easy for me to fathom taking a day to deal with clothes and haul away my excess, a day to deal with papers and take it to shred, and so forth.  Perhaps this is addressed at a later point in the book, but she does not stress how to properly dispose of our excess.

There are other great books in this genre.  I tip my hat to the Francine Jay book which has been mentioned upthread. 

photomom324

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #19 on: January 18, 2015, 07:48:58 AM »
Out of curiosity, does anyone who's read this have children, or does the book address living with small children? Coming out of the holidays, I would dearly love to declutter some toys but honestly don't know where to start (probably partly because I can remember who gave what toy and feel like it would be insulting to toss gifts for my children).

I have an 8 year old and a 5 year old. Both of our parents are divorced and remarried so my kids have 4 sets of grandparents. All competing at Christmas and Birthdays for the biggest and best and most presents. Sigh.

I read the book and have used the ideas in the book with them. I feel like when I go through stuff with my kids they get so upset at the idea of parting with things. In the book she talks about focusing on what you get to keep. I had them touch every single item like she says and I would ask "Does this make your heart happy" and they would answer. They answered no way more than they ever did when I would ask "do you play with this anymore". That was always met with a resounding, "Oh I forgot we had that!". I liked them going through everything with them because there are random items that I see as pointless to keep that right now they attach a memory or it means something to them.

They had items that they said to get rid of right away and then there were some that they went back and forth about. So we did the same as a previous poster and put those away to go through again in a couple of months.

Sanne

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #20 on: January 22, 2015, 07:34:46 AM »
Out of curiosity, does anyone who's read this have children, or does the book address living with small children? Coming out of the holidays, I would dearly love to declutter some toys but honestly don't know where to start (probably partly because I can remember who gave what toy and feel like it would be insulting to toss gifts for my children).
My apologies for the long reply.  Maybe this will help you with ideas.
I haven't read the book but here's how I did a massive declutter when the kids were young.
I thought it would be traumatic for them.  Truthfully, they were a bit confused about the process while it was happening.  I realized about a month later that they seemed so much happier than before.  The clutter was affecting their lives too.  Plus it was so quick and easy to do chores so we ended up spending more time on the fun stuff.

One of my tricks was to ask them to put aside a designated number of their favorites - example: three favorite dolls.  Then we boxed up all the other dolls together and I put them in the attic.  It was important to let them know they weren't going away; they would be close by in case they were needed.

A few months later I would haul in a box of something (dolls in this example) and we would go through the box.  The boxed toys were new again to them and if they found some things they would rather have then we switched them out with the ones that were in use.  Still only three dolls out, but might not be the same ones.

Then together we would pick some from the box that could for sure go to donation.  This was easier now because they had just picked their current three favorites.  A smaller box of dolls went back to the attic and we would repeat the process in a couple of months, especially before holidays and birthdays.  Sometimes this meant that a brand new gift was snubbed because a child preferred the current three and that's okay.  Into the box it went.

The key for us was to not donate the first time we boxed. One of my children had developmental issues around any change in the environment and would sometimes demand to see something from the box to ensure it was still there.  After a few exchanges it was easier for them to let go of the not-favorite items.

As they began to get older they started doing this on their own because they preferred less clutter.  By the time they were teenagers they usually skipped the interim box and happily donated or sold their excess.  Now they are grown they actually are better than I am about holding onto things.

And I have to confess - I am still holding two boxes in the attic. I am needing to declutter which is why I clicked on this thread. I think I will ask them to go through the boxes one last time and then we'll donate.

Wow, I just love this. I don't have kids (yet) but I will try to remember this and do something similar in the future. All the toys and gifts that other children get really freak me out. I also notice that some of the kids I know don't even really play with their stuff anymore but just run around with things in their hands. They do not appreciate what they have, not creative at all, have a small attention span and somehow the parents do not see the connection with the bunchload of crap they have.

I also find it difficult to give gifts, because somehow I feel this is required but often I think.. they do not need more. For some kids it's different though.. Kids from friends for example. But from family..

riverffashion

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #21 on: January 28, 2015, 10:35:21 PM »
I am waitlisted #126 at the library. ha!

onemorebike

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #22 on: January 29, 2015, 10:40:45 AM »
Out of curiosity, does anyone who's read this have children, or does the book address living with small children? Coming out of the holidays, I would dearly love to declutter some toys but honestly don't know where to start (probably partly because I can remember who gave what toy and feel like it would be insulting to toss gifts for my children).

Catomi, I haven't read this book yet but I have read "The Joy of Less" (mentioned up thread) and even more relevant to those of us parents out there "Simplicity Parenting". Both are great books for decluttering but the later really did a fabulous job of laying out the "Why" of having less for kids is more, and then provided a ton of great tips on keeping it manageable. Our kids have probably a dozen items around the house and they regularly play with all of them, get along better than other kids I observe with tons of toys (read: have learned to share because there are fewer things around), and can quickly clean up after themselves in just a few minutes because they don't have huge piles of toys everywhere. We aren't perfect but I'm a huge advocate for controlling what comes into the house for kids (we work with family around holidays/birthdays to get more experiences etc.., and if they do get toys they are more along the lines of the super useful, multiuse, creativity inducing toys that MMM talks about).

Anyway, my .02 on the topic. I'm going to grab the Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up to see what other ideas I can gleen.

onemorebike

sailitaly

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #23 on: January 31, 2015, 09:27:23 PM »
This is crazy.  I just bought this book about 3 weeks ago, recommended it on another post, and now i find it here.  Getting rid of clutter Physically and mentally!  Thanks MMM!

Sherry

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #24 on: February 01, 2015, 11:21:34 PM »
Something I struggle with is reconciling anti-clutter (AC) guidelines with DIY/crafty tendencies.  For instance, saving glass jars/bottles without a particular purpose contributes to clutter; they are good to have around for dry-goods storage or craft projects. 

My parents were packrats and their house was gross and overstuffed with useless crap - BUT - the supply of raw materials for projects was damn-near limitless.  Halloween costumes or school projects?  No problem.  If I radically decluttered my house, then I would need to shop for most of the materials everytime I embarked upon a project.  This would probably make the expense/hassle a huge deterrent to starting any project.

I know that lots of people on this forum have strong DIY inclinations; how does this work with anti-clutter?



mleigh

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #25 on: February 02, 2015, 01:47:05 PM »
Hi Sherry---I don't know if this helps, but my rule is to keep around X number of the item I'm considering.  For example, I find the large empty yogurt containers can be handy, but I certainly don't need to have 47 of them.  So I keep 3.  If one is used, then I'll keep the next one.  Same with shoe boxes---they're useful, but you probably don't need ALL of the ones that come into your life.  Decide how many shoeboxes, jars, whatever it makes sense to have and then discard the rest (and any future ones until you need a replacement to maintain your inventory). 

riverffashion

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #26 on: February 02, 2015, 03:37:20 PM »
I still haven't read the book (#106 wait list at the library) but did clothes and books last night. Certain items I had trouble letting go of even though I felt that they didn't bring me joy. So I think I'll do another run through of everything before I'll consider myself finished. And hopefully be more discerning. I have been able to let go of many other items that I had held onto though and that feels amazing!

Sanne

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #27 on: February 04, 2015, 04:52:39 AM »
Hi Sherry---I don't know if this helps, but my rule is to keep around X number of the item I'm considering.  For example, I find the large empty yogurt containers can be handy, but I certainly don't need to have 47 of them.  So I keep 3.  If one is used, then I'll keep the next one.  Same with shoe boxes---they're useful, but you probably don't need ALL of the ones that come into your life.  Decide how many shoeboxes, jars, whatever it makes sense to have and then discard the rest (and any future ones until you need a replacement to maintain your inventory).

Good tip!

To have a space allocated for it is another tip, similar to this one. For example, I have a place to put my empty shoeboxes (in this case to use for shipping stuff I sold) but if it doesn't fit anymore, I can't keep another. I also keep empty jars and I keep them in a box in the shed. If this box is full, ditch the rest until I use some!

gaja

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #28 on: February 04, 2015, 05:43:20 AM »
I liked parts of the book; the tales from her life and about former clients, and some of the advice for decluttering. But this stuff about loving objects, thanking them, and rules about storing everything upright, that is not for me at all.

I have Peter Walsh's "It's all too much" and Andrew Mellen "Unstuff your life" on Audible. Those were really good. I decluttered out attic listenting to Andrew Mellen.

oldtoyota

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #29 on: February 04, 2015, 06:48:46 AM »


So I can't deal with this, 'Folding your clothes puts positive energy into them and makes your life better,' stuff.


I hear you on that, and I simply translated it in my head to something that works for me. I do like the idea of asking if an object gives me joy or not--rather then figuring out if it fits, etc.

For any who have not heard of it, Unfuck Your Habitat is pretty awesome. It's worth a Google.

lizzzi

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #30 on: February 04, 2015, 11:13:14 AM »
UFYH and The Life-changing Magic are really helping me keep the house nicer, although I don't  follow either of them to the letter. Whoever said something like, "If you can do the task in 5 min. or less, just do it." has helped me a lot. When I put my oatmeal in the microwave in the morning, it takes 3 minutes to cook. I've learned that I can make my bed and empty the dishwasher in those 3 minutes, so I Just Do It. (I don't make my bed the minute my feet touch the floor because I like to mist it with lavender water first.) The Life-changing Magic 's advice about not keeping something if you don't love it has been useful, too. It isn't  as airy-fairy as it sounds. When "stuff" is just "stuff" --where my feelings are kind of neutrally-blah...it makes it much easier to just unload it…but if I have some "stuff" that I like, and for whatever reason rings my chimes, resonates in some way,  I know  that is "stuff" that I will keep, because it makes me happy or whatever.

I have this personal thing I do that I have not read in any book, but it helps a lot and isn't hard. I pick one area or room each day, and say to myself, "What can I do in ten minutes or so in this room that will make it look better and brighter…more homey, more welcoming, whatever. Then I take ten minutes and just fix up that one room or area. In the winter there are seven areas, and in the summer what with the porch and the shed there are nine areas. So in seven to nine days, depending on the season, I have gotten through the entire house and made it better. This does not always mean straight housework. Sometimes I decide the room is clean enough, but it needs a different afghan or quilt brought out, or the pictures on the wall changed around. It just depends, and it gives me room for creativity. Today was the dining room, and  I did do a quick dust and vacuum, but I took the plastic bag of apples out of the kitchen, put the apples in a nice basket, and put that on the dining room table. No big deal…just a little nicer. It all adds up after a while.

oldtoyota

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #31 on: February 04, 2015, 04:39:54 PM »
(I don't make my bed the minute my feet touch the floor because I like to mist it with lavender water first.)

OMG. That is awesome.

=-)

Secretly Saving

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #32 on: February 11, 2015, 01:32:15 PM »
I read it about a month ago.  I made changes to my items and found that my children were interested in doing theirs.  They were excited to learn how to fold the items and have done a decent job keeping up with it. 

For anyone who is interested, there is a two part mini-drama.  It's definitely very japanese in style (we used to live in Japan so I found it entertaining on that level as well).  It does have subtitles.  I've heard from several people who shared the video with their children instead of having them read the book and that they responded positively.  Maybe this is another way that people could get their family on board. 

I haven't shared the mini-drama with my family, but I do have a friend who is interested in seeing it.  I'll show it to her and see what her reaction is and will come back and report here for everyone. 

halftimer

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #33 on: February 11, 2015, 07:35:07 PM »
For anyone who is interested, there is a two part mini-drama.  It's definitely very japanese in style (we used to live in Japan so I found it entertaining on that level as well).  It does have subtitles. 

Is the mini-drama available online? What is the link, please?

aj_yooper

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #34 on: February 12, 2015, 10:56:36 AM »
I enjoyed the NYT article and did a couple of drawers and most of my closet.  It did feel good.  Thanks for posting.

Secretly Saving

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #35 on: February 12, 2015, 02:55:58 PM »
Yep!  That's it.  Thanks Malaprop for getting to it before I could.

Wolf_Stache

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #36 on: February 12, 2015, 04:19:39 PM »
I read "The Joy of Less" by Francine Jay first, and this book only recently. I think they work wonderfully together rather than on their own, and that this talk of touching things and the concept of "sparking joy" filled in some gaps for me. I like going through my socks and thanking them, and I loved reading about this topic from a Japanese perspective where the base home size is much smaller.

Yes, when I visited I was *shocked* by how small the houses were. Of course, it was mostly because most of them were built over 100 years before. But everyone had very clean and tidy spaces.

Zamboni

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #37 on: February 12, 2015, 05:39:05 PM »
I'm 136th in the local library queue.  They've got 33 copies, so should get it just in time for summer!

I liked The Joy of Less but the author didn't seem to really cherish some things the way that I do.  While I'm not particularly materialistic, I do grow fond of things I've had for a long time.  Perhaps this book will be a better fit for me from that perspective?

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #38 on: February 12, 2015, 05:55:33 PM »
I'm 136th in the local library queue.  They've got 33 copies, so should get it just in time for summer!


For the ebook, I'm #57 with 4 copies.

For the physical book, I'm #190 (not sure how many copies across the entire state library system). The copy from my local library, says 'Claimed Returned' -- yeah, right!

aj_yooper

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #39 on: February 12, 2015, 06:13:22 PM »
There is also this write up in the New York Magazine at:  http://nymag.com/thecut/2015/02/marie-kondo-room-purge.html#tmhmdj:sJ1

halftimer

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #40 on: February 12, 2015, 06:26:23 PM »
For anyone who is interested, there is a two part mini-drama.  It's definitely very japanese in style (we used to live in Japan so I found it entertaining on that level as well).  It does have subtitles. 

Is the mini-drama available online? What is the link, please?

The one I'm aware of is actually a full-length movie in two parts.

Part 1: http://tinyurl.com/phnnmtr
Part 2: http://tinyurl.com/kh2f3gt
Thanks Malaprop & Secretly Saving!

lizzzi

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #41 on: February 13, 2015, 05:51:14 PM »
I really enjoyed the Japanese movie. Thanks for the links. It was helpful on one level to show the tidying up, but also a fascinating window into a different culture.

1967mama

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #42 on: February 13, 2015, 11:26:20 PM »
Thank you so much for posting these links -- it was a nice teaser until my book arrives at the library!

ETA: Down to 6th hold on 8 copies! Wahoo! Need to clear my reading schedule!
« Last Edit: February 14, 2015, 12:38:38 AM by 1967mama »

riverffashion

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #43 on: February 13, 2015, 11:42:57 PM »
Its been really great doing all this decluttering & reading up on all the info on Marie kondo's book (still wait listed . about 80 out of 190! 26 copies). Have become motivated to get back into my organizing & decluttering business on the side ( makes three fun ways to make $$$$$. Others are cosmetologist & artist). Business cards (cheap via vista print in the mail).
Also, really enjoyed the 2 part miniseries! Thanks for posting.

Cookie

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #44 on: March 07, 2015, 10:02:06 PM »
At first I thought it was weird that she wanted you to thank your items that you got rid of, but it did help me when I came to a couple items that were gifts or expensive. I was hanging onto them because of guilt, but by accepting that they served their intended purpose, I was able to let them go.

Cressida

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #45 on: March 07, 2015, 11:35:36 PM »
DH bought this book a couple of months ago (for himself), and it's been sitting unread on the dining room table ever since. I picked it up this week and I actually like it. The way she divides items into categories and subcategories and tells you exactly in what order to tackle them appeals to me.

So "clothes" is the first category, and "tops" is the first subcategory. She says the average number of items in this category is 160. No way, I thought. I gathered them all and counted them. 126. Yikes.

After the first pass, I had 25 definitely in and 36 definitely out, and the rest maybe. After the second, I'm at 61 in and 45 out. I should probably just get rid of the remainder. That's a lot of clothing. Sure, it covers everything from camisoles to sweaters, but still. I'd much rather have the space.


happy

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #46 on: March 07, 2015, 11:43:10 PM »
I didn't see this thread before, but I just finished reading her book. And up popped this thread. I really liked the book and immediately ran and got rid of a bag of clothes I was keeping that I knew didn't bring me joy.

1967mama

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #47 on: March 08, 2015, 12:32:55 AM »
I have had this book out but its already due back and I'm only a third of the way through it. I reallllly wanted to buy a copy from Amazon, but instead, I put myself back in the hold queue. I'm 36th on 6 copies, so it won't be too long.

MLKnits

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #48 on: March 08, 2015, 06:11:57 AM »
I haven't read the book but here's how I did a massive declutter when the kids were young.
...

This is such a wonderful way to handle it!

I feel like I only saw the (bad) extremes as a kid. My house was the very, very, very cluttered one (I reacted against it and declutter constantly; my kid sister was groomed by it into a major clutterer), while my best neighbourhood friends had parents who sort of violently decluttered. The rule in their house was "if it's still on the floor the day after you were supposed to pick up, it's going in the trash." Or out the window into the rain.

I always thought that was seriously harsh for their kids, especially at the younger ages, not to mention teaching a form of wastefulness that I don't think the parents would have actually supported if they'd thought it through (they were pretty thrifty in other ways, and very big on making food from scratch, gardening, etc).

I'm not in close touch with those kids (now adults!) anymore, but I suspect it's as likely to have backfired and made them cling obsessively to their possessions as it is to have taught them to be tidy.

MLKnits

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #49 on: March 08, 2015, 06:13:12 AM »
I've got this book on hold at my library.  The wait list is long.  sigh

Ha, same! Though I've been on the hold list a while, so there are now only five people ahead of me.

(I really wish more people at my library used the non-automatic return when they finished books. The moment I finish a library book, I click to return it through ADE, so someone else can read it. Seems like everyone else just lets the three weeks run out.)