Author Topic: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up  (Read 95161 times)

LiveLean

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #50 on: March 20, 2015, 04:40:16 PM »
I read the book in two sittings. I've been in a major purge for two years and have done well but a couple things resonated with me:

1. Thank your items for their service. Pick them up, hold them in your hands, and literally say out loud, "Thank you for your service." This helped me get rid of some sentimental clothing, work items, etc.

2. She likes a massive one-shot purge. Just dump. Fill 50 bags, whatever it takes. No Craigslist or eBay or however the Japanese prefer. I have a rule that if I can sell it for $50, I throw it out on Craigslist. The problem is that it can be time consuming.

riverffashion

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #51 on: March 20, 2015, 08:47:14 PM »
O my goodness! I ordered the book 9 weeks ago & its finally in transit !!! I'm excited :)

Mini-Mer

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #52 on: March 21, 2015, 07:12:10 PM »
"Life-Changing Art" zeroed in perfectly on one of my weak spots: rationalizing keeping things (part of a set, wardrobe essential, maybe useful someday, book!).  I do that less often once I've determined that interacting with something does not make me happy.  I also found talking to the items weirdly helpful - maybe because it forces a shift in perspective?  "I love your design, but I haven't worn your style of t-shirt for the last decade.  It's not you, it's me.  No hard feelings."

And I liked the author quite a lot - Marie Kondo comes across almost as a (semi-)reformed villain.  She used to throw away other people's things without permission!  But now she is a productive member of society and will tell you how to organize your life so that nothing terrible will happen to your favorite books.  Just in case.  (If you happen to have played the Portal video games, I realized part-way through that the audiobook narrator sounds an awful lot like GLaDOS.)

Like several previous commenters, I thought of Francine Jay's "Joy of Less" (the only minimalism book that I haven't decluttered yet). I'd recommend that one first, or at least as a companion book - its process is much more detailed and practical (storage strategies!), and it spends more time on why you might want to minimize.  Less overwhelming to contemplate. 

MinimalistMoustache

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #53 on: March 24, 2015, 06:12:09 PM »
I LOVED this book, and it's no surprise to read that it has become increasingly popular. If I were to place a hold on one of our library's 186 copies today, I would be hold #1004.

letired

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #54 on: March 26, 2015, 08:23:23 PM »
I absolutely loved this book! I have a very difficult time getting rid of things, so her 'permission' to get rid of things that don't make me happy was a bit revolutionary. I got a bit stalled out after going through all my clothing, but I'm slowly working my way through. Due to various circumstances, I'm doing it a bit more piecemeal and not necessarily in the order she recommends, but slowly picking away at things.

The two big things I get stuck on are 1) actual disposal of stuff (Ebay is taking a bit longer than ideal) and 2) stuff I will absolutely need in 1+ years, but do not need now. It sounds a bit mad, but I'm currently in a roommate situation, but saving up for a house which will happen sometime in the next year or two. I have a set of dishes in the shed that I'm not using now, but I love them and don't want to get rid of them since they will be hard to replace. I also justify some of that stuff with it is easier to spread those kinds of purchases out over a longer period of time so that when I actually do the house-buying, I don't have to outfit a kitchen at the same time.

handsnhearts

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #55 on: March 27, 2015, 01:13:17 AM »
Can I just say that I LOVED those videos!  So cheezy but terribly heart warming and giving my strength for the clothes purge which is happening tomorrow anyway.  Once again, mustachians to the rescue!

Tallgirl1204

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #56 on: March 30, 2015, 03:00:20 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!

I sat up and watched most of these two videos last night-- will finish tonight.  How inspiring, and also what a humorous peek into Japanese culture.  The second one seems to be much more "tug at your heartstrings"-- but the first one is just wonderfully charming. 

Kimbl

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #57 on: April 01, 2015, 10:22:34 AM »
I just read the book about a week ago and am working through the sections. I ended up buying the book on my kindle since I was >200 on the wait list for my library! 

Her recommendation of laying hands on each item in order to make a decision is proving to be really, really helpful for me.  It's forcing me to consider my emotional attachments as well as practical function.  Just this morning I boxed up a bunch of my grandmother's baking dishes that I have never used (why do I need a dozen pie pans? I have plenty of other things of hers that I do use.).   I admit I have veered out of order but there is a closet that had turned into a place where I stuck things I couldn't decide on over the years that was driving me nuts.  It's now almost empty :) I'll be done with it in the next day or so and can get back on track.

It's also working on my children.  We just went through all their clothes and by watching their expressions was able to quickly pare it down to the things they loved and wear very frequently.  Next we'll work through books, school papers, art stuff and toys one by one.

I'm having fun with it although I will admit I have yet to thank my socks and give them proper rest.  I do, though, like the concept of expressing gratitude for what you do have if not exactly the way Kondo recommends.
 


kite

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #58 on: April 08, 2015, 02:18:49 PM »
I read the book in two sittings. I've been in a major purge for two years and have done well but a couple things resonated with me:

1. Thank your items for their service. Pick them up, hold them in your hands, and literally say out loud, "Thank you for your service." This helped me get rid of some sentimental clothing, work items, etc.

2. She likes a massive one-shot purge. Just dump. Fill 50 bags, whatever it takes. No Craigslist or eBay or however the Japanese prefer. I have a rule that if I can sell it for $50, I throw it out on Craigslist. The problem is that it can be time consuming.

I recall one example in her book of the "one shot" tidying taking 6 months.   
We've put things on CL, but if it doesn't sell quickly,  it goes in in the next charity shop pick up.  Where we live,  there are 3 that make the rounds with regularity.  We've also posted things on Freecycle, though I haven't in a few years.   I prefer to give away through our local charities that provide for the homeless. 

MATSG

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #59 on: April 09, 2015, 11:43:02 AM »
I recently finished the book (so for those of you in my library system, it should be coming your way soon!), and really found it a motivating book for cleaning out the clutter.  I am even considering taking a day or two off work in the next few weeks to do the full purge of my belongings.  Since I share half of an apartment, I don't have a great deal of clutter, so I am thinking two days will be enough.

The part I found the most interesting is finding a place for all of your stuff and allowing everything to have its specified place.  Then nothing is ever out of order, it is just not in its place.  From emptying out your purse everyday to placing the shoes you've worn that day in a cubby by the door, it really was a new way of thought for me.  I tend to stack things - not necessarily put them in their place, but just put them somewhere.  This quickly desolves into clutter and stress.  I'm interested to see if the act of de-cluttering really does what she says and leads me to a better understanding of what I would like to be doing with my life in terms of my career and goals.

SCUBAstache

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #60 on: April 16, 2015, 07:05:54 PM »
I just finished it and really enjoyed it, so much of it resonated with me.  I'm going to throw myself into declutterig this weekend, though I am dreading saying goodbye to my beloved button collection, even though I've never used it. ::sigh::

riverffashion

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #61 on: April 16, 2015, 07:19:28 PM »
I finally received and read through the book (after 3+ months on the waitlist!) . I enjoy her approach and certainly find it helpful. I especially found the material on psychology/emotional reasons for cluttering quite interesting . and her written exersize about why we feel compelled to tidy was very enlightening! Recommend

IllusionNW

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #62 on: April 18, 2015, 11:46:44 AM »
I just finished reading this last night and am now inspired to do a purge.  To be honest, it took me a while to get over the hokey "energy"/anthropomorphic aspect of the book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it.  I agree that "thanking" an object for serving its purpose can probably alleviate some self-imposed guilt about letting go of stuff (e.g., emotional attachment for gifts that you never use, clothes that you bought but never wear but can't throw out b/c of sunk costs).

I personally don't like to accumulate stuff.  And I think this attitude of "my stuff doesn't own me" has led me to be less careful and appreciative of the stuff that I do own and enjoy (including my house as a whole).  Her book really made me reflect on the stuff that I do own and to have more pride of ownership.  I'm hoping that with this perspective, I'll be less like to leave the stuff that I do have (and love) randomly strewn about.

Cassie

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #63 on: April 18, 2015, 01:23:09 PM »
In the past 10 years I have done a lot of decluttering & didn't think I had anything else to get rid of. Then I bought the book & read it one night. The next day I spent 10 hours straight working & the next day 4 hours. I filled my entire car with stuff to donate & filled a huge garbage dumpster & a huge recycling one with stuff. It was amazing how much this book helped me.

Moonwaves

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #64 on: April 23, 2015, 11:13:13 AM »
I had started hearing about this book on various blogs over the past few months and was intrigued by the clothes folding photos I was seeing in particular. A friend of mine has been going through some major live changes and commented how everything at home was in such a mess at the moment. So I bought her this book and then borrowed it from her when she had finished. The weekend I was reading the book, she was busy with clothes and ended up getting rid of something like eleven big bags full.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the talk to your things aspect but actually I found it resonated with me surprisingly strongly. I still haven't greeted my house more than once or twice (keep forgetting) but I find I really like the idea. Partially, I'm sure, because I live on my own and it does kind of bring a bit of life into the place to talk out loud, even if it's just a few words, when I get in the door.

I have lots of issues with clinging to stuff and have gotten better over the years but still have a long way to go. This book is definitely helping in that respect.

The one thing I don't like, as some have mentioned, is that she seems to just literally dump everything that gets decluttered. I think once she mentions recycling but that's it. While I understand that having the stuff hanging around can lead to it becoming its own form of clutter and/or tempting you to take stuff back out of the bags, my eco-friendly side rebels at the idea of just dumping it all and I think that can be handled better. Also, do have to admit that the whole feminitiy aspect of some of what she was describing felt very old-fashioned and kind of sexist to me. If she's into that kind of thing, great, but I don't need lacy t-shirts or whatever the hell it was to express me femininity - I feel like I have a whole other kind of femininity going on and that those parts of the book where a bit judgemental. But maybe that's just me overreacting to a perceived criticism of my life. :)

NumberCruncher

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #65 on: April 23, 2015, 01:34:25 PM »
The one thing I don't like, as some have mentioned, is that she seems to just literally dump everything that gets decluttered. I think once she mentions recycling but that's it. ... my eco-friendly side rebels at the idea of just dumping it all and I think that can be handled better.

As I understand it, it is quite difficult to recycle or otherwise dispose of goods in Japan.  It may be from this context that the mention is slight?  I have Japanese relatives, but their experience may not be a stand-in for the whole country.

Still hoping to read the book and get started on this decluttering path one way or another.

Recycling rate in Japan is apparently 20.8% (compared to 34.5% in the US): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling_in_Japan I was wondering while reading this book if she was grouping recycling and trash together when saying "garbage," since recycling pickup is pretty common, from what I've read.

Unsure about a Goodwill-equivalent in Japan, but I know there are at least a few stores like this, just not sure how common.

*********

To the book itself - almost done reading it now (well, listening)! Got the audio book through the library using OverDrive, which is now my new favorite app. Haven't started tidying yet, but the plan is to go through clothes this weekend. If nothing else, the book is inspiring. I am itching to get started. The book does goes on a little too much about how successful the method is, how no one has rebounded. I'm a little skeptical, especially since it would be so easy to say "oh, you just didn't do it right" if someone claimed to fail.

My biggest issue right now is that very few of my clothes "spark joy"...only one pair of underwear and one bra, for example (a little too minimalistic, methinks), and some clothes that spark joy can't be used 364 days of the year for one reason or another (like a poofy, sparkly skirt that is a fur magnet and is simply too dressy for most occasions anyhow). I'm going to predict I purge ~6 tops, 3 pants, 1 skirt, hole-y socks and underwear, and probably some scarves. We'll see!

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #66 on: May 04, 2015, 11:14:34 AM »
I just finished reading this book and loved it. I'm going to try her approach of decluttering categories rather than physical areas. I won't be as extreme as her in my discarding, but I'll give it a try and see how it goes. I think I'll find a lot of clothing to discard, and probably a fair number of books too.

MLKnits

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #67 on: May 04, 2015, 01:05:42 PM »
I finally got this book through my library last week (though I didn't have to wait nearly as long as some of y'all!). Absolutely loving it. I'd already been in hardcore decluttering mode for a few weeks, so it's been really helpful in doing the stuff that's harder (mementos, "I might need this") vs. the easy stuff I don't need outside motivation for.

It never fails to blow my mind just how quickly stuff can accumulate. I've always been a pretty staunch declutterer, and yet EVERY spring I'm throwing out bags and bags of broken/stained/useless stuff, and donating bags and bags of good-but-not-for-me stuff. I only moved into this apartment two years ago; how is it even possible that I've gathered this much crap?

Hopefully, taking this clean-out really seriously might lead to a more permanent fix. I love her concepts of getting RID of storage instead of getting more creative storage--that's exactly what I'm interested in.

Did anyone else really feel a lightbulb turn on when she started talking about how silly the "organizational flow" concept is, because it doesn't matter whether something's easy to access, it matters whether it's easy to put away? I would never have thought of it like that, but she's completely right.

If I need something, I don't think twice about the effort involved in retrieving it. For instance, if I need a particular ball of yarn, my current system requires opening a door, pulling out a storage bin, bringing it into the next room, sorting through for the yarn, pulling it out, putting the lid back on, putting the box back, closing the door--but I've never once thought "hmm, this is a hassle," because all I'm thinking about is "yay, yarn!" or "yay, new project!" The same goes for pretty much anything I need to retrieve: I'm thinking about the thing, not the process. 

So the getting-it-out effort is irrelevant; I don't need my things to be instantly to hand except in the kitchen and washroom (where they already are/would be). But if it's an extra step to figure out where something goes, or to shove it into space, or to move a box so it can go behind, or whatever--forget it, it's not getting put away.

She describes that much better in the book than I've done just here, of course ;)

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #68 on: May 04, 2015, 01:30:55 PM »
I think some of the areas I'm going to have problems with, trying out her method, are:

1: Things I'm keeping because I'll definitely use them some day. For example, I have way too many socks - they don't even fit in my large drawer. However, socks eventually wear out so I can't see throwing out perfectly good ones just because I have too many right now. Anyone have any ideas about this type of thing?

2: Hobby supplies. I have a LOT (to put it mildly) of hobby supplies. I love it, I can work on many of my hobby projects without having to buy any additional supplies. However I actually have more than I'll probably use in my entire lifetime - just have no idea which ones I won't use.

3: Garage items. For example, I have a TON of scrap wood. Usually when I'm working on a project/repair, I can find a piece of wood that will work in the garage - I don't need to run out and buy more wood. However, it takes up a lot of space and I don't know if I should keep it all. Same applies to screws of different sizes, nails, and so on.

riverffashion

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #69 on: May 04, 2015, 09:18:51 PM »
I finally got this book through my library last week (though I didn't have to wait nearly as long as some of y'all!). Absolutely loving it. I'd already been in hardcore decluttering mode for a few weeks, so it's been really helpful in doing the stuff that's harder (mementos, "I might need this") vs. the easy stuff I don't need outside motivation for.

It never fails to blow my mind just how quickly stuff can accumulate. I've always been a pretty staunch declutterer, and yet EVERY spring I'm throwing out bags and bags of broken/stained/useless stuff, and donating bags and bags of good-but-not-for-me stuff. I only moved into this apartment two years ago; how is it even possible that I've gathered this much crap?

Hopefully, taking this clean-out really seriously might lead to a more permanent fix. I love her concepts of getting RID of storage instead of getting more creative storage--that's exactly what I'm interested in.

Did anyone else really feel a lightbulb turn on when she started talking about how silly the "organizational flow" concept is, because it doesn't matter whether something's easy to access, it matters whether it's easy to put away? I would never have thought of it like that, but she's completely right.

If I need something, I don't think twice about the effort involved in retrieving it. For instance, if I need a particular ball of yarn, my current system requires opening a door, pulling out a storage bin, bringing it into the next room, sorting through for the yarn, pulling it out, putting the lid back on, putting the box back, closing the door--but I've never once thought "hmm, this is a hassle," because all I'm thinking about is "yay, yarn!" or "yay, new project!" The same goes for pretty much anything I need to retrieve: I'm thinking about the thing, not the process. 

So the getting-it-out effort is irrelevant; I don't need my things to be instantly to hand except in the kitchen and washroom (where they already are/would be). But if it's an extra step to figure out where something goes, or to shove it into space, or to move a box so it can go behind, or whatever--forget it, it's not getting put away.

She describes that much better in the book than I've done just here, of course ;)


this is an excellent point. It was so much quicker and easier for me to declutter, than to select a place for each item, and put it away. but now that each item had its own place, I find myself naturally putting everything away. its rather interesting to me. the way Marie Kondo thinks & works seems frequently to me to be the opposite of how ive been doing & thinking. Hey ways are so much more efficient and effective!!! i'm very impressed with her. I have an organizing business ( in addition to 2 other businesses) and have begun implementing what ive learned from her - to those that are willing! there are still many of course who only want some certain area or issue addressed . or they want me to tidy myself with little imput from them.

riverffashion

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #70 on: May 04, 2015, 09:29:17 PM »
I think some of the areas I'm going to have problems with, trying out her method, are:

1: Things I'm keeping because I'll definitely use them some day. For example, I have way too many socks - they don't even fit in my large drawer. However, socks eventually wear out so I can't see throwing out perfectly good ones just because I have too many right now. Anyone have any ideas about this type of thing?

2: Hobby supplies. I have a LOT (to put it mildly) of hobby supplies. I love it, I can work on many of my hobby projects without having to buy any additional supplies. However I actually have more than I'll probably use in my entire lifetime - just have no idea which ones I won't use.

3: Garage items. For example, I have a TON of scrap wood. Usually when I'm working on a project/repair, I can find a piece of wood that will work in the garage - I don't need to run out and buy more wood. However, it takes up a lot of space and I don't know if I should keep it all. Same applies to screws of different sizes, nails, and so on.



since the idea presented in Marie Kondo's book is to keep "only what sparks joy", I think all if these issues will naturally resolve themselves. she says that when you pull everything in a category out and put it in a pile , then touch each item one by one that you will almost intuitively feel whether to keep it or not. when an item "sparks joy" its clear. more difficult is discarding what doesn't give that feeling. often if we're not sure, its a discard. most likely most of your craft stuff will spark joy, many of the socks, etc- but who knows? I ended up donating maybe half of my arts crafts and sewing things. I only felt compelled to toss the socks that were very worn or had holes (which were several ) and kept the rest. its definetly an interesting process ! good luck!

riverffashion

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #71 on: May 04, 2015, 09:34:19 PM »
AlwaysbeenaSaver:
to give you an idea, I actually picked up each spool of thread and made a decision. I kept most , but those made with weaker fibers that always tend to break (so I never never them anyway)- I got rid of all of those. I didn't go through every pin or needle, but did pick up each box I keep them in to see how I felt.

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #72 on: May 04, 2015, 10:14:41 PM »
Thanks for the replies, it's great to hear from someone who's already done/started the process! I just got started tonight.

I went through my socks and underwear and it was so rewarding! I put all the ones I definitely like back in the drawer, and it looks so nice and tidy now! It's really a great incentive to get rid of some, to keep my drawer looking tidy! There are a few pairs in the laundry that I like too but I think they'll fit ok.

I'm throwing away all the ones with major wear - this is a pretty big pile; the mustachian in me likes to wear them until they are completely unwearable. I thought about keeping them as rags, but I already have way too many rags.
 
I'm donating the ones that are in good condition but I don't like (socks only, I don't donate underwear!)

And I'm saving 3 pairs of stained socks I wear when painting, gardening, etc. Getting rid of the rest of the stained ones too, I had 6 pairs dedicated to this, way too many.

I also put all my winter socks that I like in 2 small boxes in the closet - I switch out my winter/summer socks about this time of year so this was good timing for me to do this.

I can't wait to move on to my t-shirt drawer, maybe I'll have time tomorrow after work.

riverffashion

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #73 on: May 04, 2015, 10:42:17 PM »
Thanks for the replies, it's great to hear from someone who's already done/started the process! I just got started tonight.

I went through my socks and underwear and it was so rewarding! I put all the ones I definitely like back in the drawer, and it looks so nice and tidy now! It's really a great incentive to get rid of some, to keep my drawer looking tidy! There are a few pairs in the laundry that I like too but I think they'll fit ok.

I'm throwing away all the ones with major wear - this is a pretty big pile; the mustachian in me likes to wear them until they are completely unwearable. I thought about keeping them as rags, but I already have way too many rags.
 
I'm donating the ones that are in good condition but I don't like (socks only, I don't donate underwear!)

And I'm saving 3 pairs of stained socks I wear when painting, gardening, etc. Getting rid of the rest of the stained ones too, I had 6 pairs dedicated to this, way too many.

I also put all my winter socks that I like in 2 small boxes in the closet - I switch out my winter/summer socks about this time of year so this was good timing for me to do this.

I can't wait to move on to my t-shirt drawer, maybe I'll have time tomorrow after work.

its amazing how much we get into it after beginning isn't it?

begood

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #74 on: May 06, 2015, 08:51:50 AM »
I knew there would be a thread for this book! It definitely feels like it dovetails well with Mustachianism in that emphasis on only keeping the things that give you joy and surrendering (recycling, donating, selling, giving away, tossing out) the rest.

I read the whole book yesterday. I bought it  ($9 in hardcover at Amazon!) so I could 1) make notes in it and 2) give it to my mister to read. When I handed it to him, he said, "I don't need this! I'm already tidy!" Which is true. He's an excellent cleaner and not one to clutter up anything except the garage, which I've happily ceded to him. He taught me the Joy of a Clean Surface (tm).

BUT! I said, "I'm ready to go to the next level." We have boxes of college texts and papers and journals. Every single piece of paper related to the adoption of our daughter 13 years ago - and let me tell you, that is a METRIC SHIT TON of paper right there. Knickknacks and souvenirs and file folders full of crap, and that's AFTER we downsized from 4200 s.f. to 1300 s. f. and sold two-thirds of our stuff six years ago. STILL we have all that. *shakes head*

Upthread, someone noted that the anthropomorphizing didn't work for them at all. Interestingly, that is one of the things that resonated the most for me, because our teenager has anthropomorphized everything in her life her whole life. We have had pine cones with names, people. In some ways I think that will make the process harder for her if she chooses to do it, but in another way I think she will nod a lot as she reads that part. I'd read the NYT article about the book, including thanking items for their service before they're sent on their way, and we did that with some of my daughter's things, and it made everything feel more comfortable.

I can't wait to get started.

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #75 on: May 06, 2015, 09:29:38 AM »
I did my t-shirts last night, wow, I LOVE how my t-shirt drawer looks now! I still have 30 t-shirts I ended up keeping (I do love them all) but they all fit in the drawer and are folded in such a way that I can see each one and don't need to "search" for anything. I even found 1 of my favorites that has been missing for a long time. I have a large pile for Goodwill too. BTW something I learned a long time ago, put donation items in the trunk of the car immediately, so they can't find their way back into the drawers. Then whenever you pass by a donation station, you can just drop them off.

I don't know if I've ever bought a t-shirt, despite having so many. I'm going to tell my family not to get me any more t-shirts as gifts, I think 30 is enough!

Next on my list is "sleepwear", which is something I love but have way too much of. This is going to be a tough one to tackle, as I don't think there's anything there I don't love, but I really shouldn't have that much.

begood

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #76 on: May 06, 2015, 09:36:28 AM »
Good job on the T-shirts!

When we downsized, we sold our bedroom dressers (a tall chest of drawers and a large six-drawer dresser with a mirror). I only have this now:

Ikea MALM 6-drawer chest: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60127973/

15" x 19" x 48"

I keep socks, pajamas, underwear of various types. But I bet if I take everything out of it and fold stuff the way she suggests, I can empty at least two drawers.

Moonwaves

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #77 on: May 06, 2015, 10:41:23 AM »
Drawers is one of my sticking points with her method, actually. I love drawers but I have very few of them. At the moment I'm not buying anything but just trying to let my sub-conscious work on coming up with a solution using stuff I already have. I'm pretty sure I must have boxes or containers of some kind that I could use to store on the shelves in my wardrobe. One side has four shelves that would lend themselves pretty well to this (so I could pull out the box like a drawer, basically). I'm ruminating on it.

And in the meantime keep thinking of more people I would love to share this book with :)

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #78 on: May 06, 2015, 12:11:52 PM »
Good job on the T-shirts!

When we downsized, we sold our bedroom dressers (a tall chest of drawers and a large six-drawer dresser with a mirror). I only have this now:

Ikea MALM 6-drawer chest: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60127973/

15" x 19" x 48"

I keep socks, pajamas, underwear of various types. But I bet if I take everything out of it and fold stuff the way she suggests, I can empty at least two drawers.

That's impressive (getting rid of the dressers!) I'm sure I'll need to keep my dresser, however once I'm completely done going through clothing it will be interesting to see whether I have empty space on shelves and in the other closet where I keep coats/etc. So far I'm still using the same number of drawers in my dresser, they're just much easier to open/close and I can see everything. Confession: my tshirt drawer couldn't close prior to yesterday, due to being too full.

handsnhearts

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #79 on: May 07, 2015, 09:10:02 PM »
Last weekend I used the 'method' or what I've gleaned because I am still on the wait list...
Cleared out my pants drawer and folded everything as well to stack on the end.  I love her method of folding.  I've tried the vertical folding before, but it always fell over.  This stands up and it makes it work!  My bottoms drawer looks so good.  I also love thanking items for their service.  And letting things go that don't bring me joy but might bring someone else joy.  Sometimes I get really scared that something will go to 'waste' and no one else would like an object because it isn't working for me.  But now I am trying to remember all of the times the thrift store gods have smiled on me, and how often I have been thrilled with something, and it makes it easier to let it go. 

MLKnits

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #80 on: May 08, 2015, 06:08:40 AM »
2: Hobby supplies. I have a LOT (to put it mildly) of hobby supplies. I love it, I can work on many of my hobby projects without having to buy any additional supplies. However I actually have more than I'll probably use in my entire lifetime - just have no idea which ones I won't use.

This has long been one of my problem areas, too. I don't know what your hobby is, but in mine, there is never going to be a real shortage (of yarn or spinning fiber). So for years I've been essentially using her technique without having a label for it: if I pick up a skein and it thrills me and I ache to get started with it right away, I keep it. If I pick something up and my only thought is "I mean, this might be useful sometime," I give it to a friend.

Honestly, I've been much happier with this system, and it helps me keep my purchasing in check. If I have sixteen things I ache to use, I don't need to buy something else just yet, regardless of whether it seems to be (never is!) the deal of the century.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2015, 06:10:39 AM by MLKnits »

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #81 on: May 08, 2015, 05:50:16 PM »
If I pick something up and my only thought is "I mean, this might be useful sometime," I give it to a friend.
This is great advice, I'm going to start paying attention to the things that I've got because they might be useful sometime, rather than because I really love them.

Meanwhile, decluttering sleepware last night didn't go all that well. Only identified 4 things to get rid of, although I ran out of time and do still have a small pile left to look through. I think I'm going to have to revisit what I decided to keep and double check that there isn't more in there I could part with, even if I love it. I'd like to keep it down to a single dresser drawer, and folded in her method so I can see everything at a glance.

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #82 on: May 13, 2015, 10:02:39 AM »
Getting rid of clothing is continuing on. I'm fuming at myself for having so much clothing that I don't like/don't wear. I'll be dropping off my 3rd load to Goodwill tonight, and I'm not quite finished with clothing, but almost. I'm allowing myself to keep some clothing that I like but don't get much opportunity to wear - I don't want to regret getting rid of things I like, and have gotten rid of a large amount so I feel ok keeping some of these things.

How is everyone else doing?

riverffashion

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #83 on: May 13, 2015, 09:54:18 PM »
I am moving June 1 , so I will do another run through , hoping to let go of even more . the place I am moving into isa little smaller, so that is good motivation.

MLKnits

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #84 on: May 14, 2015, 01:17:26 PM »
Moving is the best motivation! My first solo move was the thing that really got me started on minimizing my belongings, after years and years of dragging a full bookcase (for instance) to all my dorm rooms. Not having my parents and sisters to carry boxes made my first "adult" move look very, very different, and I ended up clearing out 80-90% of my books, and a lot of my junk, before the next move.

Ever since, thinking "would I really want to have to pack that up, carry it, and unpack it again?" has been a great way of assessing some categories of "things" for me, physical media especially. Forget it--digital for me, 98% of the time.

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #85 on: May 14, 2015, 01:30:09 PM »
I agree that moving is a great way to get rid of clutter. When we moved (many years ago) we got rid of so much junk, it was unbelievable...kinda makes me wish we were moving again!

briefus

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #86 on: May 15, 2015, 07:50:29 AM »
I recently read this just before "spring-cleaning" time, which included cleaning out all the junk from my unfinished basement (which now can be finished), and clearing out the other half of our garage... And who'd thunk it, WE CAN FIT BOTH of our cars in a 2 car garage!!! :)

PS, I have this audiobook if anyone's interested in "borrowing" it. you can PM me.

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #87 on: May 15, 2015, 10:16:05 AM »
WE CAN FIT BOTH of our cars in a 2 car garage!!! :)
Awesome!

10dollarsatatime

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #88 on: May 15, 2015, 05:07:25 PM »
I just finished reading it this morning.  It finally came through for me on overdrive last night.

I find myself oddly excited to gather up every bit of clothing in my house and dump it on the living room floor.  I'll be sure to take a picture.  It's going to be ridiculous.

Duchess of Stratosphear

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #89 on: May 17, 2015, 02:46:50 PM »
I read the book last weekend and immediately went on a discarding binge. I went through my clothes and threw away a bag and have another bigger bag to donate. I also, and this is big for me, went through all my books and probably gave over half of them to the public library for their book sale. I'm bad about picking up books in thrift stores and then never getting around to reading them. I think this experience is going to help me be less likely to do that so much in future. I could still ditch some clothes and some more books if I really followed her method--maybe I'll do another round in six months or something. I need to get through papers and mementos next. I'm kind of putting that off....

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #90 on: May 17, 2015, 03:03:26 PM »
I read the book at the end of last year and de-cluttered over three weekends.
Six months later I can tell you it has a lasting affect.  A couple of examples:
I now shop better because I know what I have and what I need and I'll only purchase if the new item gives me joy.
Paper doesn't last long in my house.  It is either shredded/recycled straight away.  A few tax related items have been scanned beforehand shredding. 

So those that are skeptical - it has worked for me!

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #91 on: May 17, 2015, 06:21:22 PM »
I read the book at the end of last year and de-cluttered over three weekends.
Six months later I can tell you it has a lasting affect.  A couple of examples:
I now shop better because I know what I have and what I need and I'll only purchase if the new item gives me joy.
Paper doesn't last long in my house.  It is either shredded/recycled straight away.  A few tax related items have been scanned beforehand shredding. 

So those that are skeptical - it has worked for me!
That's great to hear, nice to know all this hard work is really going to "stick"!

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #92 on: May 17, 2015, 06:29:53 PM »
I'm really glad she recommended starting with clothing, I finished that yesterday and then took a look at books. I can say for sure clothing was easier.

I can't do too much about fiction books because most of them belong to my SO. I generally get my fiction out of the library, but I do have a few I need to make decisions about. I've gotten rid of some "gift books" too - neither of us really likes those even though people give them to us.

Non fiction such as cooking, home repairs, etc. are mostly mine so I'm going through those.

And I have a TON of magazines I need to read then discard.

AlwaysBeenASaver

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #93 on: May 22, 2015, 01:13:27 PM »
My progress:

Books: went through all the books that are mine or were gifts that neither of us wants - have a pile to get rid of, and the remainder are better organized, but really didn't make a big dent in them.

Magazines: I've gotten rid of a lot, trying to flip through several per evening then toss them. Also didn't allow myself to bring any more home from the library "free" pile yesterday!

Paperwork: I emptied out a 2nd filing cabinet drawer! We now have 2 completely empty drawers so I need to move things around and get rid of one of the 2-drawer filing cabinets, I hope I can get SO to agree to this. I'm not done going through all the paperwork, but once I'm done, I want to come up with a place to file "keep for a few months" paperwork, so I can easily find and purge it after a few months. I have the book out of the library again and want to reread parts of it to see if she offers any useful suggestions that I've forgotten. I plan to finish going through all paperwork during the long weekend.

Elle 8

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #94 on: May 23, 2015, 03:04:13 PM »
Wow.  I finished this book this week and today I started with just my tops.  I counted because in the book she says the average number of tops she encounters in her clients is 160.  I have 125.  JUST TOPS!  This includes sweaters, t-shirts, camisoles, blouses, etc.  I had no idea I have that many.  I can't even believe it.

Anyway, I went through them and only found about 14 to get rid of.  I think I'm doing it wrong  :)   I have to go through them again.  I did fold them the way she does in the video (I had to watch a video because I just couldn't visualize what she meant in the book).  It really does look nice and neat.  And they do stand up; I was doubtful, but it doesn't matter too much because they hold each other up anyway.

Well, gotta go back at it.  My goal is to streamline enough so that I don't need to store out of season clothes in a different place other than my dresser and closet.

Squirrel away

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #95 on: May 24, 2015, 03:42:58 AM »
I thought I was tidy before I read this book.:D.

It helped me to streamline my stuff much more neatly and I did purge some more things. I also like The Joy of Less and The Minimalist's book.

SusanS

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #96 on: June 06, 2015, 12:51:22 PM »
This looks great.  One of the things I want to work on as more time emerges is decluttering.  I have it coming from the library.  We moved my husband and his kids into my house when we got married two years ago and we have definitively too much stuff.  We have different ideas about getting rid of stuff or sometimes even moving it, but I like to do the Flylady thing and start with my own things.  People who moved into my house and kids who have just gone off to college don't need to deal with me eyeing their things.  I can't do a big push right now but I can work on it a little at a time. 

3Mer

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #97 on: June 13, 2015, 08:59:08 AM »
I am 64 of 149 holds for this book at the library system.   Seems a bit in demand.   Is it worth the $7 to buy the kindle edition, do you think?

Zamboni

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #98 on: June 13, 2015, 09:13:32 AM »
It might be worth it to you if you want to start the process right now.

I waited, got the library copy, and then typed any phrases that I thought would help me later in a word document.  It's only one page, but the sentences seemed key (often she has these in italics) help get me going now that the book has been returned.

Norrie

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Re: The Life-Changing Art of Tidying-Up
« Reply #99 on: June 13, 2015, 09:20:40 AM »
I am 64 of 149 holds for this book at the library system.   Seems a bit in demand.   Is it worth the $7 to buy the kindle edition, do you think?

I bought it on my Kindle. I think that I probably will re-read it soon to take in more of the concepts (first read through included a lot of eye rolling from me), so I'm happy enough to have bought it. But I think that you can Google it and read up enough about the general idea to get you going while you wait for the library version.