Konmari (the life-changing Magic of tidying up)
- Thread starter emilu
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I hope you get the chance to read it. She goes into more detail, addresses other tidying categories, and fleshes out her ideas/concepts introduced in the first book. And yes, the illustrations are helpful despite being fairly simple. It's almost as if she could've written one book by combining the two, at least IMO.
I borrowed both books from the library but if I needed a refresher, I'd buy the second for my Kindle.
Thank you! Love the illustrations. - simply adorableThe book is called Spark Joy, and it is illustrated!
Important note- when I read "How luxury lost it's luster", it was written that Asian folks, particularly Japanese women, wear their wealth on their bodies in things like jewelry and high end designer shoes, clothes and bags. This is because Japan is so small that it is impossible to show your wealth with large houses and land. Important to note that the Japanese author has addressed such a crucial issue for her native folks and us, too, in the US.
I've read both her books and been so excited to begin tidying. However, as I got all my clothes out and made the *Joy* test I simply could not let go of the clothes that didn't spark joy - it is still lovely (and some of it designer) pieces that I like and find beautiful... And maybe, if I hold it up again, I feel a little joy? Actually I did with some of them!
Sure the old tees and yoga wear went fairly easy, but I'm really caught by the "what if... in the future" that she speaks of with the other half.
Anyone been through this? I think she asks you to begin with clothing as it's the easy category, but for a clothing/bag/shoes lover it might not be the same. I'm sure I'll do better with books and kimono!!
Sure the old tees and yoga wear went fairly easy, but I'm really caught by the "what if... in the future" that she speaks of with the other half.
Anyone been through this? I think she asks you to begin with clothing as it's the easy category, but for a clothing/bag/shoes lover it might not be the same. I'm sure I'll do better with books and kimono!!
One thing that I had never read anywhere else and that really helped me declutter a lot of things is from "clutterbusting your life" by Brooks Palmer: the author said that stuff is like food in the fridge, when it "goes bad" (is done serving its purpose in your life) you should let it go, just the same way that you wouldn't hold onto a jar of jam that turned into a science project at the back of the fridge.
That made me see my things under a new light and honestly it really helped me get rid of a lot of stuff!
Yes- this! I tried starting with clothes and got rid of a good amount that didn't fit or that I never wore, but the "what ifs" were strong with everything else. I've been trying to stick with a color scheme, and make sure I have outfits instead of just pieces. I don't want a museum of lovely items just sitting in my closet. Maybe try starting with a different category until the process gets easier?
I also have a what if problem. Something that might help is to create a subcategory... For instance floor length evening gowns which realistically I need 0 of at the moment, but I let myself keep my favorite which made getting rid of the other two easier. Doesn't exactly work if I create too many categories but I have found it to be a helpful intermediate step.
I have the same but with my books. I'm not attaches to my clothes, in fact I'm currently under a total of 30 items in my entire wardrobe and I'm loving it. But books.... I just have an extremely hard time letting go, especially read ones.
I haven't read any of the books but I am sufficiently introspective to be able to see where things 'move' in my home and where things 'stick'. Like most people, I'm trying to do life better every day, even if most of the time I don't get it right. Trying to always buy mindfully and be disciplined about letting go of 'stuff'. My husband is particularly keen to hold on to things (like broken lamps and old worn out tennis shoes) and I say to him "Babe, let's not pay a mortgage to provide housing for things that serve no purpose, ok?"
Keep that floor length evening gown, I say! What if you suddenly have a special social event, evening event, evening formal wedding to attend? If you have a gown you love and that fits you well, why not keep it? If I had a formal gown, I'd just try it on once in a while to feel fancy!
Would be great to see more activity on this thread. After several trips to the Goodwill, dropping off a bag or two at a time, and some trips to the secondhand bookshop, likewise taking 1-2 bags as things are set aside for donation, I'm finally starting to see a difference. I also did a cleanout of kitchenware and have more to do on that front.
Perhaps hardest for me is acknowledging that while I spent good money on things, or was given beautiful things as a gift, these are not all needed right now, at this time in my life. Sure, they may be useful someday, but if I become that person (who fits into size #, or cooks up a storm with all this specialty kitchenware) then I can buy the implements/clothes I need at the time (and likely in updated styles).
For example, just today I noticed that I have half of a small bookshelf (one shelf) that contains only the books I have read and loved in the past few months. Not all are highbrow, but all of them have happy memories of good reading. That might be the beginning of the Joy feeling.
Perhaps hardest for me is acknowledging that while I spent good money on things, or was given beautiful things as a gift, these are not all needed right now, at this time in my life. Sure, they may be useful someday, but if I become that person (who fits into size #, or cooks up a storm with all this specialty kitchenware) then I can buy the implements/clothes I need at the time (and likely in updated styles).
For example, just today I noticed that I have half of a small bookshelf (one shelf) that contains only the books I have read and loved in the past few months. Not all are highbrow, but all of them have happy memories of good reading. That might be the beginning of the Joy feeling.
I've been busy again lately and had 1 big box of Designer items I wanted to sell, more than half of that is already sold and I couldn't be happier about it. There are only a few items left like a Hermes scarf and some sunglasses. Then I have about 2 boxes left with clothes that I think I still sell for a little something in return (Herve Leger dresses for instance (what was I thinking ! so not me )).
A few months ago I gave away 10 big boxes/garbage bags full of clothing and more recently I gave 2 more boxes away to my mom who gives away stuff to people who don't have much to spend.
To be honest, I haven't been completely following Marie Kondo's rules and have been doing it half half, per room / per category. It did help me get along very very well but I do feel like I need to go through her steps from beginning to end just once more to get it done properly. I think the reason why I did everything per room / category is because I kept skipping my books. I seriously have such a hard time to go through all my books one by one and can't really think of parting with them.
A few months ago I gave away 10 big boxes/garbage bags full of clothing and more recently I gave 2 more boxes away to my mom who gives away stuff to people who don't have much to spend.
To be honest, I haven't been completely following Marie Kondo's rules and have been doing it half half, per room / per category. It did help me get along very very well but I do feel like I need to go through her steps from beginning to end just once more to get it done properly. I think the reason why I did everything per room / category is because I kept skipping my books. I seriously have such a hard time to go through all my books one by one and can't really think of parting with them.