Simply..the secret....

25/9/2018

..to easy clearing - especially of papers, is to keep it simple and make only one decision on your first pass of each category

KEEP / DON'T KEEP.

That's it.

I don't engage with the item in question other than to make that one decision.

Once you have discarded all you want then you can deal with the more manageable amount that's left - put like with like, arrange in date order,decide whether action is required (but don't stop now to take the action!,move to where you will store it etc etc etc

Have ticked off Clothing, Books and Papers. Am now on Kimono (Miscellaneous) and have done DVD's and CD's, cords and remotes, coins and toys, having skipped video games, craft supplies, sports equipment and pet supplies as I don't have any of these - well one bag of wild bird seed....

Also toys, boardgames and puzzles, and office supplies. Yay!

Thank you Lotta for the gold stars (they were mentioned in my very first blog post).

Still trying with all my little heart!

19 Comments

Mary B

25/9/2018 05:38:50 pm

Well done ! May I ask for help with the toy category ?
How do you deal with old very well loved Teddy Bears and their friends and relations ?? I have several who look at me so sadly whenever I even think about decluttering in their direction.

Susan

26/9/2018 01:04:41 am

In my opinion Mary, they can't be thrown away because they are sentient beings.
So, with parents' consent, I suggest showing them to small children whom you know, and seeing if they are claimed (even if they show the signs of being very well loved.) And, maybe, wrapping a couple in tissue in shoe boxes (with silicone sachets, to keep dry), for future generations of yourself, family or friends.

Freda

26/9/2018 01:46:44 pm

I think I was lucky my children took them with them when they left home!

Lotta link

26/9/2018 12:19:45 pm

Hi Mary, in a rash, disconnected moment about 10 years ago, (pre-Kondo) I gave away my childhood teddy bears... it still hurts to think of it. It's my one big clearing out regret. We're all different, but it sounds from their expressions like they might want to stay with you... :-) or at least with the children of family or friends as Susan suggests.

Freda

26/9/2018 01:50:15 pm

Regrets, I've had a few, but yet again too few too mention.....That's sad Lotta.

Freda

26/9/2018 01:45:45 pm

I guess it's the same question Mary B - do they spark joy? Or just make you uneasy...it's about what makes you happy.

Julia

27/9/2018 09:34:38 am

Mary, many years ago, my daughter came home from college, ready to declutter and jettison her childhood...in the stuffed animal category, we made 2 piles: keep/not keep. They both went into green garbage bags....sadly, i took the keep bag to a charity for needy children. Luckily for me, and for our daughter, when we discovered my mistake we both thought: oh well! Too bad..they’re gone now! She has been a dedicated minimlaist ever since. So even if you do let them go...it will be ok.

Susan

26/9/2018 12:58:49 am

When I read, 'DVDs and CDs, cords ...', at first, I mistakenly imagined that you owned a vast collection of cord trousers, wondered if this was usual, and if I was odd in not doing so.

Freda

26/9/2018 01:51:37 pm

Should have said cables (then you might have thought of Aran jumpers?) I had so many with no idea what they had been for.

Gail

26/9/2018 04:46:16 am

You’re on a roll!

Freda

26/9/2018 01:52:15 pm

I am! It's quite fun!

cath

26/9/2018 11:07:53 am

The not engaging at the start seems to me the most difficult part.

I notice I now have a mild case of ´tick off envy`...

As much as I find the list helpful, I also find it rather daunting today
and the weather being sunny and mild I have given myself the day off. Maybe the same tomorrow as I postponed ´clothing´ till next week as temperatures will drop here then.

All this explaining is only proving I am feeling a little guilty...

Freda

26/9/2018 01:55:37 pm

I realised how much that was holding me up Cath. But acting on what is in the paper is really a separate task. I am enjoying ticking off the list. No guilt allowed - you are doing it after all! (Most people don't...) and good weather must not be ignored at this time of year. Savour it. Rain will come.

Lotta link

26/9/2018 12:29:32 pm

We all need gold stars from time to time... :-) At secondary school we used to get smiley face stickers for good work from our English teacher and when you'd got 3 in a row you'd get a mars bar! Just a thought...

Freda

26/9/2018 01:57:05 pm

They wouldn't allow it now! But we are in charge so maybe....

Damsonlily

26/9/2018 02:17:16 pm

Continue to be extremely impressed by all of this and everybody’s efforts.

Having surveyed my new garden yesterday, I am wondering if Marie Kondo might have a special category for sorting through your plants?

We have discovered that we have inherited several really large, highly uninteresting shrubs and trees which are far too close to the house and next door’s garage for comfort and are rapidly filling up the small space available.

Think this may well be one area where I can make the Keep/Don’t Keep decision quite easily!

Freda

26/9/2018 02:46:49 pm

Good! Now is the time and spark joy is still the question I think, Have fun making way for the new.

Julia

27/9/2018 06:14:25 am

The konmari lists are pretty helpful, aren’t they? Good on YOU, Freda! Can you feel energy moving more freely in your home now?

!Freda

29/9/2018 03:45:36 am

Definitely

Simply..the secret....

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