Experiences with the KonMari method (as presented in the book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up)

[Anonymous]

I've just started and am excited to be parting with unwanted things. Has anyone here followed her recommendations? Interested in hearing other's experiences.

[Anonymous]

I've done her routine and it's helped quite a bit, but following her full system is really unrealistic if you don't live by yourself (as she did at the time she wrote the book), or with people who are compulsive organizers. The system relies upon having complete control over your environment, and doesn't factor in a spouse who's unwilling to get rid of his books, or who tends to drop his stuff all over the place, or kids and all their stuff that gets dumped all over the place. You either need to live with people who buy into the system as well, or accept that you'll be doing a lot of cleaning up after the other people in your home.

[Anonymous]

It's not realistic to get rid of things that don't spark joy. I ignore that part. DD and I did however, roll all the clothes in her dresser (not socks and underwear) and it DID create a lot more space.

[Anonymous]

I will never ever roll my underwear or organize my socks.

I have started storing more things vertically and using box tops as organizers in my drawers and have been pleased with that.

And have thrown out a ton of crap. I generally am good, but have become even more brutal. If it's not serving a purpose and/or bringing me joy, I chuck it.

Sure, it's tough to do with kids but it's a continual practice And mindset. I have found it clarifying.

I should add that I haven't actually bought the book. Just picked off the main points from reviews.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not realistic to get rid of things that don't spark joy. I ignore that part. DD and I did however, roll all the clothes in her dresser (not socks and underwear) and it DID create a lot more space.

Funny, the sparking joy part is the one thing I'm really trying to follow. I'm a pack rat and KonMari has helped me think twice about buying yet another black tshirt or keeping books that I'll never read or reread.

[Anonymous]

I got the tip on DCUM and read the book about four months ago. I did a big purge on clothes and that helped a lot, but I basically stopped there because we were about to sell our house, so I couldn't just pull every single piece of paper in the house into one room and sort it all over days and days. We have moved now and I want to pick it back up and start from the beginning again. I know I've got a lot more to purge. It was a great kick-start to clearing things out in preparation for the sale of our house.

[Anonymous]

What was helpful for me was the thinking behind getting rid of things that I felt guilty about getting rid of -- spent too much money on that suit and haven't worn it; "heirloom" items that belonged to grandparents that I just didn't like. Her view is let the item continue it's journey and find a place where it is appreciated/treasured -- ridiculous, I know, but it was the kick I needed to dump a bunch of stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got the tip on DCUM and read the book about four months ago. I did a big purge on clothes and that helped a lot, but I basically stopped there because we were about to sell our house, so I couldn't just pull every single piece of paper in the house into one room and sort it all over days and days. We have moved now and I want to pick it back up and start from the beginning again. I know I've got a lot more to purge. It was a great kick-start to clearing things out in preparation for the sale of our house.

If I didn't know better, I'd swear I wrote this post. My pre-move purging worked great - and I look forward to getting everything unpacked to start the post-move, but recognize it's going to take a while.

I listened to her book (audible.com) as well as Julie Morgenstern's SHED and wound up using a bit of a hybrid approach. In our relationship, I'm the one who "keeps" more stuff - by a factor of 3x or so. I found both approaches to be energizing and practical. My spouse was SHOCKED when she saw that I got rid of about 2/3 of my clothes.

I'm a big believer in the KonMari method, but did draw the line at things like "letting my tired socks rest" and not rolling them. Sorry, socks. I would concur that the logic of "does it bring you joy" as your keep/dont' keep criteria can be a bit impractical at times. But I think it boils down to: only own stuff you really love. When it comes to the mundane, like cleaning supplies or food in cabinets, etc...I found you can still make it apply. it's really freeing to go through stuff that you realize you bought or otherwise acquired and don't really have a strong desire to use/wear/eat/own/whatever. Get rid of it. It feels great to just look at everything you have and feel good about it. I never knew having lots of stuff stressed me out until I started to dump it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've done her routine and it's helped quite a bit, but following her full system is really unrealistic if you don't live by yourself (as she did at the time she wrote the book), or with people who are compulsive organizers. The system relies upon having complete control over your environment, and doesn't factor in a spouse who's unwilling to get rid of his books, or who tends to drop his stuff all over the place, or kids and all their stuff that gets dumped all over the place. You either need to live with people who buy into the system as well, or accept that you'll be doing a lot of cleaning up after the other people in your home.

I agree with this. There's a limit to what you can do with other people's things, or even with communal things like furniture, decor, framed photos, etc. when you have a spouse who has an opinion on these things. My DH isn't going for some of the tips, especially things like throwing out cables when you're not sure what they go to, or piling everything of a type on the floor (like books, clothes) and then going through them one by one. So I haven't done the dump on the floor. But as a working mom, I don't have time for that anyway. I would have a pile on the floor for weeks on end if I did that. I've been using the book as inspiration and then culling by attacking one space at a time. I haven't changed the way I store my clothes except for my underwear and bras, but I have been really inspired to get rid of lots of clothes and shoes that I no longer wear regularly.

I do not have time for hogwash like "thanking" my clothes and possessions or "visiting" my off-season clothes. But I found that part of the audio book entertaining.

The book has inspired me to have a more ruthless approach to my possessions and to have higher standards as far as allowing stuff in the house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What was helpful for me was the thinking behind getting rid of things that I felt guilty about getting rid of -- spent too much money on that suit and haven't worn it; "heirloom" items that belonged to grandparents that I just didn't like. Her view is let the item continue it's journey and find a place where it is appreciated/treasured -- ridiculous, I know, but it was the kick I needed to dump a bunch of stuff.

^ This exactly. Clothes I spent too much money on but don't wear, things passed down from family that have no meaning or value to me, projects I meant to start but never did, etc. Even a lot of old keepsakes went right to the trash. I had the spark of warmth upon seeing them but didn't have any qualms about discarding them.