Interesting View on Decluttering

[Lannette]

Originally Posted by Eibhinn

I'm actually very interested in Marie Kondo's book, and will quite possibly buy a copy to check out, but based on the reviews and news coverage I've seen of her, I gotta admit she sounds.... off. I saw one person recounting her story of how, as a child in school, she preferred cleaning and organizing the janitor's closet to playing with her friends, and when she did visit her friends she would spend her time cleaning and organizing their rooms. I just have no idea what to make of that. It's pretty bizarre. Doesn't mean she doesn't have a lot to offer in terms of tidying/decluttering advice, just... yeah, she seems really weird, if not dealing with some sort of mental health issue.

I understand what you're saying but there were a decent number of reviews that said that there wasn't much new in the book. I may eventually read it but I'm waiting for it to show up in our library. I have too many other books I'd rather sink my cash into first.

We've also been downsizing, remodeling, repurposing and reorganizing our home room by room and we're quite happy with the results so why mess with what's working. Besides, my socks enjoy being rolled.

[Nuggie's Auntie]

Originally Posted by bee

That's funny! Another related funny story..... a friend of mine is anti-Barbie doll. Her daughters were given a couple of them and once the girls had not picked them up for a while my friend put them in the trash. Well, it was that day the girls chose to watch the garbage men from their second floor window, and they saw the Barbie dolls tumble into the garbage truck. My friend had some 'splainin' to do!!

Barbie was considering a new career in waste-management?

[FirmDancer]

Originally Posted by Yelly

EDITED TO ADD: omg! Ya want to know how unorganized I am? I went to Amazon to download this book, and I ALREADY OWN IT!! I can't believe I had it this whole time and never looked at it.

Hence the reason why -- when I'm think I'm ready to actually purchase a book -- that I buy the e-version from Amazon. I love their note: "You purchased this book on x/xx/xx." It has saved me a few times ....

[Denise B]

Interesting discussion. I have a Barnes & Noble gift card and am considering purchasing the book -- but not until I put my hands on it to see if it sparks joy!

I've purchased a lot of tapes the last couple of years but for various reasons haven't let an equal number go. Right now my collection feels too big and when I view it as a whole, joy is not sparked...instead I feel some overwhelm, some buyer's remorse, and lots of "I really should..."

Viewed individually, I estimate about 1/3 of my tapes "spark joy" -- the ones that really bring a smile to my face as I do them or when I finish them. I get that feeling with Leslie's Ultimate tape and many of my Firm's and Fitprimes, some yoga tapes . It's not that I feel negatively about the others...but many of them of them I don't have a strong feeling one way or the other.

I think moving forward I will have to consider the "joy factor" after I do a workout to see if it warrants a place on my shelf.

[susan p]

Originally Posted by bee

My husBAD is a packrat (I'll never forget the first time I went to his parent's house and saw how they lived and I imagined that's how my life would become, and yes, it's somewhat true) but to make matters worse, perhaps, we live 30 minutes from town, we have our own water system, my husband is a big do-it-yourselfer, and it's hard to get any repair people to come out our way anyway. What that means is that when he needs some PVC or screws or anything, he always buys about twice as much as he needs because he doesn't want to be in the middle of something and not have what he needs. Then the problem becomes finding what it is he needs -- he knows he has it here somewhere, but he can't find it, so he goes to the store and buys double, again. It's insane!

BEE!!! BEE!! BEE!! We are circumstance twins!! Exactly that; rural living, buying two of everything for every project because it takes half an hour to get to the hardware store, knowing you have it, not being able to find it, buying it again. . . OH MY GOODNESS!!

I no longer feel alone. You feel my pain. I love you.

(on the plus side, it sure is nice to have a handy husband who can do plumbing, and electrical, and car repairs, and HVAC stuff. . . Gotta count our blessings along with bemoaning our frustrations!)

[Eibhinn]

Originally Posted by Lannette

I understand what you're saying but there were a decent number of reviews that said that there wasn't much new in the book. I may eventually read it but I'm waiting for it to show up in our library. I have too many other books I'd rather sink my cash into first.

I read one reviewer on Amazon claiming that he learned everything he needed to know from articles he read about the book before reading it, and based on spending an hour or so searching online, it looks like he wasn't that off-base. This book has received an absurd amount of press coverage. I actually think so much of the content is out there in reviews and interviews and videos that it possibly doesn't even make sense to purchase it anymore.

Also, worth noting that it looks like the underlying philosophy of the book is based on Shintoism/animism, which is likely to come across as really strange/completely insane to people who are unfamiliar with the cultural context, or a potentially off-putting or scary to people who strongly identify with a non-animist religion or spiritual tradition.

[lreidgreen]

Originally Posted by bee

I've done that, but my husband has never let me forget that I got rid of a shirt he really liked once. That's part of the problem..... my DH seems to get joy from everything.......

My husband too. A few weeks ago when I was going through books I asked him if he really needed 29 books on the Middle East and Central Asia. Why yes of course he does even the one from 1978. I am not kidding. When I discussed the concept of keeping only what sparks joy he said that ALL of his books spark joy.
I also mentioned that decluttering is a gift to our children. I thought this would hit home as we have had to go through the process of dealing with the possessions of our parents. My son piped in that he actually wants all our stuff. Really? ALL of it?

So I am always motivated to de-clutter but DH and both the kids are pack rats. Sometimes I just want an apartment all to myself.

[lreidgreen]

Originally Posted by Eibhinn

I'm actually very interested in Marie Kondo's book, and will quite possibly buy a copy to check out, but based on the reviews and news coverage I've seen of her, I gotta admit she sounds.... off. I saw one person recounting her story of how, as a child in school, she preferred cleaning and organizing the janitor's closet to playing with her friends, and when she did visit her friends she would spend her time cleaning and organizing their rooms. I just have no idea what to make of that. It's pretty bizarre. Doesn't mean she doesn't have a lot to offer in terms of tidying/decluttering advice, just... yeah, she seems really weird, if not dealing with some sort of mental health issue.

Yes I am reading the book now and she does have some strange habits that sound very OCD. I have those tendencies myself but not to that extent. However I would like to try some of her ideas such as going through your possessions by type rather than by room. Clothing, books, papers, etc.

[sheepla]

I bought this book on my kindle yesterday and so far am enjoying it. It's not long. It did get me thinking about which of my exercise dvds "spark joy". Yes, having the complete Firm collections gives me joy; owning CLX which I have never done, not so much.

I think the idea of "doing it all at once" isn't realistic, though I'd love to have that much time.

I admit I'm fairly OCD myself and love organization and decluttering books (though most of my friends already think I'm freakishly organized) so I was predisposed to like it anyway.

[lreidgreen]

Originally Posted by sheepla

I think the idea of "doing it all at once" isn't realistic, though I'd love to have that much time.

Yes doing it all at once is not realistic but I think tackling one category at a time makes sense. I thought the order she prescribes is a good idea too because if you started with mementos your progress would be slow. I also think the idea of going through off season clothes first is a good idea. However I already purged my spring/summer items when I put them away in the fall.
As far as her storage ideas, putting like items in one place may not be realistic either especially if you share a house/apt. with someone else. I cannot store all my clothing in the closet in my bedroom because it is small and I share it with DH. I put my off season clothing in DDs closet because of the available space. At least they are in closets and not in the attic or basement.
I have been getting rid of fitness items that I don't use (BOSU etc. ) but I still need to go through my DVDs. Again they are all in one place away from others so they aren't hurting anyone but I hardly do them anymore.