Oakville Reads discussion
The life-changing magic ...
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Challenge #1: Declutter your clothing
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OK I am going to take up this challenge, since it's the change of a season and although my wardrobe is quite minimal (working on being a minimalist), it's a good time to go through it all and see what needs to be donated, replaced, etc. and what few items I might be missing for fall/winter.
I am taking this challenge too, mainly because it is something I Have been meaning to do but never got around it. I have suits and formal dresses that I have not used for the last 12 years or more when I last worked in a formal office. It has been hard for me to get rid of them but I think that now I have the inspiration. One of the aspects that deters me from getting rid of articles is that I don't like to waste anything, perhaps because I come from a culture where we don't throw many things away. I try to find a new user for the possessions that I don't want or need anymore. I try to post things in the freecycle group, but because it takes a little bit of effort to post, describe and assign, I try to wait until i have a good volume of articles to post. I have a room in the basement with all the things that I am planning to put on freecycle some day! As for the voice of the narrator, I agree with the comments, I didn't care too much about her voice, I would have liked to have someone more sweet, less automatized, perhaps with a Japanese accent :) i saw a youtube video with Marie Kondo because I wanted to hear her real voice.
I think I already completed the ' clothing challenge ' as I was listening to the book last month. I organized three clothes closets. Feels good. I'll still find the sock drawers & get rid of old stuff there. I liked the advice about not rolling the socks. And as for folding clothes, I can't really picture them 'standing up' folded. I definitely did not dump everything into the middle of the floor -the clothes-before selecting the discards. That would overwhelm me. I put groups on the bed, a bit at a time and made the selections to keep or discard. A lot of advice I found valuable & inspiring-wish I had the hard copy book to look back to things I forgot.
Rocio wrote: "I am taking this challenge too, mainly because it is something I Have been meaning to do but never got around it. I have suits and formal dresses that I have not used for the last 12 years or more..."Welcome to the challenge, Rocio! :) I hear you, I have a pretty minimal wardrobe already but there are some things I've been holding onto that are a bit more formal than I'll ever need (how often do we get trapped into that thing where we buy clothes for the person we wish we were instead of the person we actually are?). I try to keep enough semi-formal stuff for special events, work meetings, weddings/funerals, etc. but I tend to keep a fairly consistent unofficial "uniform" of sorts.
My problem tends to be less letting go of stuff (I just donate it to Goodwill or whatever--we have bins nearby) but I admit I do have a teeny issue with the acquiring stuff; it's a work in progress ;)
Yes, I wish Kondo did the narration herself, her voice is perfect and her English is quite good as well.
Sylvia wrote: "I think I already completed the ' clothing challenge ' as I was listening to the book last month. I organized three clothes closets. Feels good. I'll still find the sock drawers & get rid of old st..."That's fantastic, Sylvia! I do agree about the putting folded clothes vertically thing. I admit I skipped over that bit, it just didn't work for me. It might be because I don't have that many clothes so I prefer to hang it all up where I can see it (less likely to buy stuff I'll never wear that way).
Glad to hear it's working for you! I got my hands on the hardcover copy and I know what you mean, I've been thinking about buying a copy for my own little personal library.
Hello, I just joined this online book club and look forward to the discussions. I am planning to listen to this month's book through Hoopla. What a great idea to have a decluttering and organizing book on the list of books! I hope I am not out of line, but I want to make a suggestion for clothing donations. There are two registered charities that take clothing donations right here in Oakville on Randall Street. Safety Net has a clothing program, as does Clothing Works, http://www.safetynetservices.ca/, http://clothingworksoakville.com/. If this is not appropriate, I completely understand and I can remove my comment.
Lena wrote: "Hello, I just joined this online book club and look forward to the discussions. I am planning to listen to this month's book through Hoopla. What a great idea to have a decluttering and organizing ..."Thanks for your clothing donation referral, Lena, and welcome to Oakville Reads. I also think this is a great book to do for book clubs ... we tend to overlook self-help/improvement books and I think this one is very timely and always relevant to everyone...even us book lovers! Glad you can listen on Hoopla and we are looking forward to your comments!
I'm also going to accept this clothing challenge. I just moved house, so a good portion of my belongings are still in boxes...it may take me the whole month to get organized, but I'm committed to the task. :)
Lena wrote: "Hello, I just joined this online book club and look forward to the discussions. I am planning to listen to this month's book through Hoopla. What a great idea to have a decluttering and organizing ..."Hi Lena, welcome! Thanks for sharing the links, always good to know more local services that we can donate clothing, etc. to :) I hope you enjoy decluttering along with us--hopefully it will be life-changing and magical.
Allison wrote: "I'm also going to accept this clothing challenge. I just moved house, so a good portion of my belongings are still in boxes...it may take me the whole month to get organized, but I'm committed to ..."
That's great, Allison! The more the merrier I say :) Moving is probably the best time to get rid of things as you have two opportunities, one when you pack up and another when you unpack.
So glad to hear people are enjoying the book and joining the challenge. Do remember to share your experiences afterwards.
As a child I was always the one that when told to clean my room would pull everything out of every hiding place resulting in a very big mess before putting it all back in its place. So the concept of gathering everything together before sorting it makes a lot of sense to me and I know firsthand the satisfaction that comes from seeing a massive pile of clothing slowly be put back into its rightful place. So as the season begins to change I am going to accept this challenge and once again sort through my clothing in order to declutter! This is a challenge that I very much enjoy doing!
Kim wrote: "As a child I was always the one that when told to clean my room would pull everything out of every hiding place resulting in a very big mess before putting it all back in its place. So the concept ..."I did the same thing. In fact, I remember getting in 'trouble' for my messy room and having my parents pile EVERYTHING I own on my bed so I had to actually sort through and DECIDE what I want to keep. It definitely works! Though you have to set aside enough time to go through it and you can't give up halfway through (which can be very tempting--it's tiring work making all those decisions!) :)
My daughter encouraged me to buy this book (at Costco) just before it became our October selection. When I began reading it, I thought that she should actually be reading it as I am constantly tidying and she is comfortable in chaos. WHAT ARROGANCE on my part ;) I am only half way through the book and have discovered that while not "messy", I have everything stored in neat boxes hidden from view. The Canadian Diabetes Association will be picking up 8 bags tomorrow of things that do not bring me joy. I think that is a wonderful way of viewing possessions ... more to come as I tackle shoes and purses, books and photos.
Susan wrote: "My daughter encouraged me to buy this book (at Costco) just before it became our October selection. When I began reading it, I thought that she should actually be reading it as I am constantly tid..."Susan, wow!! You're on a roll and I feel so inspired by your progress!
Thanks. My drawers look beautiful now with everything folded and standing up. We will see what happens the next time I do laundry
Susan wrote: "My daughter encouraged me to buy this book (at Costco) just before it became our October selection. When I began reading it, I thought that she should actually be reading it as I am constantly tid..."Wow, that's fantastic progress, Susan! I am also inspired by you. I definitely have to tackle that wardrobe this weekend :)
Does anyone have good ideas what to do with family photos? I have box loads of loose photos, framed photos, and crumbling albums of photos. I tried giving a bunch to my kids-'passing the torch ' so to speak, but can only go so far without hurting someone's feelings. Many are in bins under my bed -What do you think Marie Kondo would suggest? Perhaps this question may resonate with the older people in this discussion, but of course all suggestions welcome. Thanks folks!
Sylvia wrote: "Does anyone have good ideas what to do with family photos? I have box loads of loose photos, framed photos, and crumbling albums of photos. I tried giving a bunch to my kids-'passing the torch ' so..."I'm still reading the book and, confession, just passed this section.
Photos are the last of her categories to purge because of the emotional connection. Like clothing, she recommends getting all photos in one spot, picking each one up and looking at it, discarding it if it doesn't spark joy. Very difficult when it's pictures of your family but she contends that the main purpose for photos is to show time and place. For instance, of a special trip, she suggests keep only five photos a day for the trip.
I liked the subhead on this section: 'cherish who you are now'; and she writes about her sadness for the boxes of photos left unseen in our lifetimes. Might be a thought to get everyone together and go through your photos as a group? A picture party? :-)
We have amateur photographers in the family and most of our photos are on the computer. Hah, can't even imagine going through all the hard drives, memory sticks, etc.
Thanks, Maureen!You know, since I 'read' the audio book, I might have drifted off, and missed that part about photos with a snooze. Glad you remember it.
I may have to take a day and make it an event, alright! I know I do have doubles of same types, so yes, pick the best, and let the rest go. Hard to do, but if not me, someone else would. Better I should look after this.
Appreciate your comments!
To be honest, I don't have a lot of photos--many times I was the family photographer or my father was, when he passed away I sadly realized that I had not one picture of the two of us together my entire life. However, in a weird way it was freeing because I no longer HAD to keep photos just because. I selected a dozen or two photos and discarded the rest. Bizarrely, I had a hard drive crash AND my TWO backup HD's somehow were erased (I'm still not sure how that happened). So I lost all of my travel photos since they were all digital. For my first Europe trip, I had selected a few dozen of my best photos and had a book printed so at least I have that. But it entirely changed how I vacation; my last trip to Quebec by myself, I didn't bother taking a single photo (okay there were about 6 on my iPhone) and I spent my time focusing on making memories, taking in the sights and sites, and enjoying the moment. It was incredibly freeing not having a camera slung around my neck or shoulder. I could take in each moment, focus on the sights and scents and sounds rather than trying to frame a photo just right so I could post it on social media or bore my family to tears with them :)
Darrell wrote: "To be honest, I don't have a lot of photos--many times I was the family photographer or my father was, when he passed away I sadly realized that I had not one picture of the two of us together my e..."Darrell, I agree with this idea of living/being present fully in the moment. My children attended a Waldorf school in their elementary years, where we parents were always asked *not* to take pictures/videos of performances as they were unfolding. Instead, we were encouraged just to be present, enjoy and remember the moment, without (as you say) being distracted by trying to take a good shot.
Does Kondo mention anything about that? ... I am still reading and haven't got to the picture part yet.
Allison wrote: "Darrell wrote: "To be honest, I don't have a lot of photos--many times I was the family photographer or my father was, when he passed away I sadly realized that I had not one picture of the two of ..."I love that Allison! I don't think Kondo specifically speaks to that but I could definitely see it fitting nicely with her philosophy and the greater umbrella of simple living.
Sylvia wrote: "Thanks, Maureen!You know, since I 'read' the audio book, I might have drifted off, and missed that part about photos with a snooze. Glad you remember it.
I may have to take a day and make it an e..."
Very best of luck with it, Sylvia! As I mentioned, we have hundreds, if not thousands, of photos on various computers here--most not mine so i can't worry too much about that--but, at some point, it will be a challenge to go through them.
Darrell wrote: "To be honest, I don't have a lot of photos--many times I was the family photographer or my father was, when he passed away I sadly realized that I had not one picture of the two of us together my e..."
I really agree with the idea that it's important to be fully present at events, (a very good reason to hire a photographer if you need the event captured for posterity:0) ! Kondo does stress that we should 'cherish who we are now' but I do love looking at old family photos of celebrations and appreciate that someone took time to shoot them.
Darrell wrote: "To be honest, I don't have a lot of photos--many times I was the family photographer or my father was, when he passed away I sadly realized that I had not one picture of the two of us together my e..."Thanks for your ideas, Darrell, and sharing those poignant memories. And I particularly like that idea of being freed up from photographing, for a while, and enjoying the actual moment!
Allison wrote: "Darrell wrote: "To be honest, I don't have a lot of photos--many times I was the family photographer or my father was, when he passed away I sadly realized that I had not one picture of the two of ..."Just read this now, Allison, about your children's school and their non-photo policy to savour the moment. Refreshing!
An update on my progress: I have not found the courage to throw all my clothes on the floor because I am afraid I will never finish the job and I will have to live for several days or weeks with a huge pile of clothes. Instead, I chose to confront the situation by areas. I reorganized socks and undergarments, following KonMari method, I folded everything in a way that I open the drawer and see all the content of the drawer. I did this also to my husband's and son's drawers and they were happy with that. I also took out all my shoes and parted with 20 pairs. I have to confess that while the shoes were still on the floor two pairs made their way back into the closet. I like shoes, my brother in law once called me Imelda Marcos when he was helping me move after I got married. Of course you wouldn't know it because I end up using the same pair or alternate between two pairs most of the time. When I have difficulty parting with any item because I have not used it, it has helped me to think about what Kondo says about the item serving its purpose when you bought it, it already made you happy so it is time to let it go. I know I won't be as brave when working with books and photos, but I will try.
Rocio wrote: "An update on my progress: I have not found the courage to throw all my clothes on the floor because I am afraid I will never finish the job and I will have to live for several days or weeks with a ..."Rocio, parting with 20 pairs of shoes is no small feat. Congratulations! I am so inspired by you ... I will be tackling my own clothes this weekend, and maybe my children's too. Thank you also for the reminder that an unused item has served its purpose when it was bought by making us happy then. This will undoubtedly help me a great deal when it comes time to let go of things. Keep up the good work! :)
YAY, great work Rocio! I did tackle my closet over the Thanksgiving holiday though I'm not 100% done. But I discovered that I have a LOT more clothes than I thought I did. It's that whole Pareto Principle thing, where 20% of my clothes get worn 80% of the time. I managed to donate some (though I had already gone through the closet a couple months ago when I first read the book so there wasn't as much to get rid of as I thought), and I even discovered some gaps so I actually bought some clothes. Hmm, I must be doing this wrong ;) But it's good because now I know what I have and I can continue to pare down as needed and replace things as needed too.
Rocio wrote: "An update on my progress: I have not found the courage to throw all my clothes on the floor because I am afraid I will never finish the job and I will have to live for several days or weeks with a ..."I am about to tackle shoes ... so your inspiration was timely. I have also realized how much paper I have. As I run a business from home, it is that much worse. Her book seems to imply that this is all done in a short span ... can't manage that but will keep at it.
Susan wrote: I am about to tackle shoes ... so your inspiration was timely. I have also realized how much paper I have. As I run a business from home, it is that much worse. Her book seems to imply that this is all done in a short span ... can't manage that but will keep at it."I think the all-at-once can be spread out over a period of time, the idea is to start and finish the job. We all have lives and many things will never take an afternoon to finish. I did my clothes, then skipped over books right to papers, primarily because I couldn't find my cheque book! After a few days, my daughter walked by my home office and asked if this was ever going to end, as I sat at the shredder for yet another session. The papers are done, a three drawer file cabinet went on the curb (and got picked up before the garbage truck came along), 8 bags of garbage and 9 bags of recycling later, I still can't find my cheque book. So I am onto the komodo..or komono or however it's spelled, I'm not sure since I listened to the audiobook, to see if my cheques are sitting with the 'miscellaneous' items in my house. In the meantime, I ordered new cheques from the bank, they arrived before I finished the papers. So it can take time.
Darrell wrote: " I even discovered some gaps so I actually bought some clothes. Hmm, I must be doing this wrong ;) "There are always going to be gaps, otherwise we would be wearing the same pair of pants for life. Things get worn out, go out of fashion and our bodies and tastes change. So I would guess you're doing it right. Fill those gaps with things that 'spark joy'. :)
Lena wrote: "Susan wrote: I am about to tackle shoes ... so your inspiration was timely. I have also realized how much paper I have. As I run a business from home, it is that much worse. Her book seems to imply..."Wow! Great job, Lena! Sorting and tossing paper is a tough one. And now, guaranteed the other cheques will turn up. ;-)
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Maureen wrote: "Wow! Great job, Lena! Sorting and tossing paper is a tough one. And now, guaranteed the other cheques will turn up. ;-) "Thank you Maureen. I probably got a bit overzealous during the shredding process and tossed a few things that may, or may not, be needed. Time will tell. The next 'miscellaneous' stage is really going to be my toughest. There is komono stuffed in every nook and cranny in this house. But I shall continue. I'm also looking forward to the possibility of losing a few lbs in this process, somthing Marie hinted at in her book. Onward and outward and downward and upward.
LOVE hearing all these stories, great work every one! Hmm, I wonder what we will choose for the next challenge...any preferences?
I have continued with the clothes and have filled several bags that I have been giving away on Freecycle. I must say that this whole exercise has given me such pleasure. I like to think that many of the articles that I am giving away will be useful to someone else and at the same time I am decluttering my closet. That is a great feeling. I have finished now with clothes but the documents and mementos will be another story, i have so much. Maybe I need to listen to the book again to get the inspiration that I need to tackle these areas.
Yesterday I finally got around to tackling my clothing and managed to donate a large bag full. The problem I seem to have encountered is the method of folding. As instructed, I took everything out of drawers and handled every item. Once I was done I began folding all of my shirts according to the method in the book. While I do enjoy that I could now see everything I have, I feel that this method is time consuming and as soon as you put a couple of shirts in the laundry the whole row will fall over. Or that to take a shirt out you unfold those in front and behind it in the process. I found this method very frustrating and went back to my own before the end of completing the task!
Kim wrote: "Yesterday I finally got around to tackling my clothing and managed to donate a large bag full. The problem I seem to have encountered is the method of folding. As instructed, I took everything out ..."Hi Kim, maybe a compromise to this method of folding for you would be to stick to the conventional way, but to fan it out a bit...as you might laying napkins out on a buffet table.
First step is to post here and pledge to try this challenge this week/month. Then, report back here before the month is up and share what your experience was like. Was it helpful? Frustrating? Empowering? Did you find items that “sparked joy”?