“The life-changing magic of tidying up” by Marie Kondo had been read and recommended by both my daughters, so I ordered it from the library.
There are several actions the author suggests are essential:
- Do all the tidying in one fell swoop (don’t spread it out over months)
- Work through categories, rather than cupboards or rooms (e.g.all clothes, all books, all papers, all mementoes)
- Discard first, before putting anything away
- Keep only those things that speak to your heart
I’m already a fairly tidy person, but I was aware of several areas that could do with a good cleanout. I’ve always been inclined to work cupboard by cupboard, so the idea of, for instance, taking all my clothes out of wardrobe, cupboards, and drawers, was a little daunting.
My decision was to start with the linen cupboard in the bathroom, where all our sheets, towels, etc are stored. I opened the cupboard, and thought “This hardly needs to be done – it already looks tidy.” However once I started to take things out I discovered a few non-essentials, e.g. a shower curtain made redundant by a new shower box more than a year ago. When I went to England in 2013 I bought tea towels as souvenirs, intending to throw out the old ones. Somehow that didn’t happen, so I found two high piles of tea towels on one shelf. When I got to the bottom (cleaning rag) shelf I found yet another pile of faded old tea towels, which hadn’t been touched for some considerable time. We have no need for more than a dozen tea towels, and all the others went, with some frayed hand towels, into a box in the shed. I would have got rid of them completely, but Stephen said they might be useful for “mopping up”. The SPCA welcomes old towels, and they may yet get these ones.
Marie suggests sorting clothes in a certain order, from tops down to shoes. There are instructions for working through other categories of possessions too, with the main criteria being “Does this spark joy?”
As a sometime gift recycler I appreciated the chapter about holding on to gifts. This author says “The true purpose of a gift is to be received. Presents are not ‘things’ but a means for conveying somoene’s feelings. When viewed from this perspective, you don’t need to feel guilty for parting with a gift. Just thank it for the joy it gave you when you first received it.. Of course it would be ideal if you could use it with joy. But surely the person who gave it to you doesn’t want you to use it out of a sense of obligation, or to put it away without using it, only to feel guilty every time you see it. When you discard or donate it, you do so for the sake of the giver too.”
Unfortunately the book is now due back to the library, and I haven’t had time to finish it. Maybe that says something about clutter in other areas of my life? The linen cupboard is the only area that’s actually been de-cluttered, but my intentions are good. I wonder how far the daughters got with their magical tidying?
“My tidying came to a stop
At least the theory’s now on top.”
I’m glad your book is due back to the library because I’m #1 on the hold list (at long last!) and so your copy may be coming home to my house!
We’ll see how the tidying goes at my place 🙂
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I’ve returned it this morning to Peterborough Library, so it may well be on its way by now. I note the library holds nine copies, with 30 people currently on the hold list. Very best of luck with your tidying!
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If I followed this advice I would need a search and rescue party to find me under all the clutter. I prefer to tidy in manageable bites. I am being far more ruthless these days. Sadly our local Trash Palace has had to close due to funding being withdrawn by the local DHB( it was an employment avenue for folk with mental health challenges) and big business competition in the recycling industry. I really hope our local City Council can come up with another plan as it was a great place to declutter and recycle to. We have The Koha Shed nearby now – people donate and people can take goods/food etc for free. My box for them is filling:-))
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I think we all get more ‘ruthless’ as we get older – not easy for me! My extra stuff tends to go to the City Mission, which is not far from home. We have an EcoShop, which might be similar to your Trash Palace. They recycle goods which people have taken to the dump.
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I have Ruth in my given names too so being “ruthless” is very tricky for me too 😉
Yes EcoShop sounds just the same as TP was.
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I haven’t read her book yet but I did follow up a few links about her on the internet. I have organised some of my drawers in the way she suggests. Works well. However, my big cleaning project has ground to a halt. No time.
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I empathise with no time, but if I really wanted to do it I guess I’d make the time. I’m interested that you’ve followed her suggestions for your drawers. The idea of storing garments vertically is an intriguing one that I haven’t yet followed (and my socks are still rolled up in balls).
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It takes a bit of folding precision but I really like the result.
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That’s inspiring. I have a drawer full of merinos which will need to be re-ironed before they get their precise folding – not this weekend!
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The precise folding seems to eliminate the need for ironing. At least that’s what I find.
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Hi Ruth. I’ve just moved house so I had a very big de clutter before the truck came and again as I unpacked boxes. A lot of the better things went to the Nurse Maude shop at the Palms. Most went into charity bins and a lot went straight into the red bin. Oh my goodness it felt good!
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It sounds very freeing. One of the benefits of moving house!
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