Marie Kondo Series on Netflix??

[shawthorne44]

On 1/5/2019 at 3:19 PM, Plum Crazy said:

...  decorating most of my house last year and only put out things that sparked joy. It makes such a difference to be surrounded by things that make you happy rather than just things...

I did that this year with Christmas decorations.   It was wonderful!   

I wasn't able to actually toss much.  But I did put out only the stuff that sparked joy, got rid of the stuff that didn't, and put a bunch of medium-level stuff in boxes that will stay in the attic for the next couple of years.  DD is a Christmas Nut (genetics) and I suspect that she'll like a lot of the medium-level stuff.  

[Bluegoat]

I watched the first episode.  I liked some of the practical advice. I am going to try folding my drawers like that.  I can see how the joy thing would help some - I already have that idea from another perspective - I like "useful and beautiful" which comes to a similar place.

I did feel like the show could have been 15 min, if they hadn't had the family talking about their emotions so much.  They were nice enough people, but I kind of didn't care about their deep feelings about their relationship.

[happi duck]

Her books are the straightforward "how to".  I'm guessing she has online info too.

One reason I love the show is seeing other people going through the process.  Seeing what I do or don't relate to and feeling not alone.  Imo, the mix of "here's how to fold" and the clients sharing their feelings is what makes a show worthwhile. 

[displace]

1 hour ago, Bluegoat said:

I watched the first episode.  I liked some of the practical advice. I am going to try folding my drawers like that.  I can see how the joy thing would help some - I already have that idea from another perspective - I like "useful and beautiful" which comes to a similar place.

I did feel like the show could have been 15 min, if they hadn't had the family talking about their emotions so much.  They were nice enough people, but I kind of didn't care about their deep feelings about their relationship.

I felt the show should have been real time, to give me a more realistic idea of how much work it was.  🙂 Five weeks condensed into an hour makes me think it’s so easy!  

[PrincessMommy]

19 hours ago, MaBelle said:

I didn't read all replies but I think I'm in  the minority.  I thought she was ridiculous, too cutesy and a fruitcake to boot.  Full of hooey.

I'm half-way into the first episode.  I don't like it.  She is too cutsie, and I'm sorry - it seems to waste a lot of time "thanking" every piece - and "being nice to it" (don't just throw it on the floor!).  I'm thinking that we Americans are already too touchy-feely.  Do we really need her too?    I just seems too gimmicky for my taste.   There's really nothing revolutionary about it... I just need to get off my butt and do it! 

I tried to read the book last year and couldn't finish it.  

I'm looking for Susan Powder of the cleaning world.  Seriously, she could make bundle being the anti-KonMarie.   Grab her and  Mr.T and let's get to work people.!  

Edited January 7, 2019 by PrincessMommy

[Bluegoat]

1 hour ago, StellaM said:

 

lol, I love watching people talk about their relationships. Don't want to have to do anything about it, mind you (thank you God for steering me away from the counselling degree!) but I love peeking into the lives of fellow humans. I guess I'm just nosy.

My only frustration with the show is that they have spent hardly any time on books. I want to see people pare their book collection down to a shelf, like I did 🙂

 

I don't mind if they say that it's improved their relationship etc, but I get really embarrassed when they get teary and call each other cutesy names.  

[forty-two]

13 minutes ago, PrincessMommy said:

I'm half-way into the first episode.  I don't like it.  She is too cutsie, and I'm sorry - it seems to waste a lot of time "thanking" every piece - and "being nice to it" (don't just throw it on the floor!).  I'm thinking that we Americans are already too touchy-feely.  Do we really need her too?

We just moved, and there was a lot of purging involved.  It's easy to get rid of stuff that really never had any business being there in the first place, but beloved things you no longer need or use?  That's painful.  I got the idea independently of MK, but it really helped us to be thankful for the good service it had given us, to explicitly acknowledge our gratitude for the good it had done for us ("it's been a good shirt to you"), and now that it can no longer do good service for us, we're donating it so that it could be a good thing for someone else.  It really helped me and my kids let go of things - we weren't "getting rid of it", but were giving a good thing a chance to bless more people.  (Or, if it was so worn its life was done, we appreciated that it had served us well, that it had given us a full life's service.) 

Idk, I'm not terribly touchy-feely, but I've always talked to inanimate objects and felt that worthy things ought to be treated with respect - that I owed it to them to treat them well - that physical things aren't just material only, but that they have an immaterial purpose and nature - that there is a moral quality to inanimate objects.  And so being thankful for their service isn't just about feeeeeeeeeelings, but about giving worthy things the respect they objectively deserve.  It seems fitting to me, to treat one's possessions with respect and gratitude for the good God gave us through them, and to lessen possessiveness by giving up one's good things so they can go on and do good for others.

[Storygirl]

I think there must be a lot that goes on behind the scenes that is edited out or not shown on camera. For example, in the second episode, the wife talks about how much she loves all of her Christmas decorations and feels she needs them all. The next time she talks about the decorations, she says she learned that she didn't need them all and is happy with what she decided to keep. They skipped the in-between part where she worked through that.

Also, the families have so much success. I think that it's unrealistic for Marie to explain the process, then leave, then come back and find that it all has gone so well. I think people generally need more hand-holding than that for such an emotional and time consuming process. It makes me speculate that there must be assistants who work with the family to sort things but are not shown on camera.

 

 

[Roadrunner]

I couldn’t sleep last night and watched about half an hour of it. Since I have a tiny home, I thought maybe I would glean some wisdom. Oh man. I can’t stand women like her. So incredibly annoying. No, thank you. 

[happi duck]

57 minutes ago, forty-two said:

We just moved, and there was a lot of purging involved.  It's easy to get rid of stuff that really never had any business being there in the first place, but beloved things you no longer need or use?  That's painful.  I got the idea independently of MK, but it really helped us to be thankful for the good service it had given us, to explicitly acknowledge our gratitude for the good it had done for us ("it's been a good shirt to you"), and now that it can no longer do good service for us, we're donating it so that it could be a good thing for someone else.  It really helped me and my kids let go of things - we weren't "getting rid of it", but were giving a good thing a chance to bless more people.  (Or, if it was so worn its life was done, we appreciated that it had served us well, that it had given us a full life's service.) 

Idk, I'm not terribly touchy-feely, but I've always talked to inanimate objects and felt that worthy things ought to be treated with respect - that I owed it to them to treat them well - that physical things aren't just material only, but that they have an immaterial purpose and nature - that there is a moral quality to inanimate objects.  And so being thankful for their service isn't just about feeeeeeeeeelings, but about giving worthy things the respect they objectively deserve.  It seems fitting to me, to treat one's possessions with respect and gratitude for the good God gave us through them, and to lessen possessiveness by giving up one's good things so they can go on and do good for others.

Well said!

[PrincessMommy]

1 hour ago, forty-two said:

We just moved, and there was a lot of purging involved.  It's easy to get rid of stuff that really never had any business being there in the first place, but beloved things you no longer need or use?  That's painful.  I got the idea independently of MK, but it really helped us to be thankful for the good service it had given us, to explicitly acknowledge our gratitude for the good it had done for us ("it's been a good shirt to you"), and now that it can no longer do good service for us, we're donating it so that it could be a good thing for someone else.  It really helped me and my kids let go of things - we weren't "getting rid of it", but were giving a good thing a chance to bless more people.  (Or, if it was so worn its life was done, we appreciated that it had served us well, that it had given us a full life's service.) 

Idk, I'm not terribly touchy-feely, but I've always talked to inanimate objects and felt that worthy things ought to be treated with respect - that I owed it to them to treat them well - that physical things aren't just material only, but that they have an immaterial purpose and nature - that there is a moral quality to inanimate objects.  And so being thankful for their service isn't just about feeeeeeeeeelings, but about giving worthy things the respect they objectively deserve.  It seems fitting to me, to treat one's possessions with respect and gratitude for the good God gave us through them, and to lessen possessiveness by giving up one's good things so they can go on and do good for others.

I think you make a great case for that.

[PrincessMommy]

I do think her structure of doing it by items (clothes, books, etc) rather than room works well for me.  Most times that is how I deal with clutter too.  Sometimes I'll tackle a room, but more often than not, I get terribly distracted.  "Oh, shiney!!".   It's better for me if I go after all my clothes at once rather than my whole bedroom.

Moving to a smaller house helped us purge a lot of stuff we no longer needed or used. 

Edited January 8, 2019 by PrincessMommy

[shawthorne44]

4 hours ago, PrincessMommy said:

I do think her structure of doing it by items (clothes, books, etc) rather than room works well for me.  Most times that is how I deal with clutter too.  Sometimes I'll tackle a room, but more often than not, I get terribly distracted.  "Oh, shiney!!".   It's better for me if I go after all my clothes at once rather than my whole bedroom.

Moving to a smaller house helped us purge a lot of stuff we no longer needed or used. 

 

I think that is also the benefit of dumping EVERYTHING in one category into one pile.  Once it is in a pile, you HAVE to deal with it in some fashion.  A co-worker hasn't read her, but he said he went through all his clothes by dumping them in a pile.  He was amazed at how many shirts he had.  

[Soror]

I did not make it through laundry cabinets Sunday. I did go through movies- got rid of 2/3rds (I think we could have thinned more but I let the kids and dh do the process). 

I also worked on the shed just a bit b/c it was at the point we could hardly walk in it. Dh is taking some items to a friend that takes scrap tomorrow- I have 2 or 3 old broken bikes, an old broken bike trailer, and an old stroller. To Goodwill from the shed, I'm taking a bike rack that we tried to sell for 6 months and an attachable kid bike seat. 

Putting up some things the other day I looked in my cabinet downstairs and found things I'd forgotten about for school, science experiments and such I didn't have room for before upstairs. I'm going to go through that stash this week. Most of it I'm going to go ahead and pass along to other hs'ers, it's been years and we've not used it. The few select items we want and will use will go upstairs in my new cabinet. It is sad I forgot I had them, at that point I decided I probably didn't need them!

I have an old broken tv to get rid of too, someone gave it to repair and use but it turned into a bigger thing than thought and he doesn't have the time. BUT the place that I used to take old electronics to has closed down. UGH.

I'm sooo close to having the house done, minus the downstairs closet (home to the hand-me downs, Christmas decorations, camping gear, and sentimental items) and the utility room (home of dh's tools). I have one drawer upstairs of mine that has some sentimental items that I need to sort and put in the basement with the rest of it, the laundry cabinets and the cabinet under the sink. The laundry cabinet and under the sink are home to cleaning supplies, small household maintenance, animal supplies, and a toolbox.

Edited January 8, 2019 by soror

[Bluegoat]

I actually kind of like the thanking bit.  I think that part of our cultural tendency to accumulate so much is related to how we conceptualise our lives and purpose on a larger level, and also has a spiritual element.  So, I suspect that as long as those things aren't addressed, there will always be a tendency to fall back into the same habit or a similar habit.

A few years ago during Lent I gave a talk at Evensong about covetousness or greed.  One of the things I read when I was preparing it was some of the writings of Patriarch Bartholomew.  One thing he talked about, and I ended my talk with this idea, is that consumerism and the need for things comes out of a lack of self-esteem that relates to lack of being Christ-centered - that is, just as we are meant to see Christ in other people and see that they are in fact divine, we also must see this about ourselves.  When we don't, we try to make up for it by taking material things into ourselves.

Anyway, that's kind of a theological detour, but I think that acknowledging a spiritual element in our relation to things is important to putting them in their proper place.

 

[sassenach]

Watched the first episode. My favorite part is the gratitude piece. As I go along in life, I’m finding more and more that gratitude is the key to almost any heart change (and home reorganizing is largely about heart change). 

Watching more today!

[Lecka]

A trick to fold things the same width — you can cut a piece of paper to use as a template, and set it down.  Then always fold things into the same width.  

I think in the first episode, she is shown with a red strip to fold on top of and she uses that to center what she folds.  

When I have done it, I set a strip above and laid the shirt down below the strip.  

Or — you can set one folded shirt above and fold the others to the same width below it, matching the width.

Someone showed me this and I would never have thought of it myself!

Edited January 10, 2019 by Lecka

[livetoread]

Someone pointed out that since this show came on, it’s a great time to thrift shop. . . 

[Storygirl]

It would be nice for my kids to be able to see all of their shirts in their drawers like that. But I will never never never be able to get them to fold them that way. I can't even get them to do a simplified laundry fold, though we've been working on laundry habits for years (**teens with ADHD problem**). And I am not doing their laundry for them; it is rightfully their job.

BUT now I'm thinking of having them roll their t-shirts. It may be easier for them than folding. And easier to see individual shirts in the drawer when they are rolled, instead of folded and stacked. Not sure when we will have time to switch it over, because it would be a big project to sort and roll everything. And big projects tend to spawn drama in my kids, sadly.

[Storygirl]

Here is the thing about her method, for me. It would be overwhelming to pile everything up like that. I have anxiety about sorting the piles I already have in my house. Making more giant piles would paralyze me. I have to work in little chunks, or I just can't do it. 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I enjoy the show, even if I find some bits a bit hokey.  

More importantly, MY KIDS enjoy the show and have gone organization crazy!!!  So that's AWESOME!

[Storygirl]

1 hour ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

I enjoy the show, even if I find some bits a bit hokey.  

More importantly, MY KIDS enjoy the show and have gone organization crazy!!!  So that's AWESOME!

Wow! I wish that would happen here! That does count as "the magic of tidying up," in my opinion.

[DawnM]

Edited January 10, 2019 by DawnM

[displace]

4 hours ago, Storygirl said:

Here is the thing about her method, for me. It would be overwhelming to pile everything up like that. I have anxiety about sorting the piles I already have in my house. Making more giant piles would paralyze me. I have to work in little chunks, or I just can't do it. 

A slob comes clean can be more manageable.

Edited January 10, 2019 by displace

[Storygirl]

5 hours ago, displace said:

A slob comes clean can be more manageable.

Thanks! I've read her website. The truth is that I like to read about decluttering instead of actually decluttering.

[moonflower]

I've been trying to figure out this phenomenon as I can't imagine having enough stuff to fill a whole hour of TV with the sorting and disposing of it.  So I looked at some before and afters on google and I still don't quite get it, I think.  Is it really that hard for people to get rid of things they don't use or don't like?  Why do they keep them if they don't use them or like having them?  I am not a minimalist AT ALL, although DH totally is, and I still can't understand it.  If you don't like something that you have, you give it away.  If you do like something you have, you don't give it away.  At the end of every season you go through the kids' clothes to see what has holes and what has been grown out of or just not worn and dispose of that.

Maybe we just move too much to accumulate enough stuff.  Also, 7 kids are hard on things.  We read the covers off of books and wear holes in our bedding.

[moonflower]

 

1 hour ago, StellaM said:

https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/life/health/article/2019/01/11/defence-marie-kondo-its-about-mindfulness-not-minimalism?fbclid=IwAR3yIaExLE4X0M_ktQvPArQdcXwADq70zZznzztgdbjgcrnxvaUYSF3b9Cc

 

from that article:

" Some of the best moments in Tidying Up are when, whilst sorting through the mess, her clients find long lost mementos with true value, like small photos, old letters or especially important books. "

now maybe I understand why the whole thing mystified me.  We go through every single item we own at least once a year and usually more often than that. I don't have long lost mementos. 

[Sneezyone]

1 hour ago, moonflower said:

 

 

from that article:

" Some of the best moments in Tidying Up are when, whilst sorting through the mess, her clients find long lost mementos with true value, like small photos, old letters or especially important books. "

now maybe I understand why the whole thing mystified me.  We go through every single item we own at least once a year and usually more often than that. I don't have long lost mementos. 

 

This. I watched one episode and couldn't figure out the appeal. I agree that moving regularly forces you to make tough choices about what's important to you. It makes the whole concept seem like...DUH?  Every time we move, we start with a blank space and have to decide what to bring in and what needs to stay out.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

7 hours ago, Storygirl said:

Thanks! I've read her website. The truth is that I like to read about decluttering instead of actually decluttering.

 

Interesting, this is also how I feel about homeschooling... 🤔  🤣

 

2 hours ago, moonflower said:

I've been trying to figure out this phenomenon as I can't imagine having enough stuff to fill a whole hour of TV with the sorting and disposing of it.  So I looked at some before and afters on google and I still don't quite get it, I think.  Is it really that hard for people to get rid of things they don't use or don't like?  Why do they keep them if they don't use them or like having them?  I am not a minimalist AT ALL, although DH totally is, and I still can't understand it.  If you don't like something that you have, you give it away.  If you do like something you have, you don't give it away.  At the end of every season you go through the kids' clothes to see what has holes and what has been grown out of or just not worn and dispose of that.

Maybe we just move too much to accumulate enough stuff.  Also, 7 kids are hard on things.  We read the covers off of books and wear holes in our bedding.

One of the things I've found interesting is how emotionally attached people are to "stuff".  Like I just watched the guy with the 160 pairs of sneakers he bought as collector's items.  What the heck???  He managed to narrow it down to 45 pairs at the end.  And I'm still like, WHAT THE HECK???  

I have no issues throwing out stuff.  In fact, I have to be careful because sometimes I think if I keep throwing away my kids crafts, I'll regret it someday.  So I'm trying to remember to save at least a few items each year.  But it's hard because I'm not a naturally sentimental person.  I'm much more attached to my digital photo blog, and thankfully, that does not take up space.  

2 hours ago, moonflower said:

 

from that article:

" Some of the best moments in Tidying Up are when, whilst sorting through the mess, her clients find long lost mementos with true value, like small photos, old letters or especially important books. "

now maybe I understand why the whole thing mystified me.  We go through every single item we own at least once a year and usually more often than that. I don't have long lost mementos. 

 

 

We are 6 people in a 1100sqft apartment.  Stuff has to earn its place here, and continuously, or it goes.  I'm not saying we have zero clutter, but I am in a near constant declutter mode, or else things quickly become unlivable.  So I also am able to stay on top of things.  I do wonder, as the nest empties, if we will begin to accumulate more clutter simply because we will be able to.  Luckily I have 15 years before that risk is a possibility.  LOL  I do think clutter may be related to people living in homes that are unnecessarily large- either because it's a McMansion, or because children have moved out or not yet been born.  I just cannot even imagine having an entire room/s devoted to clothes, shoes, boxes, etc.  The luxury of having an entire empty room!!!  I have already planned out my office/workout room for when I get the kid infestation out of the house!  😄

[StaceyinLA]

On 1/3/2019 at 3:15 PM, StellaM said:

Watched eps 1-3. 

Wow. I can't believe people have so much stuff! No wonder they are overwhelmed.

I haven't Kon Mari-ed my home for a couple of years; I am itching to get going now. Won't take me long, as we just don't have lots of stuff. 

I LOVE the joy thing. I also love the way, in her book, she suggests you hang clothes. My hangers are open just so I can enjoy looking at my clothes moving from bright to dark, light to heavy. It's art. LOL. 

 

Okay, let’s talk about this clothes hanging thing. I don’t have mine color-coordinated, but I do hang by sleeve length, so all my tank type shirts hang first, then short sleeves, then 3/4, then long and in my long I go from thin to thick. I hang a couple casual dresses, my few pieces of dress clothes and my jacket at the end, mainly because I don’t like long things hanging in between short things.

So tell me, do you do clothing like this, but then sort by color within the type? I’m not super colorful, so most of my stuff is pretty basic (my kids swear I’d only own gray if they never shopped with me), but I’m just curious. I love my clothes to look nice hanging.

FWIW, I mostly keep out of season items in an IKEA storage container on a shelf above my clothes rod, but that logistically works much better in the summer when I can store all the winter items with no fear of cold days. I don’t have that luxury in the winter here in Louisiana, when we could have a random 80 degree day in the midst of a cold front.

I uploaded pics of our closet just for fun. I have all white hangers and storage boxes, and dh has all black hangers and storage boxes. We each have a 3 drawer IKEA chest underneath for folded clothes. There is no dresser in our room.

[Katy]

43 minutes ago, StaceyinLA said:

 

Okay, let’s talk about this clothes hanging thing. I don’t have mine color-coordinated, but I do hang by sleeve length, so all my tank type shirts hang first, then short sleeves, then 3/4, then long and in my long I go from thin to thick. I hang a couple casual dresses, my few pieces of dress clothes and my jacket at the end, mainly because I don’t like long things hanging in between short things.

So tell me, do you do clothing like this, but then sort by color within the type? I’m not super colorful, so most of my stuff is pretty basic (my kids swear I’d only own gray if they never shopped with me), but I’m just curious. I love my clothes to look nice hanging.

FWIW, I mostly keep out of season items in an IKEA storage container on a shelf above my clothes rod, but that logistically works much better in the summer when I can store all the winter items with no fear of cold days. I don’t have that luxury in the winter here in Louisiana, when we could have a random 80 degree day in the midst of a cold front.

I uploaded pics of our closet just for fun. I have all white hangers and storage boxes, and dh has all black hangers and storage boxes. We each have a 3 drawer IKEA chest underneath for folded clothes. There is no dresser in our room.

 

It will be visually prettier if done by color, but I go by sleeve length then color in my closet too.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

I personally don't like my clothes sorted by colors hanging in my closet.  I prefer to group them by style...Short sleeves, long sleeves, button downs, sweaters.

[Soror]

4 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

One of the things I've found interesting is how emotionally attached people are to "stuff".  Like I just watched the guy with the 160 pairs of sneakers he bought as collector's items.  What the heck???  He managed to narrow it down to 45 pairs at the end.  And I'm still like, WHAT THE HECK???  

I have no issues throwing out stuff.  In fact, I have to be careful because sometimes I think if I keep throwing away my kids crafts, I'll regret it someday.  So I'm trying to remember to save at least a few items each year.  But it's hard because I'm not a naturally sentimental person.  I'm much more attached to my digital photo blog, and thankfully, that does not take up space.  

We are 6 people in a 1100sqft apartment.  Stuff has to earn its place here, and continuously, or it goes.  I'm not saying we have zero clutter, but I am in a near constant declutter mode, or else things quickly become unlivable.  So I also am able to stay on top of things.  I do wonder, as the nest empties, if we will begin to accumulate more clutter simply because we will be able to.  Luckily I have 15 years before that risk is a possibility.  LOL  I do think clutter may be related to people living in homes that are unnecessarily large- either because it's a McMansion, or because children have moved out or not yet been born.  I just cannot even imagine having an entire room/s devoted to clothes, shoes, boxes, etc.  The luxury of having an entire empty room!!!  I have already planned out my office/workout room for when I get the kid infestation out of the house!  😄

3

I think the size of homes grew out of the push for consumerism and "progress". Trying to keep the kid's stuff pared down is an internal battle b/c societal expectations are so skewed here as to what it means to provide for and take care of your children according to other parents and even more so between peers. Once people fill up their homes they build more storage or rent storage sheds, even w/ the size of American homes storage sheds are a huge business. BUT saying all of that I don't think you can necessarily always compare exactly, living in the country and city. In the country we do our own work we have storage for all sorts of things people that live in a city would not need- we do not hire our lawn done, household maintenance, vehicle maintenance etc and lots of people garden (I just have a small one) and have animals, that takes space as well. But certainly regardless of all of that Americans have so much to learn about using space efficiently, every time I go to Ikea I marvel at how well they use the space. Americans have always had so much space so we didn't have to even try, so combine that w/ the push for consumerism and it is a big mess. I think the tiny house movement goes too far but the pendulum needs to find it's place somewhere in between.

 

[Storygirl]

8 hours ago, moonflower said:

I've been trying to figure out this phenomenon as I can't imagine having enough stuff to fill a whole hour of TV with the sorting and disposing of it.  So I looked at some before and afters on google and I still don't quite get it, I think.  Is it really that hard for people to get rid of things they don't use or don't like?  Why do they keep them if they don't use them or like having them?  I am not a minimalist AT ALL, although DH totally is, and I still can't understand it.  If you don't like something that you have, you give it away.  If you do like something you have, you don't give it away.  At the end of every season you go through the kids' clothes to see what has holes and what has been grown out of or just not worn and dispose of that.

Maybe we just move too much to accumulate enough stuff.  Also, 7 kids are hard on things.  We read the covers off of books and wear holes in our bedding.

For me, it's not so much that it's hard to get rid of things (though I do have a few issues related to that). It's the decision making. Going through every paper to make sure it's not something important before I toss it, and even if it is not important, do I want or need to keep it for some other reason? And then where do I put it if I'm going to keep it? It's mentally exhausting and produces anxiety in me. Papers are the worst, but this kind of decision making is hard in all of the categories of items for me.

And we don't go through everything we own every year. I'm guessing you may have a lot less stuff than the average family.

And not only do I have to deal with my own personal items, but I have to oversee the organization for almost everyone else in my family, because they need the help.

It's mentally and physically taxing for me. And I dislike it, so I avoid it, so things pile up, and then it becomes overwhelming. And then I ignore it, except when I am panicking about how I will ever deal with it all.

It sounds to me like you don't face those issues and feelings, but others do.

And I CAN be completely organized. I know how to do it, because I've had to multiple times will living in a home while it is on the market. But it is so hard for me that when I don't HAVE to live in complete orderliness, I let things slack, and then it quickly gets away from me.

Also, when I work on organizing with my kids, they are not amenable and fun like the kids in episode three. They are snarly and horrible. So that's super fun!

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

@soror - I agree with everything you mention- if you are USING your things, then you don't have too many things.  It's when people (on the show) start shoveling out their clothes into one pile, discovering clothes they haven't seen in 20 years, clothes that still have the tags on... then it just seems crazy.  

 

I would love to see a six-month follow-up, kind of like Super Nanny used to do.  I wonder how many people were able to break the clutterbug/accumulate/consume habit and maintain systems that work once Marie was gone.  

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Well, my girls Kon-Mari'd their drawers, I did the little guy's, and my oldest is ready to attack his tomorrow.  I think this is the moment where we will also transition into them folding their own laundry.  YES!!!!!!!  

[Soror]

1 minute ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

@soror - I agree with everything you mention- if you are USING your things, then you don't have too many things.  It's when people (on the show) start shoveling out their clothes into one pile, discovering clothes they haven't seen in 20 years, clothes that still have the tags on... then it just seems crazy.  

 

I would love to see a six-month follow-up, kind of like Super Nanny used to do.  I wonder how many people were able to break the clutterbug/accumulate/consume habit and maintain systems that work once Marie was gone.  

LOL, I'd to see a follow-up but then again I like happy endings, I like to think it all goes swimmingly afterwards! BUT really I think for alot of them they still have WAY too much and I don't know how it won't end up at a mess again, just maybe (hopefully) not as bad as it was.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

1 minute ago, soror said:

LOL, I'd to see a follow-up but then again I like happy endings, I like to think it all goes swimmingly afterwards! BUT really I think for alot of them they still have WAY too much and I don't know how it won't end up at a mess again, just maybe (hopefully) not as bad as it was.

 

This is one of my only complaints about the method.  The emphasis is on storing, not paring down or addressing constant accumulation.  Marie is like, "Bring in small boxes!" and not, "Stop buying shoes!" and that's why I get the feeling that ultimately these people may have reset their space temporarily, but long-term, it's not going to stay neat.  Maybe for some of them it will, but...  

[Storygirl]

The follow-up idea brings to my mind thoughts I've had when watching home remodeling shows, such as Love It or List It, and Property Brothers.

The final shots of the beautiful home contain none of the owner's personal possessions, which have been carted off and stored during the renovation period. There is just no way that those homes can stay looking like that!

I've often thought, as they show the "before" pictures, that the first thing the owners really needed was to sort and pare down their possessions.

I love watching those shows, but I think they have skewed my mindset about what a nice home to live in looks like. My home never looks like those staged sets, so I always have at least a minor feeling of my efforts being not good enough.

[Soror]

14 minutes ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

 

This is one of my only complaints about the method.  The emphasis is on storing, not paring down or addressing constant accumulation.  Marie is like, "Bring in small boxes!" and not, "Stop buying shoes!" and that's why I get the feeling that ultimately these people may have reset their space temporarily, but long-term, it's not going to stay neat.  Maybe for some of them it will, but...  

True but I think part of that is a cultural thing, she probably thinks that is "enough" to keep people organized but doesn't account for the American view on stuff and consumerism.

3 minutes ago, Storygirl said:

The follow-up idea brings to my mind thoughts I've had when watching home remodeling shows, such as Love It or List It, and Property Brothers.

The final shots of the beautiful home contain none of the owner's personal possessions, which have been carted off and stored during the renovation period. There is just no way that those homes can stay looking like that!

I've often thought, as they show the "before" pictures, that the first thing the owners really needed was to sort and pare down their possessions.

I love watching those shows, but I think they have skewed my mindset about what a nice home to live in looks like. My home never looks like those staged sets, so I always have at least a minor feeling of my efforts being not good enough.

Oh, good point, we're supposed to have all of these things but your not supposed to be able to see them, our homes are supposed to look show worthy.

[Carol in Cal.]

To me, the most logical way to start doing something is to assemble what I need to do it before I start.

Hence the yarn stash.  And the looms.  And the kitchen appliances.  And the books.  Book collections.  Collections of book collections.  

Also, when you have a curated book collection about something, it’s hard to ‘break up the set’.  Hence the set of children’s living books about California that I still have, despite not having children at this time.  

All this stuff does add up.  I am increasingly willing to let it go, but still get bogged down in preferring to place it rather than thrift store it.

[Katy]

30 minutes ago, Storygirl said:

The follow-up idea brings to my mind thoughts I've had when watching home remodeling shows, such as Love It or List It, and Property Brothers.

The final shots of the beautiful home contain none of the owner's personal possessions, which have been carted off and stored during the renovation period. There is just no way that those homes can stay looking like that!

I've often thought, as they show the "before" pictures, that the first thing the owners really needed was to sort and pare down their possessions.

I love watching those shows, but I think they have skewed my mindset about what a nice home to live in looks like. My home never looks like those staged sets, so I always have at least a minor feeling of my efforts being not good enough.

 

A home you're selling should look like that, but a home you're living in should absolutely NOT look like that. 

To sell you have to pare down and depersonalize, so a space's purpose is defined, but it feels vaguely spacious (not having end tables will do that, but where do you set down your bottle of water?), impersonal, and aspirational.  As in - when I move into this aesthetically pleasing space I'll magically become a super-organized and clean minimalist.

But when you try to live like that it's annoying, uncomfortable, and impersonal.  It starts to feel as empty as living in a hotel room instead of like a home.  Homey places are usually pleasantly cluttered.

I routinely store 25-30% of our stuff when I list a house for sale, and we typically move every 2-3 years. My "job" is to slowly renovate our homes so they are easy to sell and we hopefully make some money on them.

[Carrie12345]

I just got through episode 3 this morning, and that one kind of resonated with me.  I don't have as much clothes to deal with as they did, especially after doing a good purge a few weeks ago, but I still went back (to my own stuff) and got rid of half a kitchen trash bag full of more things.

I've been sloppily KonMari folding for a couple of years now. I'm not particular into the whole "spark joy" concept, but I can manage something near a "do I love this" outlook. Today I decided that anything that didn't feel worthy of taking the time to meticulously re-fold could hit the road. It worked for me!

[HS Mom in NC]

5 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

 

This is one of my only complaints about the method.  The emphasis is on storing, not paring down or addressing constant accumulation.  Marie is like, "Bring in small boxes!" and not, "Stop buying shoes!" and that's why I get the feeling that ultimately these people may have reset their space temporarily, but long-term, it's not going to stay neat.  Maybe for some of them it will, but...  

The method is about tidying up and sparking joy, not about the underlying psychological and spiritual issues that feed a consumerist mindset.  I think that's it's own show that Americans desperately need.  (I don't comment about countries and cultures I've never lived in, so I don't know what's going on in the rest of the industrialized world or other places.)

I would love to see a show addressing that, but I'm sure it would not be popular.  Most people would be defensive and offended at a people probing into why someone would accumulate so much stuff that isn't serving them well.  The possible answers are hard to admit: greed, envy, covetousness, pride, mindlessness, anesthesia, distraction, impulsiveness, short shortsightedness, delusion, etc. It hasn't been easy for me to face up to mine. It's high time we answered the tough question: Why does a nation of people living paycheck to paycheck, behind on retirement funds, in unprecedented debt, facing increasing cost of living and education costs, and expecting to live longer than any generation before, insist on buying stuff that doesn't contribute to those things and buys them on such a scale that it's interfering with keeping their households running smoothly and peacefully?

Edited January 11, 2019 by Homeschool Mom in AZ

[shawthorne44]

22 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

I enjoy the show, even if I find some bits a bit hokey.  

More importantly, MY KIDS enjoy the show and have gone organization crazy!!!  So that's AWESOME!

Try to think of a reasonable monetary value of that.   Like something you would have truly been willing to pay if that result was guaranteed.  My guess is that Netflix just paid for itself for the next year.  
 

[Bluegoat]

I struggle with clutter, but what I find is that so much of it is related to the kids stuff.  I just can't keep up with the accumulation that happens in their rooms. 

And I can' quite figure out where it is coming from, as we don't buy them a ton of stuff - some is things they ick up or make, but not all by any means.  Bu tthey begin to have a harder and harder time keeping things tidy as it accumulates. And I start to get really overwhelmed by it as I see a bigger and bigger mess, and think I am going to have to take time dealing with that stuff rather than other things I need to do.

Right now I am getting to where I have to go through ds's room, it will take me half a day.  I also would like to rejig our kitchen storage which is no longer working for us, and I need to especially purge Tupperware that has missing parts.  I feel paralysed by the bedroom though as I don't know when I will have time - I find it difficult to set my mind to it when I am not clear in terms of being interrupted.

I'm not a minimalist and don't like that style in my own place anyway, and I am not generally all that sentimental about getting rid of stuff.  But it oppresses me anyway.

[happi duck]

Those of you who were shocked...you weren't *really* shocked, right?  People are all very different with different strengths and abilities.  Different things are intuitive to different people.

 

 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

1 hour ago, shawthorne44 said:

Try to think of a reasonable monetary value of that.   Like something you would have truly been willing to pay if that result was guaranteed.  My guess is that Netflix just paid for itself for the next year.  
 

 

It's ironic, because I canceled Netflix on the 1st, and so it expires on the 13th.  I was trying to reduce mental clutter.  🤣  I am glad we managed to squeak this show in under the wire.  

[prairiewindmomma]

The only book I'd keep of those is Rebecca Rupp's Home Learning Year by Year.

[Storygirl]

If you or someone else in your family is not going to read them, I say let them all go.

I love books, but I've decided to let most of them live at the library and just come for visits sometimes.

(If you saw my bookshelves, you might not believe that statement, but I've culled them down (mostly) to just the ones I love.)