Travel
Some of you have expressed an interest in the KonMari method of decluttering, and I thought I'd show you some photos of what I've done so far. Those who aren't interested or who are tired of hearing about it, be warned and just go to another blog to read:-)
Since I am in the early stages I will warn you that the process itself can create more clutter than you can imagine, and once you've decided what to keep and what to donate or throw away, you are still left with temporary chaos. In a previous post I showed how I refolded and arranged my t-shirts - after watching a youtube video (of which there are many) on how to fold clothes for this method, I re-did the t-shirts as you can see.
In addition to the built-ins (4 lg and 2 small drawers each on opposite sides of the room, I also have a big chest of drawers that belonged to my late husband. (There is also a huge triple dresser that I probably couldn't get through my front door or the bedroom doors, so it resides in Jeannie's garage!) Click on a picture to enlarge.
This drawer is used for pajamas, and I am able to get summer and winter pj's in the drawer. Before I started decluttering this drawer was crammed with odds and ends which I discarded. In fact, all the drawers in this piece of furniture were crammed to the brim!
Some sweaters and scarves.
The updated t-shirt drawer, followed by a photo of two empty drawers. Now I have excess space.
I'm showing two shelves of my bookcase. Four shelves were crammed to overflowing with books, papers, and other junk. I have stacks on my coffee table waiting to be donated, amounting to about 40 books. I also have about 10 books to add to the "Keep" shelves which I want to show to Steve - they are some camping books he might be interested in. There are still two shelves on this bookcase that are filled with junk (not books) that I need to throw away. I found a box of little shells that I brought back from Ireland, and that is what are strewn in front of my retirement certificate!
I still have some refolding to do, including all my gym clothes. As you can see, nothing is crowded or crammed, and I am loving it already.
The KonMari system recommends starting with clothes, then books, based on experience that these two categories are easier to decide what to keep - what gives you joy. Papers, on the other hand, are going to be awful to decide. That category includes everything from tax returns (keep) to cards and letters, to warranties and "how to use" books, and of course there are so many other categories of papers. I'm going to keep working on the clothes and books until I'm finished with them before starting on the dreaded paper category.
I was surprised and happy to find that there are lots of YouTube videos, from those showing Marie Kondo folding various items of clothing, to videos from folks who have followed this method, their experiences, likes and dislikes, etc.
So that is a big part of what I did yesterday, when I wasn't out pulling grass and weeds.
(I just posted this blog entry and see that the finished result is inconsistent in the use of fonts. I have no idea why that is or what to do about it. It's Google's fault!)
- Trying To Buy A Book!
It shouldn't be this difficult. I went to the Barnes & Noble bookstore this morning but didn't find the books I wanted. I then went over to the crossword puzzle section and all they had were easy puzzles, so I left. I did a computer...
- Just Relaxing
I'm having an easy day - stayed in bed a half hour longer and that set the tone for the entire day, I think. I took a cup of coffee and one of my books out to the front porch, but after sitting there a minute I decided to go sit at the back...
- Getting Rid Of Stuff.
After reading Billy Bob's efforts to organize his great stash of books and the resulting discussion about whether or not to give some away or keep all of them, I decided to take a look at what I have - not nearly as many books as a lot of folks have,...
- Need To Organize
I was just looking for a couple of travel books and maps, and found everything from my trip last autumn when I returned from NY. I wasn't feeling well and just left everything in my "catch-all" room in no particular order. That is going...
- Have Dinner In South Africa
Voulezvousdiner Have just launched a new special offer. ...
Travel
Update on decluttering
Some of you have expressed an interest in the KonMari method of decluttering, and I thought I'd show you some photos of what I've done so far. Those who aren't interested or who are tired of hearing about it, be warned and just go to another blog to read:-)
Since I am in the early stages I will warn you that the process itself can create more clutter than you can imagine, and once you've decided what to keep and what to donate or throw away, you are still left with temporary chaos. In a previous post I showed how I refolded and arranged my t-shirts - after watching a youtube video (of which there are many) on how to fold clothes for this method, I re-did the t-shirts as you can see.
In addition to the built-ins (4 lg and 2 small drawers each on opposite sides of the room, I also have a big chest of drawers that belonged to my late husband. (There is also a huge triple dresser that I probably couldn't get through my front door or the bedroom doors, so it resides in Jeannie's garage!) Click on a picture to enlarge.
This drawer is used for pajamas, and I am able to get summer and winter pj's in the drawer. Before I started decluttering this drawer was crammed with odds and ends which I discarded. In fact, all the drawers in this piece of furniture were crammed to the brim!
Some sweaters and scarves.
The updated t-shirt drawer, followed by a photo of two empty drawers. Now I have excess space.
I'm showing two shelves of my bookcase. Four shelves were crammed to overflowing with books, papers, and other junk. I have stacks on my coffee table waiting to be donated, amounting to about 40 books. I also have about 10 books to add to the "Keep" shelves which I want to show to Steve - they are some camping books he might be interested in. There are still two shelves on this bookcase that are filled with junk (not books) that I need to throw away. I found a box of little shells that I brought back from Ireland, and that is what are strewn in front of my retirement certificate!
I still have some refolding to do, including all my gym clothes. As you can see, nothing is crowded or crammed, and I am loving it already.
The KonMari system recommends starting with clothes, then books, based on experience that these two categories are easier to decide what to keep - what gives you joy. Papers, on the other hand, are going to be awful to decide. That category includes everything from tax returns (keep) to cards and letters, to warranties and "how to use" books, and of course there are so many other categories of papers. I'm going to keep working on the clothes and books until I'm finished with them before starting on the dreaded paper category.
I was surprised and happy to find that there are lots of YouTube videos, from those showing Marie Kondo folding various items of clothing, to videos from folks who have followed this method, their experiences, likes and dislikes, etc.
So that is a big part of what I did yesterday, when I wasn't out pulling grass and weeds.
(I just posted this blog entry and see that the finished result is inconsistent in the use of fonts. I have no idea why that is or what to do about it. It's Google's fault!)
- Trying To Buy A Book!
It shouldn't be this difficult. I went to the Barnes & Noble bookstore this morning but didn't find the books I wanted. I then went over to the crossword puzzle section and all they had were easy puzzles, so I left. I did a computer...
- Just Relaxing
I'm having an easy day - stayed in bed a half hour longer and that set the tone for the entire day, I think. I took a cup of coffee and one of my books out to the front porch, but after sitting there a minute I decided to go sit at the back...
- Getting Rid Of Stuff.
After reading Billy Bob's efforts to organize his great stash of books and the resulting discussion about whether or not to give some away or keep all of them, I decided to take a look at what I have - not nearly as many books as a lot of folks have,...
- Need To Organize
I was just looking for a couple of travel books and maps, and found everything from my trip last autumn when I returned from NY. I wasn't feeling well and just left everything in my "catch-all" room in no particular order. That is going...
- Have Dinner In South Africa
Voulezvousdiner Have just launched a new special offer. ...