I've read both of her books and found them incredibly helpful. My husband and I started the KonMari process several years ago when we were still living in Seattle. An unexpected move in the middle meant that we never actually finished it. Somewhere in the middle of komono, we ran out of time and devolved to throwing our stuff into boxes. Without the shedding of joyless objects we started thanks to her books, we never could have downsized into the tiny space we're living in now, though. We never did go back and finish the process, but I would like to try it from the beginning again this spring.
The folding has been huge for me. I share a dresser and a closet with my husband and daughter, so the more I can maximize my space, the better. I also love the concept of treating drawers like bento boxes with separate boxes for separate compartments. I made some cardboard dividers for my dresser drawers and decoupaged them so they would be prettier, and it helps a lot.
As controversial as her suggestions for decluttering books were, the book shedding was the part of the process I am happiest about. My husband and I hauled 18 boxes of books to a used bookstore. What we both noticed afterwards was how much happier we felt when we looked at our bookshelves. Where before I might look at books I had started but not finished and feel guilt, now I look at them and feel excited because I love every title there. It was also enlightening to see which kinds of books made the cut. When I was done, my bookshelves were pretty much poetry and spiritual writing, which surprised me a bit.
The biggest issue I had actually turned out to be with clothes, though that's my own fault. Before the move, I gleefully went through my closet and tossed everything that no longer sparked joy. Then we moved to the country and started a construction project, and lo and behold, I no longer had any clothes I didn't mind trashing. Some of my favorite clothing items ended up stained and torn thanks to that, so now I'm a little gun-shy about getting rid of things like paint-stained t-shirts or ugly sweats that I wouldn't wear out of the house.
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Yuu. Fic writer & book lover. M/Canada.
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Date: 2019-02-16 04:17 pm (UTC)The folding has been huge for me. I share a dresser and a closet with my husband and daughter, so the more I can maximize my space, the better. I also love the concept of treating drawers like bento boxes with separate boxes for separate compartments. I made some cardboard dividers for my dresser drawers and decoupaged them so they would be prettier, and it helps a lot.
As controversial as her suggestions for decluttering books were, the book shedding was the part of the process I am happiest about. My husband and I hauled 18 boxes of books to a used bookstore. What we both noticed afterwards was how much happier we felt when we looked at our bookshelves. Where before I might look at books I had started but not finished and feel guilt, now I look at them and feel excited because I love every title there. It was also enlightening to see which kinds of books made the cut. When I was done, my bookshelves were pretty much poetry and spiritual writing, which surprised me a bit.
The biggest issue I had actually turned out to be with clothes, though that's my own fault. Before the move, I gleefully went through my closet and tossed everything that no longer sparked joy. Then we moved to the country and started a construction project, and lo and behold, I no longer had any clothes I didn't mind trashing. Some of my favorite clothing items ended up stained and torn thanks to that, so now I'm a little gun-shy about getting rid of things like paint-stained t-shirts or ugly sweats that I wouldn't wear out of the house.