Marie Kondo - Anyone want to discuss?

[jaybirdsmommy]

I hope this isn't a repeat, I searched and didn't find any threads.

Who has been watching the Marie Kondo episodes on Netflix? Have you tried decluttering using her methods? Does it work? Most importantly, how did you get the other members of your household on board?

I like the idea, but I'm afraid that:

A. Depending on the day, there'd be nothing left in my house except my fuzzy pjs and the coffee pot.
B. I'd pile all the clothes on the bed, my brain would take one look at the huge pile and say "nope." Then, I'd have to move into the guest bedroom.
C. I'd never get the other members of my house on board. I'd either end up getting rid of all their stuff (no son, your video games did not spark joy for me), or they'd just assume I was decluttering my stuff to make room for theirs to take over.

 

[Immadismom]

My boss is heavily into this right now. I’ve been decluttering, but I don’t think I can get to her level. I’ve been trying to remove one bag/box of junk each week. It’s working for me, and just a few of the Marie Kondo episodes was more than enough to inspire me to figure out my own way.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I watched a couple episodes of the show and really enjoyed them, but they didn't inspire me enough to start making giant piles in my own house to go through The one thing of hers that I think I am going to do though, is the folding method of the clothes. Things get buried in my drawers and I don't wear them, but if I stack them upright like she suggests, it will make it much easier to see what I have.

 

[neverlandsky]

Have it on my watch list. I’m really looking forward to watching this. I’m mostly minimalistic and would like to declutter more and have it all more organized. We live in a tiny apartment about 1144 sq ft. We’ve been talking about buying a house, yet buying a house wouldn’t give us more square footage due to the high costs. So we definitely need to live with less.

 

[dotfurio]

I'm watching her show but haven't made it through all the episodes yet. I like her approach (does it spark joy). I've been working on decluttering before I ever watched the show. My house isn't really unorganized, but I just have too much stuff. I got rid of 4 bags of clothes from my closet last month and it still looks full. I don't think I can ever bring myself to spend the time it'd take to fold clothes her way, but maybe I'll try it this summer.

 

[Skellingtonj]

I haven’t and don’t plan on it. This is nothing new. We all have a bunch of stuff we don’t need. And plus I’d get distracted by what I found and forget what i was supposed to be doing.

 

[willowsnn3]

Not a fan. I'm more impressed with the declutter/organizational skills of the teams on Hoarders, lol.
I just got rid of 75 pieces of clothing a couple weeks ago before I saw any of Marie's shows. If I had kept all the ones that 'sparked joy', I would still have most of them...I went by the "this doesn't fit" & "haven't worn this is over a year" plan.
Going to tackle the junk drawer & the 'plastic ware' cabinet in the kitchen next. I don't think any of that stuff will 'spark joy' either, lol.

 

[MaggieBags]

I haven't seen her show but there are a ton of YouTube videos of others implementing her methods. The "joy" thing is lost on me because like the OP, I'd only have my fuzzy, funny PJ bottoms left...

But I do like her folding method, especially for deep drawers.

 

[Southernmiss]

I'm fairly neat/organized person.

I read the Fly Lady stuff several years ago and other housekeeping tip stuff.

Since 3 of our 4 are mostly gone, we've been cleaning out stuff the last year. Dd will graduate high school next year and more stuff will go.

I'm in the mode of how do we make room for adult kids, potential spouses, grandkids and other extended family. Might mean a remodel or a move to a new house.

And adding stuff to accommodate large gatherings.

 

[penn19]

I wanted to like it but, eh...couldn’t get into it.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I enjoy being clutter free. Once you get rid of stuff you will so much lighter in your home. My thought is , if you haven't used something in a year time to go. I don't need any program. I have never even heard of the show. Just start with one room at a time. Once your done you will enjoy the feeling.

 

[mousefan73]

I watched a few episodes, in my opinion people wouldn’t have this problem if they would just stop buying so much crap. In my opinion the issue was consumerism. Which was never addressed. Granted we all have stuff that needs To be thrown out. But it’s just crazy how much stuff these people have. It’s insane they’re probably getting rid of thousands and thousands of dollars worth of stuff

 

[ozliz]

I watched a few episodes and had already checked out her book but got turned off by the folding instructions. I’ve nothing wrong with my lazy way of folding.

Personally I prefer the Minimalists (Ryan and Joshua) who also have a documentary on Netflix. I got way into their podcast after being injured in a car accident years ago. While I didn’t get rid of everything it helped for perspective as I was genuinely unable to look after my stuff for a while due to the injuries.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I read the book years ago, but have not seen the show.

I picked up some tips, but just couldn't go quite as far as she does with things.

Nor could I do it all at once without getting overwhelmed.

 

[mom2rtk]

Does decluttering really require instruction? All it takes is a determination and time to do so. I started a couple years ago and have made great progress. I pick a couple areas every year and purge (nearly 30 years of attic clutter was a huge undertaking!) It's very rewarding and every purge makes me want to do more. It also makes me want to buy less. So win/win.

 

[firefly_ris]

I enjoy being clutter free. Once you get rid of stuff you will so much lighter in your home. My thought is , if you haven't used something in a year time to go. I don't need any program. I have never even heard of the show. Just start with one room at a time. Once your done you will enjoy the feeling.

Same. I've always been big on decluttering, no tv show motivation required, lol. Clutter stresses me out. It's also not a one time thing, it's an ongoing process that you have to keep up with. The amount of excess the people on the show have ... They'll be right back to it in a few months if they don't make it a real habit. I'm not a big "stuff" person so it's easy for me to let go of most things. I think the show can be useful for a lot of people though. We are raised and conditioned to consume and many people just don't see that so I think the show and the Kon Mari method can help people take a step back and really look at their habits.

 

[Kellykins1218]

Everyone kept telling me I HAD to watch her so I gave it a shot. I found myself rolling my eyes so many times that they got tired and I had to turn it off. Actually, I thought it was stupid and that's why. I really don't see the appeal. Get rid of stuff that doesn't fit, or you don't wear, and straighten the stuff in your drawers. People really need to watch videos to figure this out??

 

[tzolkin]

The amount of excess the people on the show have ... They'll be right back to it in a few months if they don't make it a real habit. I'm not a big "stuff" person so it's easy for me to let go of most things. I think the show can be useful for a lot of people though. We are raised and conditioned to consume and many people just don't see that so I think the show and the Kon Mari method can help people take a step back and really look at their habits.

This is where I think there’s value in using this method. Others are saying it’s unnecessary— just get rid of some stuff. But I don’t think that’s actually the point.

Yes, the object is to have less “stuff” at the end of the de clutter, but it’s also to give a bit of a wake up call and to change people’s mindset.

They really gloss over it in the show, but I think there’s supposed to be a strong element of figuring out what type of life you want and how having less will be beneficial to all areas of your life. That’s not what the average person is carefully considering before cleaning out their closet, but it is important for long term change in behavior.

If you do watch the show, you will see the value in gathering up all the stuff together. All of the participants are shocked that they owned that much stuff (it’s a striking visual to see it all piled up) and they all have some version of the epiphany “why does any one human being need this much?”

For these people I think that step is critical to preventing this from recurring. If they just “tidy up” by clearing out some things here and there, I think they would be right back out shopping again. Figuring, “I’ll just go through and get rid of some stuff again in a few months when my closet gets overstuffed.”

 

[Christine]

Well, I read the book but have not watched the show. I don't argue with her way of doing things, but I don't think that sort of method will work really well with someone who is a mentally disorganized mess!!!

First, the "joy" aspect of each items isn't something that would work for me. I own a lot of stuff in the clothing realm and I have it for functionality purposes and looking presentable at work. Sure, I might have one outfit I love wearing, but the other 10 are just like a boring "uniform" almost. But I have to keep it. I also have to keep things in a few different sizes because, unfortunately, my weight tends to flucuate up and down since I've aged so I can't buy clothes all the time. But my closet is a beast.

Once, I did take everything out and go through it and it was such an overwhelming chore that I just lost it. I don't have it in me to self-organize like that. I guess if I went on the show and had an "intervention" than that would be different. I'm also pretty confident that I couldn't maintain it. I feel incredibly busy and rushed all the time and I don't have time to do everything perfectly, much less fold a certain way, before I can leave the house or finish up a chore.

I realize I'm my own worst enemy. But I think if you already have a natural tendency to be structured and organized, you could be successful with this.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I haven’t read her book but did watch the Netflix series. I’ve been decluttering forever. It was just called “getting rid of stuff” until a few years ago. I don’t hold onto things and have very few attachments to my stuff. I’m comfortable with the amount of stuff I have so I basically have a one in one out policy. Sometimes things go out because I’ve bought new things, sometimes they go out because they’re looking ratty, sometimes they got out because I don’t like them anymore. I don’t have a lot of clutter but I’m not anti-consumerist because I will buy things that I like or want, I just make room.

I think people take Marie Kondo’s whole thing around sparking joy too literally. Like none of my pots and pans bring me joy but according to her method those spark joy because they serve a utilitarian purpose. I think her spark joy and method in general probably helps people with strong sentimental attachment to things and feel really guilty about getting rid of photos, gifts, things that were passed down, etc. Her method tells people that it’s ok to get rid of those things because they’ve served their purpose.