Wednesday KatMari

[rachelmanija]

This has really been a breakthrough for me. I have previously never in my life been able to do any sustained organizing that did not involve some favorite hobby. Marie Kondo's show, at least, is basically about being a therapist for people's relationship with their possessions and their living space; once I realized that and started considering mine in those terms, all of a sudden tidying became my own personal therapy and thus an enjoyable and doable task, rather than something I inevitably got bored or frustrated with, wandered off having accomplished not very much, and then procrastinated on trying again for weeks/months/years.

Also, she has some good practical tips. My big discovery is that putting stuff in transparent boxes makes it a million times easier to find things - I'm very "out of sight, out of mind" for a lot of stuff, so it will essentially not exist for me unless I can literally see it. I have been hitting the Daiso (Japanese dollar store) for boxes. I realize that this is one of those things that's easy and tempting to shame people with: "How did you get this old before learning something any normal person figures out at age five?" But in fact I did not figure it out until age 45, due to watching that show.

I am currently working on the kitchen. Alas, I AGAIN forgot to take proper "before" photos. You can extrapolate what it probably looked like by the fact that yesterday I unearthed a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese that expired in 2011, which is probably also the last time I ate it.





Alex and Erin help me sort stuff from a drawer I had forgotten existed for literally years.



Erin helps me sort packaged food. I did not notice the Hello Kitty crackers till after I took the photo.

My kitchen has two of these cabinets/counters, one on each side. Here's what they both looked like "before:"



And after:



Erin approves my progress! (I feel like I need to note that I do eat stuff other than packaged snacks. It's just that the healthy stuff is mostly in the refrigerator.)





I put things I use daily or near-daily, plus non-refrigerated perishables on the counter, so I will see and eat them rather than having them go bad because I forgot they existed.



Please no negativity in comments. If you don't like this topic, please scroll or blacklist the decluttering tag.

Comments

[sartorias]

Wow! I really like that pretty tray in the bottom one. The top one with the curious kitties had me laughing.

Everything looks so tidy! I bet that feels good.

[rachelmanija]

It does!

Taking the photos is pretty funny because I have to capture the moment when they're exploring but have not yet run to me and thus gotten too close to photograph. It's sometimes extremely brief. I also have some good ones of them both in my new laundry basket (one at a time) - maybe I'll put those up tomorrow.

[grammarwoman]

Organization porn like this really hits my sweet spot. Well done! :)

I follow a few Youtubers that focus on organization that might be helpful for your further pursuits, if you wanted some links?

[rachelmanija]

Sure, thanks!

[asakiyume]

Looking good!

And it's definitely true that having the right holder-thing, whatever it might be, helps so much. Otherwise all your stuff is just... loose.

[rachelmanija]

In giant heaps, in my case.

[movingfinger]

Using risers for the items in the back can help a lot with cabinets like those.

I love your clear organizer bins---yes, it really helps keep things from disappearing, when similar things are together and you can see what is in there. Daiso is so good for things like that!

On canned goods, I started writing the date I bought them on top of the can in marker, to make it easier to rotate them and to help remind me to use them.

[rachelmanija]

That's a good idea, thanks. Does Daiso have risers?

I also like the idea of writing the dates on things.

[lilacsigil]

What helpful kitties! I have all my craft stuff in transparent containers and it makes it vastly easier to check what I have before starting anything - my accidental double purchases are way down.

[rachelmanija]

That is exactly what I'm hoping for.

[havocthecat]

Do people really figure this stuff out in their teenage years? Oh, God, I'm so fucking behind. Whoops.

Oh well. At least I'm starting now?

[rachelmanija]

Well, I sure didn't!

How's yours going?

[laurashapiro]

So inspiring! We finished our most recent purge before the current wave of Konmari enthusiasm, and I'm kinda regretting I didn't a) get everything done before I had to go back to work, and b) invest in transparent containers. I've long lusted after glass jars for my kitchen. Someday...

[rachelmanija]

The big old-fashioned kind that people kept lentils and flour and such in?

[musesfool]

I find keeping stuff in clear containers is so helpful! And now I have a label maker so I can label things so I know the cake flour vs. the regular flour vs. the powdered sugar without having to open them up!

[rachelmanija]

Ahh, what a good idea.

[evelyn_b]

Your kitchen counters look beautiful! I hope you (and your cats) continue to enjoy the breakthrough.

[rachelmanija]

Thank you!

[sholio]

Cats. So helpful. :D This all looks great!

And add me to the list of people who had no idea clear containers were so useful until quite recently. I use a lot of clear stackable drawer-type things in my closet now.

[rachelmanija]

Clear is the new black.

[princessofgeeks]

I am so happy for you! This is awesome!

[rachelmanija]

Thank you!

[mildred_of_midgard]

I have at other times in my life found milk crates useful, and have recommended them to other people who've found them useful. They're cheap, they come in different sizes, they're relatively see-through, and they're stackable.

Downsides: they're not good for very small things, like pencils, because the holes are so large. If you stack them, you have to lift the higher ones to get to the lower ones, so put your heavy stuff on the bottom.

[ethelmay]

Tangent: I keep a milk crate in my trunk to keep groceries upright. Had one too many milk jugs leak when they fell on their sides. Even a little sour milk smells up a car something fierce.

[osprey_archer]

That beautifully organized kitchen cupboard is hitting me in the same sweet spot as the pantry illustrations in the Brambly Hedge books. So much food! So easy to see!

[rachelmanija]

I've never read those but obviously I should.

[daidoji_gisei]

I'm only here for the cats. :D

[rachelmanija]

That is totally acceptable.

[pameladean]

Hey, I'm WAY older than you are and had not yet figured out this business about transparent containers except, curiously, in the case of dry goods like flour and sugar and rice.

Alex has lovely markings and good Lord, I believe I have remarked on this before, but Erin is enormous! Go her!

I have not forgotten that you suggested I take photos of my bookcases. I cannot get images into comments, but I should be able to do a post. I will mention now that it is hard to get far enough away from many of them to do a good photo and also that they are extremely pre-decluttering, and littered with quite a lot of weird stuff. Well, the hardcover shelves are. The paperback ones are made to precisely fit mass-market paperbacks (*cue hollow laughter*, this was well before the whole distribution system collapsed) and you could put a pen down there, or a bookmark or an energy bar, but not much else. Well, she says, looking, a stapler, a ruler, a small prescription bottle. Yikes.

P.

[rachelmanija]

Yeah, Erin is huge (and Alex is quite small). Erin likes me to carry her around and she's quite a workout. The vet suggested putting her on a diet but she seems perfectly proportioned, just a big solid cat.

My (also MMP-sized - well, some of them) bedroom bookshelves have multiple prescription bottles, plus multiple other forms of strange non-book items.

[marjorie1170]

I love hearing about organizing and decluttering as that was my project last fall. I also found that once I did a major push it was easier to stay on top of things. In part because there is less stuff and in part because being more organized makes me happier.

Very cute cats.

[rachelmanija]

Thank you! And yeah, that is exactly what I'm hoping will happen.

[catlinyemaker]

Thanks for posting these! I'm following along with interest and making notes for my own (glacially paced) decluttering. It's great to see your success and good that your cats are so hlepful (and cute!)

I wish my husband felt the same about clear containers - we went to get some organizing containers from IKEA and he fell in love with the opaque white bins. Since it's his stuff in them mostly and he keeps up the cabinet they're in, I'm ok with that, but have had to steadfastly resist his suggestions that I buy more of them for my (clear binned) craft stuff. Though it took your post about why clear is better to realize why I was resisting.

[rachelmanija]

Good luck with it! I'd be delighted to hear your progress.

[oracne]

Marie Kondo's show, at least, is basically about being a therapist for people's relationship with their possessions and their living space

I love this description.

[rachelmanija]

It really is! I convinced my therapist to check it out and he was also very taken with it, for exactly that reason.

[illariy]

Very cool changes! And even better that you enjoyed the process. I have that show on my to-watch list, maybe I should move it up a few spaces... ;-)

[rachelmanija]

I would start with episode 2 or 3, or really anything but 1. The first is my least favorite by far.

[sylvaine]

I've loved boxes as extremely useful organising tools for years, and if nothing else I'd be fond of Marie Kondo solely for converting girlfriend on that front, too, where before I'd never quite been able to explain why they're so great! :D

[copperfyre]

I just wanted to say I've been really enjoying these tidying posts, and you've inspired me to go pick up a copy of Marie Kondo's book. I always find cleaning up and decluttering really stressful, so I'm hoping it will give me a boost in the right direction!

[grayswandir]

Hi there. :) I wanted to say that I've been really enjoying your posts and pictures, and was actually inspired to do some closet organization after seeing them (I had watched some of Marie Kondo's show a little while back, so I'd already been intending to do some reorganizing -- I actually like organizing things, and was glad to learn some new tricks from her -- but for some reason your posts were what got me to actually make a start).

Also love the cats. In fact I have the perfect icon for this occasion. :D

[rachelmanija]

That is possibly the most apt icon ever.

I'm glad my posts were inspiring!

[eglantiere]

ahhh i love it, such amazing cupboard! and kitties are the best helpers, haha, although martha was mostly interested in discarded boxes :D

[kulturschnepfe]

Longtime lurker here. My comment may sound like negativity at the start, but by the end it won't be, I promise.

I tried reading the KonMari book, but only made it through the first chapter or so. The author sounded like my Mom to me who had tried to educate me through constantly criticising me. It's a German thing (if I don't criticise you, it's praise enough...). So I put the book down and didn't look back.

Intrigued by your comments on her Netflix show and your efforts (and successes) I watched a couple of episodes, where she comes across as much much kinder. And though I thought the "put everything in a heap, then decide what to keep" method would overwhelm me, it made so much more sense when seen in action. To realise how much stuff one really has (and how much of that doesn't spark joy or isn't really necessary) might be the way to go after all. I might give it a try this year, after the hubbub at work has died down a little.

TLDR: Thank you for inspiring me through your comments and actions that the KonMari method might be a good thing after all. Keep up the good work :D

[rachelmanija]

Thank YOU for commenting. That was really lovely to hear. Please let me know how it goes if you do give it a try!