Japanese Decluttering / Marie Kondo

Checked out the book:

The lie changing magic of tidying up / the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing by marie kondo

1. once u put your house in order properly, you'll be able to keep your room tidy, even if you are lazy or sloppy by nature. 

2. tidy a little a day and you will be tidy forever ( i believe this.... since decluttering this summer my life has been so much better. even on the worst days, i can still so some dishes, do some laundry and swish the toilet w/ disinfectant. the floors suffer more than anything, but i don't eat off of them... and they are not the most horrible )

3. tidying must start with discarding and getting rid of what is NOT used or no longer needed. 

4. there is no need to let your extended family know what you are letting go of or about to donate... they will NOT let you take it out. / yes this has happened to me... and it is frustrating 

5. don't pass your "things " off to your friends / family for them to discard. if you don't need it, neither do they... donate it

6. let go of things that have fulfilled their purpose in your life. let go of ppl that have fulfilled their purpose in your life. wow. 

let go of them with thankfulness and gratitude. and maybe they will return some day... but it is okay if they don't. all is well . 

7. fold and store things correctly

8. loungewear . do not let things go into the loungewear pile bc you are not wanting to depart w/ them. 

9. no matter how wonderful things USED TO BE, we cannot live in the past. the joy and excitement i feel here and today is MUCH more important... that what once was. 

10. for ppl who "stockpile" i do not know if there is ever ENOUGH to make them feel secure... this is mwm... an insecurity... the fear of not being loved or ppl stop loving her... so she stockpiles memories.... 

11. reduce until you feel something "click" then you will know just how much you need to feel comfortable or how much you can manage. "management" in my life looks different than others bc of the ra/ cfs. so it is not something to judge for someone else . 

12. designate a place for everything in the home. Make it simple. do not have too much to place and order / that's key to me. keep it few and simple and it's easier to manage. 

13. keep storage simple.... be able to see everything that is in storage... i really do need to work on this area bc i need to go thru the storage closets again... 

14. clutter is caused by not putting things back in their designated place. this is why my kitchen and LR and BD are so easy to clean. everything has a designated place. My closet has this as well, but there is still a messiness to it. 

15. really the only storage items you need are plain boxes and plain drawers. I use plastic containers that I once used in my classroom for dividing out my undies, bras, etc in my drawers. Then it is easier to file them vertically. 

16. keep your purse and wallet cleaned out.

17. when something is in the car that needs to go in the house... TAKE it in.. and put it where it goes. All i have in my car is a plastic container w/ my recycle bags in it, a throw / folded neatly/ in the backseat and my window visors. I keep pens and scissors and some CD in paper jackets in the glove compartment. there are window scrapers in the trunk. that's all 

18. the shower and bathtub are the most unsuitable place to store things bc it is humid and things get slimy. do not leave things in teh sink or in the shower. We store things above so that we can wipe the whole shower down and things are not allowed to "sit" in my sink. they go in the dishwasher ready to be washed at night or they are drying on the drainboard. they sink is scrubbed w/ comet or bleach frequently and the shower is wiped out daily w/ a car wipe. Kitchen counters are not a place to store things. that space is for preparing food. All spices and food should be put away. The only things i have on my counter are a bread box, oil and vinegar, a crock w/ cooking utensils and my dishsoap holder n fruit plate. i like the fruit being out so that we remember to eat it. 

19. make a shrine in your home / keeping the sacred things that spark spiritual joy and hapiness and faith in one place / do not keep too much of these kinds of things for it is pretentious / and these things need to be passed on / they are effective for only a year / then pass them on ...  hmm . i have many stones and my wood angel collection. i have only 4 angels out. i shld put one in each room and then let the rest go 

20. if you store in boxes, remove the labels. keep it clean. cover up the words or peel the whole label off. it takes noise and static out of the house.

this is why i have chosen only a select type of thing that can come into my house. it makes it less noisy and makes it more calm. i use only natural colored baskets, wood, and glass, metal and crock stone. Things that are material are either white or grey or black. my wardrobe is not this way at all, but the house is. I have two straw hats on the wall and my wooden ukuleles hang with them. the hats are my grandpa and dad's work hats. I seem to draw only to natural type of items. Not plastic. 

21. after using an item use the words "thank you"... while making the bed, say "thank you for making me comfortable at night." replacing clothing in a drawer "thank you for keeping me warm. thank you for making me beautiful. thank you for keeping me comfortable. thank you for feeding me and nurishing me. thank you for clean water for keeping me healthy and keeping my house clean. thank you for washing and drying my clothes. thank you for cooking my food. thank you for helping me relax after a long day. " wow this is wonderful. .... 

22. dealing w/ attachment to the past or fear of the future... that's many reasons why we hang on to the things that we have. we have too much attachment to the past and the future. 

23. greet and show respect to my home. say thank you and greet it cheerfully when i enter and leave. ask my house what it needs to feel loved and happy. sounds very odd but i understand this very much in my spirit. my house stands daily, ready and willing to shelter and protect me and it does a very good job of it . show it respect. speak to it and about it in respect. i do this w/ my plants as well. 

24. pour your time and energy into what is your life mission. i still sometimes wonder about my LIFE MISSION> i know that i enjoy doing the angel cards, but i don't want to do them all the time. i do not know or feel that i have one calling. i love my teaching job but i don't want to do it full time. I love cooking and cleaning my home but i do not want that to be everything. i feel very diverse. 

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This was an amazing book! I truly enjoyed!