Discussion Forum > Decluttering
Dana White's book Decluttering at the Speed of Life is wonderful for this. She's very practical, and doesn't leave you with a pile of things in transit. She has a Container concept. A container contains things. If it cannot contain everything you want it to, you need to get rid of things, or, rarely, find a bigger container.
December 17, 2018 at 19:40 |
Cricket
Cricket
Great idea Alan. I haven’t thought of it by room, in our small house it might be Part of room, closet or side of the room.
December 19, 2018 at 0:34 |
Erin
Erin
Yes for sure. It applies equally to the student renting a single bedroom apartment or a kid with a messy bedroom. If all toys go away to this corner of the room, that's step 1. Step 2 is to reduce the volume so it is possible to have that corner neat. Once you get it neat, the maintenance rule becomes "no new toys unless there's a place for it." This applies to you and your toys first of course, and becomes your incentive to throw away what you don't love.
December 19, 2018 at 16:41 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
"no new [projects] unless there's a place for it."
December 19, 2018 at 17:21 |
Bernie
Bernie
That's one of the rules of Andrew Mellen (author of "Unstuff Your Life"; he also has a Youtube channel).
Like with like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGjcmV2LrNE (20-second video)
One home for everything. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5SjZLZcwTE (21-second video)
Something in, something out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuOh5In9oJw (24-second video) Kind of an afterthought, but this is: not accumulating more stuff once you've reach equilibrium.
An example of applying it: https://youtu.be/MLOhy9ZwdFA?t=155 (12 minutes, skip to 2:35 when they get started)
I read the beginning of his book and then worked through the kitchen and home office chapters. After that I was thorough familiar with the general idea and did the rest of my apartment. I might go back to the rest of the book for specific ideas. (For example, in the kitchen I divided up everything into general areas for prep, cook, serving, and cleanup/storage, and got everything else out of the kitchen that didn't belong there. A lot of the stuff that I had in the kitchen before actually belonged in the home office area such as office supplies.)
Around the time that I was organizing, I was also disposing of things I didn't need. I had also read "Goodbye Things" which is about getting rid of a lot of possessions. I would say it on the extreme end of the "getting rid of things" spectrum, but I really liked it. Marie Kondo in the middle of that spectrum, which is getting rid of things and organizing. And Andrew being the least extreme, and more towards the contain/organize side of things, but also is about getting rid of things, or at least not accumulating more.
Like with like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGjcmV2LrNE (20-second video)
One home for everything. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5SjZLZcwTE (21-second video)
Something in, something out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuOh5In9oJw (24-second video) Kind of an afterthought, but this is: not accumulating more stuff once you've reach equilibrium.
An example of applying it: https://youtu.be/MLOhy9ZwdFA?t=155 (12 minutes, skip to 2:35 when they get started)
I read the beginning of his book and then worked through the kitchen and home office chapters. After that I was thorough familiar with the general idea and did the rest of my apartment. I might go back to the rest of the book for specific ideas. (For example, in the kitchen I divided up everything into general areas for prep, cook, serving, and cleanup/storage, and got everything else out of the kitchen that didn't belong there. A lot of the stuff that I had in the kitchen before actually belonged in the home office area such as office supplies.)
Around the time that I was organizing, I was also disposing of things I didn't need. I had also read "Goodbye Things" which is about getting rid of a lot of possessions. I would say it on the extreme end of the "getting rid of things" spectrum, but I really liked it. Marie Kondo in the middle of that spectrum, which is getting rid of things and organizing. And Andrew being the least extreme, and more towards the contain/organize side of things, but also is about getting rid of things, or at least not accumulating more.
December 20, 2018 at 18:11 |
Don R
Don R
>> "When you start implementing this, you very quickly become aware of exactly how much clothing you have, and likely you will discover a bunch that you don't want anymore."
I should have commented on this part as well. In Marie Kondo's book, she is adamant about organizing by category of item for that reason (and has a prescribed order to do it in), starting with clothes. It involves bringing all the clothes together into one spot for that exact reason. Once you see it all together, you can then decide which things to keep, and then go ahead and store those things in their designated places.
I should have commented on this part as well. In Marie Kondo's book, she is adamant about organizing by category of item for that reason (and has a prescribed order to do it in), starting with clothes. It involves bringing all the clothes together into one spot for that exact reason. Once you see it all together, you can then decide which things to keep, and then go ahead and store those things in their designated places.
December 20, 2018 at 18:21 |
Don R
Don R
Marie Kondo also has a formal-ish way to get rid of things. She thanks them for their service, even if the service was to make you happy when you bought it, and then you never wore it. That helped me with a few things.
Looking at things by outfit also helps, even though I don't organize that way. It's a great shirt, easy to adapt for temperature, but I have nothing to wear with it. (Why not? is a very useful question.) It also helps me see options. That mock turtleneck is informal, until I pair it with this accessory, and, wow, I don't need a new special-event outfit because I already have something. Oh, and better put the shirt on the "save for special occasions" shelf.
My daughter goes on 12-day canoe trips, with a 40L personal gear limit (which includes sleeping bag). She gets the container concept, and how to look at things from "what do I need" rather than "would this be useful." She also gets, finally! the importance of packing lists, and how to customize them.
Frequency of use is another good concept. I regularly use the slow cooker, so it goes in my kitchen. The ice cream maker? Deepest darkest pantry, at least for the winter.
Looking at things by outfit also helps, even though I don't organize that way. It's a great shirt, easy to adapt for temperature, but I have nothing to wear with it. (Why not? is a very useful question.) It also helps me see options. That mock turtleneck is informal, until I pair it with this accessory, and, wow, I don't need a new special-event outfit because I already have something. Oh, and better put the shirt on the "save for special occasions" shelf.
My daughter goes on 12-day canoe trips, with a 40L personal gear limit (which includes sleeping bag). She gets the container concept, and how to look at things from "what do I need" rather than "would this be useful." She also gets, finally! the importance of packing lists, and how to customize them.
Frequency of use is another good concept. I regularly use the slow cooker, so it goes in my kitchen. The ice cream maker? Deepest darkest pantry, at least for the winter.
December 21, 2018 at 19:19 |
Cricket
Cricket
Have only one place for each kind of thing.
This only seems natural but the secret is to take this further than you might otherwise. For example: All clothes go in the bedroom and only in the bedroom. When you start implementing this, you very quickly become aware of exactly how much clothing you have, and likely you will discover a bunch that you don't want anymore. You might not have space in your bedroom, but you can make space by moving other stuff out to where THAT now belongs, but more by reducing the amount you have.
So now I have a paper room (an office you might say) that has all my papers, and sorted into categories of personal, financial and work. There is virtually no paper elsewhere, and if I need something I know where to look. I have a book room (a library you might say), and soon I will have virtually all my books there, and I know where to go if I need a book, or if I get a book where to keep it. But it's not strictly a library, as a few other categories of things will also find a home therein. Et cetera.
I'm sure some of you knew this since forever, but to me it's been a revelation.