Konmari – Page 2

30 May 2016 by Marcia Francois 9 Comments

What I learned in May

1 year on Instagram has been super fun

2. 4 years since my book was published (go get your $4 copy!) and it still feels unreal

3. 2 years of Fitbitting 🙂 Here’s 1 year with my Fitbit.

Let’s talk some more about this:

I’m not sure what happened but while I still wear my Fitbit diligently, I almost don’t really care about reaching step goals anymore. I think it started with our long, hot summer (8 months is a super long time to be too hot) but it could have been before that. I still wear the bracelet because I am mildly interested in seeing what I get to… but mostly I wear it because I love the sleep stats. Super love them.

You may remember that I had a serious goal at the beginning of last year to increase my sleep. That worked beautifully and so I continue to track my time this year because I’ve found that what I measure, I manage better. And I’m constantly at my 7 hours 30 mins of daily sleep which is great. I sleep way more than this some days which balances out the occasional 6.5 hour nights.

4. I can read 3 non-fiction books in a month. Yes, that’s what happened this month. I’m surprised too because I thought my absolute top limit was two books in a really, really good month.

5. When you don’t rest properly if you’re a bit ill, your body takes longer to heal. I know, all you clever clogs learned this long ago. It’s just a really bad time for me to be a bit ill, what with Spanish exams looming, 2 big business things happening at my real work and the not-so-small matter of selling and buying houses.

6. Konmari really works. We have move dates so I went through a few rooms thinking, ” I need to declutter so I can pack” and…. I threw out 3 knives, a pair of pants and a top. That’s awesome 🙂 If you’re thinking of moving, do Konmari 🙂

7. I actually can mess up my Bullet Journal. I’ve started to consciously write nonsense in there too because it’s not a shrine to plannerly goodness; it’s a notebook, for goodness sake.

Bonus – it is really fun to washi up some pencils. Try it and see. I grabbed everyone’s pencils at work and in one client phone call, washi’d them all 🙂

Go on then, tell me. What did you learn in May?

Filed Under: Goals, I love stationery, Konmari, Marcia gets craftsy, Time management Tagged With: Bullet Journal, Fitbit, Konmari, sleep goals., The Life-Changing M

6 May 2016 by Marcia Francois 3 Comments

Children’s capsule wardrobes

A few things I want to quickly mention:

my kids are 6.5 (nearly 7 if you listen to them!) and I’ve long stopped buying clothes for future years
they do have some things, mainly gifts from people that are too big for the current year so these get put away til the next warm/ cold season

I had an aha moment when I started Konmari-ing my own clothes last August.

First, the kids have way too many things if we have to rotate clothes (newly washed clothes go to the back of the pile)
There’s so much that I don’t plan to buy anything until they outgrow clothes
Capsule wardrobes are the in thing. When you have to think of mixing and matching, it becomes a whole new set of work.

I put my new capsule wardrobe theory to work in the summer…. the hot, 8-month long summer.

Kendra needed some strappy tops so I got her two tops that would match with everything else in her wardrobe.

Connor needed two sleeveless tops too and I did the same, less picky, because he wears denim shorts a lot.

The benefits during our holiday in Cape Town were huge:

everything “went” with everything else – surprisingly navy goes with neon orange, green and hot pink 🙂
I didn’t need to make sets (as I’ve always done) – I just tossed 5 tops and 5 pairs of shorts/ skirts in the suitcase and that was that – happy, happy days for me!
they dressed so quickly every day because it was easy

While Konmari-ing their clothes, I also decided to not waste my time “forcing” the kids to wear some clothes, e.g. gifts. If they told me they hated something, I donated the item even if they hadn’t worn it at all or enough. I really don’t have the energy to insist they wear things. And to be fair, I won’t wear things I hate either.

Once those items were out of the house, I felt happier so it worked.

I’ve told my mom (who loves buying clothes for gifts) to also rather not buy clothes anymore unless pyjamas – both my kids LOVE pyjamas. I think they get that from me 🙂 So that’s what she did for Christmas – pjs and money!

This winter we’ve done the same – everything goes with everything. I had to replace one or two pairs of pants and I’m being very strict – it either matches with everything or doesn’t come home with me 🙂

The kids are happy and so am I.

Have you thought of doing capsule wardrobes for your kids?

Filed Under: Decluttering, Intentional living, Organising, Time management Tagged With: capsule wardrobes, Konmari, organising, organising for kids, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

8 Apr 2016 by Marcia Francois 16 Comments

{Konmari} the memories edition

According to Marie Kondo, the category you should work through last is the memories category.

I think this is a very good idea because it can definitely slow you down.

Mine fits onto one shelf – it’s my own memory box, the binder ring books for Christmas cards, the kids’ birthday cards and some of my own.

This is it after I pulled it all out onto the floor.

Basically the only things I had no trouble tossing were all my old business cards 🙂

Here are the kids’ birthday cards – year 1 is missing and as I mentioned on Instagram, it was quite representative of our lives because we didn’t know if we were coming or going!

(I eventually found them in my memories box with the cards we received when they were born)

There is a whole year or thereabouts of photos I just didn’t document (from when I went back to work after maternity leave) and I’m not remotely interested in going back and catching up because… that was life.

My stuff – some birthday cards, “just because” cards and so on…

Let’s talk about memories of my kids’ things. I mentioned to a mom at a party recently that I had big ideas when my kids first went to pre-school. Every week I’d take a pic of the items from that week.

That process got old very quickly and after about 6 months, I stopped. They then put their things in a plastic box and they sort through it themselves when it gets full.

This is about the stuff they give to me or that I particularly want.

Konmari - the memories | www.OrganisingQueen.com

Some of their very first drawings

When I did this particular Konmari sort, I found a concertina file for each kid, and I’m using one sleeve for each year. Some of you might gasp (that’s so little space) but that’s precisely why I love this idea because boundaries help me with clarity so I can choose my very favourite things to keep.

For the record, I didn’t toss much but I’m very clear on why I’m keeping the stuff I do still have, which is an excellent outcome of the hours spent looking through all this stuff.

If you’re following the Konmari method, have you reached the memories category yet? Was it a very long process for you?

Filed Under: Decluttering, Intentional living, Konmari Tagged With: Konmari, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

25 Mar 2016 by Marcia Francois 4 Comments

Seeing your space in a new light

I literally only pulled out my camera one day a week for the whole of Feb (to take the 52 Project photo of the kids on Sundays), and then not quite as bad, but there’s a sense of get this done, instead of play in my March photos so far.

I was even completely up to date on Monday night after the Sunday photos last weekend.

So I decided I needed to leave my camera out more to encourage me to just grab it and snap a few photos as things look good in certain light.

And I went a bit wild today.

It was good for me because I always feel great after I’ve created with my camera, but more than that – this!

I noticed bits of my home that I’d forgotten, both good and bad, like

the big canvas hanging slightly skew
the beautiful light in Kendra’s bedroom
the hand towel I should swop out to match with the bath mat
the way the light shines on my wooden floors in the lounge
how much I love my yellow desk

I even gave myself a challenge to take photos in the kitchen with unwashed dishes, and make it look good 🙂

I’ve mentioned on this blog before that sometimes we need to literally take a photo of our spaces to really see them – you might have got used to the clutter in your space and this helps you see your space properly again.

I’m sure I’m not alone in this situation. You buy some clothes, come home, toss the bag in your bedroom and a week later it’s still there. We’ve stopped seeing it because our eyes are now used to that clutter.

This is why I like to get my donated things out and into the boot (trunk) of the car before it becomes a new item of “furniture” in my house that I get used to.

*ahem* I have a box of books in my sunroom….

If there’s a space in your home frustrating you, take a photo and see if you can spot what it is you need to do.

When was the last time you took photos of your home?

– Both big canvases (size A0) printed by Mojo Printing who I thoroughly recommend. I used a number of printers until I found them – they are my favourites and will courier anywhere in the country.

– Chevron rug by Airloom, bought via www.Superbalist.com

– Couches and pillows from Mr P Home

Filed Under: Decluttering, Intentional living, Konmari, Organising Tagged With: decluttering, Konmari, organising

11 Mar 2016 by Marcia Francois 2 Comments

{Konmari} Ugly blue takkies

Ugly blue takkies | www.OrganisingQueen.com

Ballito

Here’s just one of the reasons I love the Konmari method. I’ve been telling myself I need to get rid of these old takkies (sneakers) for years.

I’ve probably had them for 8-9 years and they’ve been all over the world so they’re not the very prettiest takkies I have at the moment.

I kept taking them out to donate them and I end up putting them right back with my shoes.

Top of the Rock, NYC

But then I read that book and I realised why I don’t seem able to get rid of these shoes.

They spark JOY!

Once I realised that, I happily wear these not-so-pretty shoes on my photowalks and they bring me much, much joy.

Charlotte, North Carolina

Is there an item of clothing/ houseware, etc. you think you should get rid of but you really love for no good reason?

V & A Waterfront, Cape Town

Filed Under: Decluttering, Konmari Tagged With: Konmari, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

4 Mar 2016 by Marcia Francois 2 Comments

{Konmari} The Christmas Cards

Gretchen Rubin wrote a post a few months ago about Christmas cards. She mentioned that as they receive cards, they leave it in a common space for about a week for everyone in the family to see, and then they toss the cards.

A photo posted by Marcia Francois (@organisingqueen) on Feb 14, 2016 at 1:53pm PST

This is quite the novel idea to me.

I don’t know of anyone who tosses cards even before Christmas is over 🙂 Then again, since I’ve been blogging, I’ve also heard (previously unknown to me) that people take their Christmas trees down on Christmas night.

But that’s a discussion for another day 🙂

Back to the cards.

The comments on that blog post are all over the spectrum and very interesting.

So I took out my stash of cards. People in South Africa don’t really exchange cards much these days so we never have many. We mostly give and get to overseas friends.

I was a bit sidetracked for a while, reading the cards and then I put them back for a few weeks.

Yesterday I took them out again and I decluttered ONE card. Just one.

I then decided I’ll put them out in a bowl at Christmas time and see if they no longer spark joy then.

For now, I have the space and they don’t NOT spark joy.

What’s your take on the Christmas cards?

Keep? Toss? Lovingly scrapbook?

Filed Under: Decluttering Tagged With: Konmari, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

24 Feb 2016 by Marcia Francois 9 Comments

I finally Konmari’d my nail polish

It surprised me, actually, how difficult it was to tidy my nail polish. Tidy is the word Marie Kondo uses to sort/ declutter/ organise.

Yes, all those bottles spark joy but even I can hear that’s stretching it, just a bit 😉

This was my process for decluttering them:

Pile 1 – ones that sparked joy but didn’t look good on my skin

They looked good in store (lights!) but in normal light, they look too dark/ garish, whatever. I still liked the colour but not on my nails.

Bottles that were decent – donated (we have a number of girls at work who like nail polish so I just said, “help yourselves”). It helps me (this might not work for you) to declutter if I think, “who can use this today?”

2. Bottles that were not really donate-able – we used these for nail polish cards and I even kept some to make dipped ring bowls. They turned out beautifully.

A photo posted by Marcia Francois (@organisingqueen) on Feb 6, 2016 at 6:56pm PST

Pile 2 – ones that sparked serious joy, looked good and I usually receive compliments

I also admitted to myself that some I only use on finger nails and some I only use on toenails. E.g. I would never wear the yellow on my fingers but I love the colour on my toes in summer.

I also realised that some are “winter” colours for me and some are “summer” colours.

Last but not least, I did a very Konmari thing.

I noticed when listening to her book that she often applies logic when working with her clients. For instance, if you have 1000 ziploc bags, even if you use only 1 new one a day (unlikely), it would take you three YEARS to work through that stash. So why keep them all?

I applied this logic to my nail polish.

I typically wear a different colour every 4 – 5 days. It’s about how long it takes for me to get bored with looking at a specific colour. That’s 73 different colours in a year. However, I would wear a colour at least twice each, so 30 bottles is really all I should own, at most.

(I had many, many more than 30 – I blame it on the Essence brand. Such gorgeous colours and at such a good price I kept saying, “it’s only R25, I might as well take 3”! Also, when people know you like things, they keep buying you those things and before you know it, you have a drawer full of nail polish!)

Once I got into the process, I was able to cull to below 30. I think I ended up with 27. Yip, just counted. The pile on the top left doesn’t count – those are my base coat, top coat, quick-drying drops, and so on.

(I’m realising as I type this how… um….passionate I sound. At least I’m not like this with make-up?)

So there you have it – the nail polish is finally sorted but I know I’m going to have to keep a close eye on it because I already caved a month later and bought a gorgeous neutral this weekend called, “Oh Mr Darcy” from Rimmel.

Now who could resist that?!

I know we all have a certain “issue”. For some it’s hair products, for others perfume, make-up, face creams, etc.

Tell me what your “issue” is. And have you applied the Konmari method to it yet?

Filed Under: Decluttering, Intentional living, Konmari Tagged With: beauty products, Konmari, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

15 Jan 2016 by Marcia Francois 1 Comment

Konmari tweaks

I’ve blogged a lot about how I love the Konmari method of “tidying up”. I’ve also lived with the method for about 5 months so I can now see what’s still working and what’s not.

By the way, this tweaking is a normal part of organising.

1. While I love the uprightness of my clothes, when you take things out to wear, some of the clothes “collapse” and I’m really not into the untidiness that presents.

Am I willing to use up more space just for the sake of 2 – 3 t-shirts that now are a bit more wrinkled than normal? Probably not.

Also, to be fair, the clothes at the bottom of the piles were also subjected to more creases when I used to organise the standard way.

2. I eventually separated out my sleeveless t-shirts from the normal sleeves, and the work t-shirts from the casual t-shirts

I don’t know my clothes well enough (or it could be that I have too many grey t-shirts?!) so I couldn’t tell from the top if they were sleeveless and I’d pull them out, and then have to navigate the pile again to shove the incorrect t-shirt into the vertical pile.

This is nothing in the grand scheme of life, but it is a toleration. And most of us could do with fewer tolerations.

3. And then there’s the not-so-small matter of the nail polish

The nail polish has been the hardest thing to “tidy up”. I truly love lots of bright colours. However, I do remember from listening to her book that she likes to apply logic to things. So realistically speaking, if I change my nail polish every 4 – 5 days, I could use 73 applications in a year. If I only apply each colour two times a year, that’s 37 bottles I need (I have more than that but I’m not telling you how much!).

Anyway, so the goal is 30 🙂 Because there are those I LOVE during winter (dark colours), and those I LOVE during summer (pastels and bright colours). And a few standard colours for my toes.

If I’m brave, I may show you the nail polish progress.

How are you doing with Konmari, a few months in?

Filed Under: Decluttering, Konmari, Organising Tagged With: Konmari, tweaking your organising system

23 Nov 2015 by Marcia Francois

{Konmari} tidying the books – finally

I’ve written quite a bit over the years about how much I love my Kindle but the fact of the matter is that I still have a ton of physical books.

It could have been worse but thankfully, I only keep books I really love/d.

So one weekend I decided I had to finally tackle those shelves and ask The Question, “does this spark joy?”

it’s always a good idea to dust once the shelves are actually clear 🙂

Marie Kondo, in her life-changing book, does say a few interesting things about the process of decluttering books:

books are one of three things most difficult to get rid of (is this true for you?)
fewer books mean there’s a bigger impact on the information (true!)
timing is everything. The moment you come across and feel compelled to buy is the right time for you.

the two books on the left are borrowed indefinitely from friends… so yay, when I read them, I can return them!

Maybe number 3 is true for others, but I buy kind-of all the time because I’m reading and finding books online all the time. I’ve only recently stopped buying ahead on Audible. I’m listening to one book at the moment, and have one more ready to go. I don’t want to gather/ hoard more than this.

The thing is I do get to a lot of books much later than I intend to….and most times, I’m compelled to read them at the right time. There are physical books I’m sure I will read still on my shelves.

these are books I LOVE or definitely want to read. Motherstyles is my most favourite parenting book ever!

That said, I took her point about asking yourself, “does this move me or not, and am I happy to see it on my shelves?”

And that was the filter I used to declutter.

I must add that the task was much bigger in my head than in reality (isn’t it always?!). Once I started working, it probably only took me an hour to finish the exercise!

this pile went…

as did this pile (A painted house is my favourite John Grisham but I haven’t re-read it in the 10 years we’ve been in this house so I’m not likely to do so, right?)

I got rid of (well, that box is still standing in my entrance way ready to go to the secondhand bookshop) about 20 – 30 books that I liked the idea of, but know I probably won’t ever read, even though many of them are new.

I’m sure I could have done better but for now, this felt enough for me 🙂

Mission accomplished – I’m finally down to just 3 shelves 🙂

How are you doing with Konmari? Has anyone done their books? Was it torturous for you?

Filed Under: Decluttering, Intentional living, Organising Tagged With: decluttering books, Konmari, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

16 Oct 2015 by Marcia Francois

An interview with Cassey, an ESFJ, about Konmari

Cassey was one of the respondents of my little Konmari survey. I wanted to feature her because like all of us (some of you think I’m different but I’m not), she’s a normal mom with a toddler sorting out her house.

I hope this brings some weekend inspiration your way 🙂

1.What is your MBTI type? If you’re not sure, take the test here.

ESFJ-T according to the site you suggested.

2.What drew you to the book?

I was just ready for a change, to do something instead of nothing.

3.Which aspects did you most love?

I loved the spark joy parts, the take on gifts, and living the lifestyle you want.

In terms of organising, the doing category by category was new to me, and that with having everything in front of you just made such a difference to making this happen and getting it done.

After years of trying I finally have a capsule wardrobe. I love the folding although it’s not easy for me to do it well.

4.What do you not love about the book?

It’s very woo-woo. I get being grateful – an attitude of gratitude is something I keep on working on – but I don’t find the thanking it method to be something for me. I also hate the colour hanging plan for your wardrobe.

5. Tell me about your progress. How long have you been working through your home? Are you done? Do you intend to continue? Etc.

I am mostly done. Mementos are proving tough. There’s also my son and husband’s stuff, as well as some kitchen stuff.

J is not as enamoured with this method as I am, but he is certainly enjoying what it’s doing for me. I think it’s been a month to 6 weeks or so. It does help that we’re in a 2 bedroom flat and before moving into it we already downsized some items.

Now it’s about making sure we – well, mostly I – don’t fall back into the thinking that what you have is a big part of defining your success and worth. It was part of something that got me to finally complete something I’ve wanted to do for ages – coming across the book was just so well timed with me getting my depression diagnosis, starting therapy and taking meds. I don’t know if it would’ve worked as well for me earlier.

What kind of challenges do you feel she doesn’t address well?

Décor and kids. Yes, she has you picture your space, but the way I’d love my space is very different to what the space can be with a toddler, and all of his books and toys in it.

Any other insights

I think that once you’ve done it in a big way once, the rest of the time is just about maintenance. What brings us joy changes and grows, so we will probably need to do a re-look at things once in a while. The base point will remain because I don’t see me going back to an overstuffed wardrobe or overstacked bookshelves ever again.

What was the most interesting part of what Cassey said?

Thanks so much, Cassey!

PS If you want to be featured, take the survey here and send me some pictures 🙂

Filed Under: Intentional living, Organising Tagged With: Konmari, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

What I learned in May

Go on then, tell me. What did you learn in May?

Children’s capsule wardrobes

Have you thought of doing capsule wardrobes for your kids?

{Konmari} the memories edition

If you’re following the Konmari method, have you reached the memories category yet? Was it a very long process for you?

Seeing your space in a new light

When was the last time you took photos of your home?

{Konmari} Ugly blue takkies

Is there an item of clothing/ houseware, etc. you think you should get rid of but you really love for no good reason?

{Konmari} The Christmas Cards

What’s your take on the Christmas cards?

Keep? Toss? Lovingly scrapbook?

I finally Konmari’d my nail polish

Tell me what your “issue” is. And have you applied the Konmari method to it yet?

Konmari tweaks

How are you doing with Konmari, a few months in?

{Konmari} tidying the books – finally

How are you doing with Konmari? Has anyone done their books? Was it torturous for you?

An interview with Cassey, an ESFJ, about Konmari

What was the most interesting part of what Cassey said?

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Go on then, tell me. What did you learn in May?

Have you thought of doing capsule wardrobes for your kids?

If you’re following the Konmari method, have you reached the memories category yet? Was it a very long process for you?

When was the last time you took photos of your home?

Is there an item of clothing/ houseware, etc. you think you should get rid of but you really love for no good reason?

What’s your take on the Christmas cards?

Keep? Toss? Lovingly scrapbook?

Tell me what your “issue” is. And have you applied the Konmari method to it yet?

How are you doing with Konmari, a few months in?

How are you doing with Konmari? Has anyone done their books? Was it torturous for you?

What was the most interesting part of what Cassey said?

Organising Queen Shop

Free goals pack when you join my mailing list

My latest book

Get email updates for the blog

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – all my posts

Follow along on Instagram

Recent Posts

Categories

She Speaks

More of my writing