Bike parts and the Kondo method?

[pdmtong]

contrary to what might assume in the thread about California property taxes, the small size of our place actually does a great job of limiting excess clutter and massive hoarding. yes, I have pile of stuff that could be cleaned out, but its not as if there are 25 years of sports illustrated in a box in my office.

the main thing to clean out is paperwork...things saved for taxes or those finger paintings my daughter did at age 4. we dont need ten of those - just one will do. the other massive clutter is non-digital photos and videos.

now, as for bike stuff, I've done a lot to shrink the excess of clothing and was at one point a ridiculous saddle hoarde (although it just creeped back up by one)

Paceline? It's a place where a member has a saddle clamp and then thinks "hey, I can build a bike out of this"

[dieonthishill]

Originally Posted by David Tollefson

Never have watched the show. I have a visceral aversion to that kind of thing. I get the whole "minimalism" thing, not hoarding, etc. I've been in a slow purge myself, mostly just watching the "WTB" threads and such.

My ex one time had some one come into the house to help "purge" the stuff (not bike stuff) when I was at work one day. When I came home there were several things in the bin to which I had some strong sentimental. Things that had belonged to my grandparents. I retrieved them, and declared that there would never be anyone from outside making those determinations again.

The Kondo method is not about "minimalism" but about keeping what is important/useful ("Sparks Joy" is the phrase she uses). She actually reiterates to people on the show numerous times that it is not about getting rid of things.

Following her method of taking all your clothes out of the closet and putting them on the bed, then going through them one by one, really opens your eyes to how much stuff we all accumulate over the years. That combined with her folding method, I went from 2 dressers of clothes down to one.

[unterhausen]

I really want to get rid of the spare parts in my tool chests. Too cold out in the garage right now, no sparks of joy.


The uncomfortable thing about the Kondo show is that it's clear a lot of the relationships aren't that great. And the woman feels to blame for how messy the house is. I kinda wonder if they descend on the place and make sure that nobody cleans up ahead of the camera crews. I particularly wondered about the couple with the sink full of dirty dishes. No way I would allow that to happen nowadays.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by unterhausen

The uncomfortable thing about the Kondo show is that it's clear a lot of the relationships aren't that great. And the woman feels to blame for how messy the house is. I kinda wonder if they descend on the place and make sure that nobody cleans up ahead of the camera crews. I particularly wondered about the couple with the sink full of dirty dishes. No way I would allow that to happen nowadays.

Better to uncover that stuff and deal with it though than let it fester into a divorce court situation down the road...or just into bitter unhappy relationships...

I'm actually extremely impressed at how real the show is - they aren't coming in and doing an "extreme makeover" that's just there to sell stuff from home goods sponsors (like 99% of the HGTV shows, Kweer Eye, etc.) - it's just real people, warts and all, trying to improve their lives a bit. It's refreshing and normalizing.

And it's also inspired Clean's house to get a bit more..eh..clean...

[slowpoke]

Originally Posted by aaronpass

The Kondo method is not about "minimalism" but about keeping what is important/useful ("Sparks Joy" is the phrase she uses). She actually reiterates to people on the show numerous times that it is not about getting rid of things.

Following her method of taking all your clothes out of the closet and putting them on the bed, then going through them one by one, really opens your eyes to how much stuff we all accumulate over the years. That combined with her folding method, I went from 2 dressers of clothes down to one.

Agree 100%. I've heard extreme minimalists (usually men in the naïveté of their 20s) talk about owning one pair of pants and few pairs of underwear or something silly. Marie Kondo is not like that. She's not asking you to get rid of non-essential sentimental items, but to just take a long hard look at the pile of stuff you've accumulated and let it go.

w.r.t bikeparts and things, generally if it's under 50 bucks, I'll just donate or toss the item. Everyone's price point will be different, but I think there's something to be said about freeing up one's time instead of penny pitching over making an extra $10-20 on a sale*. Fortunately, San Francisco has a great bike co-op where you can donate your unwanted bike parts.



(* I also say this knowing full-well I'm fortunate to be doing economically decent at this moment in my life. Throw a few kids in the mix, or a layoff, and I probably will be thinking of money in terms of diaper units, or Top Ramen.)

[verticaldoug]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

Remember, it's not about austerity, it's about being sure that you care for everything in your possession, and that every possession "sparks joy"... And when something no longer does, you say thank-you and good-bye - you don't hold onto things just because they once meant something to you, or because you spent a certain amount of money on them.

So yeah, I'm pretty committed to the Kondo ways - I just didn't have that language when developing my own way of being in the world and relating to "things" that come and go in my life.

All that said, I do need to get a little quicker on the get-rid-of trigger -- I have some bins of stuff that have been hanging around way too long.. And that's not even counting the giant bag of perfectly good kit that I don't have a desire to wear anymore. Coming soon to a classifieds section near you...

I tend to think the Kondo method is a load of crock. The Japanese use of space comes out of necessity. Average home size is 1300 sq ft, and this is skewed because of older country homes. Average residence in Tokyo is 680 sq ft.

I think if you walked into the average Japanese home, you'd be shocked how much stuff is crammed in the place. As far as the other things she claims as Kondo method, the average Japanese is going to look at it and think Atarimae- "obvious' , ' to be expected'

[weisan]

[unterhausen]

If Marie Kondo saw my garage, she would squeal with glee, "I love mess"

[shinomaster]

Uggg, I collect pottery, used to collect action figures, then bike parts wheels etc. If I ever have to move I'm screwed, so I'm currently trying to downsize.

[William]

Three weeks ago I would have had no idea what you are talking about. Now when my wife wants me to get rid of something I tell her not to be a Spark-Joy killer.

Kidding aside I also went through a bunch of my clothes in the closet piling it up and realizing I had a bunch of stuff I didn't really need. Thank you and on its way. I also freed up a bunch of space in my dresser as well. I think it's just a method for helping one realize what they have and what they don't need or use.

The show can be revealing in that the families have other issues going on, but just about every family has stuff going on at some level.








W.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by verticaldoug

I tend to think the Kondo method is a load of crock. The Japanese use of space comes out of necessity. Average home size is 1300 sq ft, and this is skewed because of older country homes. Average residence in Tokyo is 680 sq ft.

I think if you walked into the average Japanese home, you'd be shocked how much stuff is crammed in the place. As far as the other things she claims as Kondo method, the average Japanese is going to look at it and think Atarimae- "obvious' , ' to be expected'

I don't really care how accurate the genesis of all of it is - I think it's a good thing for folks to be more intentional about their purchases and what they live with on a daily basis. The sheer mountains of clothes it seems most have is cray-cray. I'm under no delusion that all Japanese apartments are minimalist wonderlands.. It would be interesting to see an episode of her doing her thing over there though.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by weisan

I see a lot of joy in the room my friend...

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by William

... just about every family has stuff going on at some level.

W.

[MattTuck]

Alternatively, you could pursue the Shaker ideals of simplicity and, "a place for everything, and everything in its place."

Kondo seems to just be a 2019 rehashing of the Shaker beliefs... except for the celibacy and worship aspects.

[William]

"Sometimes a is just a ."



W.