Marie Kondo and video game collecting
In case you’re unfamiliar with Marie Kondo, she’s a Japanese lady with a philosophy on how to tidy up living spaces that has gained incredible traction over the past few years. She’s all the rage right now.
I stole an excerpt from some site that sums it up pretty well:
Kondo’s services command a waiting list a mile long in Japan, but for the rest of us, her book breaks down her radical, two-pronged approach to tidying. First, put your hands on everything you own, ask yourself if it sparks joy, and if it doesn’t, thank it for its service and get rid of it. Second, once only your most joy-giving belongings remain, put every item in a place where it’s visible, accessible, and easy to grab and then put back. Only then, Kondo says, will you have reached the nirvana of housekeeping, and never have to clean again.
What do you think? Has anyone tried this with their gaming collection yet??
I stole an excerpt from some site that sums it up pretty well:
Kondo’s services command a waiting list a mile long in Japan, but for the rest of us, her book breaks down her radical, two-pronged approach to tidying. First, put your hands on everything you own, ask yourself if it sparks joy, and if it doesn’t, thank it for its service and get rid of it. Second, once only your most joy-giving belongings remain, put every item in a place where it’s visible, accessible, and easy to grab and then put back. Only then, Kondo says, will you have reached the nirvana of housekeeping, and never have to clean again.
What do you think? Has anyone tried this with their gaming collection yet??
Comments
Furniture, kitchen utensils, laundry room stuff, toiletries, tools, all of these do not spark joy. But you know what, I don't have to look longingly at my pipe snake, and when my son throws a sock into the toilet I'm not exactly "joyous" about that either.
Hell, I own things that spark tears.
Lady's crazy, and she's teaching people that their possessions need to make them happy or they're garbage.
I figured this one would stir the pot
Guess we all know what sparks YOUR joy then.
But seriously, if people believe what she's preaching then more power to them. As long as it works. I for one don't need some television personality how to live my life to my fullest.
Dont focus on the whole "sparks joy" thing, its the gimmick of the whole thing. I never held each item or any of that crap. However, her organizing system works well.
The real gist of it is a huge purge of all of one type of item, like clothes.
Most people will clean one room at a time, its far better to get all your clothes from every room and do them all at once. Same thing with books.
We had books in the garage, attic, living room, game room and our spare bedroom. Getting them all together is the shock we needed to say "ok we dont need a ton of these". My wife had so many shoes, many still brand new from 10 yrs ago.
It was cathartic donating all that stuff. I actually still have a list of stuff that needs to be organized and purged.
Just "having" the stuff is the fun in collecting. Whether its to play, speculate on or just know you have it on your shelf.
There is no inherent "fun" in having sheets for a bed you dont have anymore or a jacket you hate and havent worn in a decade (unless of course you collect clothes)
As long as it works. I for one don't need some television personality how to live my life to my fullest.
*cut to Joe sitting on his porch smiling as his house is bursting from the seams with stuff*
As long as it works. I for one don't need some television personality how to live my life to my fullest.
*cut to Joe sitting on his porch smiling as his house is bursting from the seams with stuff*
I swear I’ll need that stack of 1993 newspaper clippings one day!!!
(I’m not really a hoarder as I have zero attachment to any physical belonging I own except a few select items of my late son which I plan on letting go soon, I barely even have furniture because of my kids, let alone rooms of junk)
As for the video games, the being visible and accessible (and bringing joy) thing I like. Goals.
If anyone of y'all want to Kondo your NES collection, let me know
However, I want to learn the "system" and her philosophy but only got like 20 minutes in to the Netflix show. I still want to learn her core system/philosophy, but too wondered about the crap we have as "need" vs "joy" - like kitchen utensils that was a good example. I'm guessing the joy vision is more for the non-necessities.
I have a TON of crap even a storage unit full and am dedicated to taking more of a minimalist approach to downsizing everything and closing the storage unit this summer.
Mr. Wunderful it's interesting hearing your bit of feedback, I plan to follow that track for sure. That must be why ya got rid of the good ol' Wii U .
However, I want to learn the "system" and her philosophy but only got like 20 minutes in to the Netflix show. I still want to learn her core system/philosophy, but too wondered about the crap we have as "need" vs "joy" - like kitchen utensils that was a good example. I'm guessing the joy vision is more for the non-necessities.
The book from a few years ago is a quick read, and skips the drama of the show.
In terms of "needs" vs "joy", and stuff like kitchen equipment, I like Alton Brown's philosophy of not owning specialty/single-use items (i.e. everything in your kitchen should be useful for multiple things), since it is easy to have "kitchen gadgets" and specialty utensils take over your space.
Can't say I live by it, particularly, but it's an aspirational goal
For home improvement/construction/maintenance tools, it is different, obviously, as the exact right tool for a job can be the difference between DIY success versus wasting a whole day on what could otherwise be a simple task.
But personally, I think those kind of tools "spark joy" (Kondo's terminology) in the sense that they allow you to feel like the master of your domain while still having time to spend with your family.
She is clearly coming from all of this from the angle of a person who isn't doing physical maintenance or property rehab, so lacks that kind of perspective.
But she's dead right that most of us own WAY too many clothes, drawers of random crap, and stuff that we are generally never going to use.
However, I want to learn the "system" and her philosophy but only got like 20 minutes in to the Netflix show. I still want to learn her core system/philosophy, but too wondered about the crap we have as "need" vs "joy" - like kitchen utensils that was a good example. I'm guessing the joy vision is more for the non-necessities.
The book from a few years ago is a quick read, and skips the drama of the show.
In terms of "needs" vs "joy", and stuff like kitchen equipment, I like Alton Brown's philosophy of not owning specialty/single-use items (i.e. everything in your kitchen should be useful for multiple things), since it is easy to have "kitchen gadgets" and specialty utensils take over your space.
Can't say I live by it, particularly, but it's an aspirational goal
For home improvement/construction/maintenance tools, it is different, obviously, as the exact right tool for a job can be the difference between DIY success versus wasting a whole day on what could otherwise be a simple task.
But personally, I think those kind of tools "spark joy" (Kondo's terminology) in the sense that they allow you to feel like the master of your domain while still having time to spend with your family.
She is clearly coming from all of this from the angle of a person who isn't doing physical maintenance or property rehab, so lacks that kind of perspective.
But she's dead right that most of us own WAY too many clothes, drawers of random crap, and stuff that we are generally never going to use.
These are neat points, especially the tools part. I have a crazy amount of DIY home rehab tools along with standard mechanic/home tools - they do take up a chunk of space but are quite useful when needed. These are precisely some of the items I struggle to downsize but will find ways to organize better I think.
The Alton Brown philosophy you mention is interesting too, I'll note that down - the kitchen can easily get overrun with 1 trick appliances . I was just considering a Pizazz the other day, I'm terrible!
However, I want to learn the "system" and her philosophy but only got like 20 minutes in to the Netflix show. I still want to learn her core system/philosophy, but too wondered about the crap we have as "need" vs "joy" - like kitchen utensils that was a good example. I'm guessing the joy vision is more for the non-necessities.
The book from a few years ago is a quick read, and skips the drama of the show.
In terms of "needs" vs "joy", and stuff like kitchen equipment, I like Alton Brown's philosophy of not owning specialty/single-use items (i.e. everything in your kitchen should be useful for multiple things), since it is easy to have "kitchen gadgets" and specialty utensils take over your space.
Can't say I live by it, particularly, but it's an aspirational goal
For home improvement/construction/maintenance tools, it is different, obviously, as the exact right tool for a job can be the difference between DIY success versus wasting a whole day on what could otherwise be a simple task.
But personally, I think those kind of tools "spark joy" (Kondo's terminology) in the sense that they allow you to feel like the master of your domain while still having time to spend with your family.
She is clearly coming from all of this from the angle of a person who isn't doing physical maintenance or property rehab, so lacks that kind of perspective.
But she's dead right that most of us own WAY too many clothes, drawers of random crap, and stuff that we are generally never going to use.
These are neat points, especially the tools part. I have a crazy amount of DIY home rehab tools along with standard mechanic/home tools - they do take up a chunk of space but are quite useful when needed. These are precisely some of the items I struggle to downsize but will find ways to organize better I think.
The Alton Brown philosophy you mention is interesting too, I'll note that down - the kitchen can easily get overrun with 1 trick appliances . I was just considering a Pizazz the other day, I'm terrible!
I definitely need to tackle the tool organization this spring, as I just haven't gone through my stuff in so long.
But my philosophy is if the tool will save me at least an hour per job, I am probably willing to buy it and own it.
The big difference in the kitchen, for me at least, is while I enjoy cooking, if I don't own some speciality appliance, I can just cook something different or find a recipe that doesn't require it and be just fine.
You don't have that kind of choice when it comes to home maintenance or house projects -- you need to do what needs to be done, either you're doing it or you're hiring a pro, so buy what you need to do it right. (there is also a pretty significant safety element to having the right tools when it comes to drilling or cutting)
Somewhat Kondo-inspired, we recently donated some unused blankets/towels from the house to a local animal shelter that needed extra bedding for the pets. It was nice to get more space in the linen closet, but more importantly, a lot of cats and dogs are now sleeping more comfortably.
That's an excellent idea! I know I can do the same.
I can't stand clutter and having a bunch of shit I'll never use.
There is a difference between useless material possessions and having things that have practical uses as well.
Excellent idea and I usually go through all my stuff every few months and throw it out or donate it.
I can't stand clutter and having a bunch of shit I'll never use.
There is a difference between useless material possessions and having things that have practical uses as well.
Like dinosaur planters
TL;DR: For some of us, the value of the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. Good for Ms. Kondo helping people declutter but it's not a silver bullet and doesn't work well with all of us. And, for the record, my wife has been cool about my collecting.
Excellent idea and I usually go through all my stuff every few months and throw it out or donate it.
I can't stand clutter and having a bunch of shit I'll never use.
There is a difference between useless material possessions and having things that have practical uses as well.
Like dinosaur planters
Gotta have plants man, they are natural air circulators/cleaners.
Get away from my video game tapes Marie!
That’s the punchline I’ve been waiting to hear