Welcome to 'My KonMari Journey' series. Over the next few months I will be sharing my progress, as I make my way through the KonMari Method, based on the best-seller book 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up' by Japanese organising enthusiast, Marie Kondo.
Today I am sharing - Household Equipment: Stationery
If you are new to my blog, Welcome! In case you missed it, be sure to read my Introduction and Getting Started post, so you know what the KonMari Method is all about and the reasons why I am doing it.
Also in this series:
In a nutshell, Marie Kondo has four rules she recommends people follow when doing the KonMari Method:
1. Tidy in one shot, as quickly and completely as possible.
2. Sort by category, not by location
3. Selection Criterion: Does it 'spark joy?'
4. Order of tidying: Clothes, Books, Documents (Paper), Miscellaneous items (Komono), and Momentos (Sentimental)
As suggested in the book, I will start doing the KonMari Method with my own 'stuff' first, then I will work though the kids items, because I am too sentimental and would find it hard to part with their things right off the bat. I also need to get my head around this new process of de-cluttering, tidying and organising, so hopefully when it comes to purging my kids stuff, it will be a lot easier (well, let's hope so).
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The fourth category of the KonMari Method is KOMONO (Miscellaneous). Now for me, this category is probably bigger than the Paper category. Do you remember in my Introduction post, I mentioned I felt overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I had stored in containers sitting in my office, well majority of them fit into this category. I have containers of miscellaneous items - that I haven't really touched for the past 3 years and includes stuff I have kept for over 10! This category may take some time, however I will be following Marie Kondo's recommended order (see below) and will hopefully (fingers crossed) find a new home for everything and only "keep things because I love them, not 'just because'" (Marie Kondo) - which is totally why I always rebound, and why I NEED the KonMari Method in my life.
Over the next couple of weeks or however long it takes me, I will be tackling Komono (miscellaneous items 1) which includes:
- CDs, DVDs
- Skincare products
- Make-Up
- Accessories
- Valuables (passports, credit cards, etc)
- Electrical equipment and appliances (digital cameras, electric cords, anything that seems vaguely 'electric')
- Household equipment (stationery and writing materials, sewing kits, etc.)
- Household supplies (expendables like medicine, detergents, tissues, etc)
- Kitchen goods/food supplies
- Other
As always I will be keeping these three rules in mind when doing my purge:
1. Tidy in one shot, as quickly and completely as possible.
Today I am sharing - Household Equipment: Stationery
Please note: the 'Household Equipment' sub-category of the Komono category is going to be split into two separate posts. The first (this post) is going to focus on Stationery supplies e.g. pens, pencils, felts, and office supplies. The second will be all about Craft supplies, including paper used for craft, which I will share (possibly) next week.
I knew this category was coming and as a stationery addict + teacher, I was really dreading it! Before I even started, I went to my office and started corralling ALL of my stationery supplies together - this included putting ALL pens, pencils, highlights, vivids etc into a box and any other 'office supplies' in another. I pulled a few things out of my teacher resources - note: I will be doing my teacher resources as a separate category at the end of the Komono. I was not surprised by the quantity of pens etc I owned because in my years of teaching, I have bought many items for my classroom myself (life of a teacher).
So after an about half an hour going through the office and walking around the home - THIS IS MY BEFORE PHOTO! All of my writing supplies and stationery/office supplies all in one place! eek! It might not look like much but both of those boxes are over half full of 'stuff'.
So let's get started!
BEFORE
WRITING SUPPLIES
Like I mentioned before I am addicted to stationery. I have to be honest, it is my weakness...even more so as a teacher. I am always purchasing new pens, highlighters, felts (especially Sharpies) and I have a collection of whiteboard markers and vivid markers too.
Now, some of you may remember I did a purge of my pens etc just last month as part of the #31Days2GetOrganised challenge (I shared a photo of my IG and Facebook), well that purge obviously did not include my 'office' stuff.
Here it is! All my writing supplies...scattered in a BIG mess on my lounge floor! CRAZINESS! Let's do this!
Following Marie Kondo's rule 'Sort by category'...that is exactly what I did, so I could see the full magnitude of what I had and there was A LOT! Pens, felts, gel pens, highlighters, pencils, vivids, Sharpies, Highlighters, Whiteboard markers and even TWINK (white-out). I took a deep breath and started with one pile and worked my way through everything.
I held EACH and EVERY pen etc to see if it sparked joy and also to see if it actually worked or not. It didn't matter if it sparked joy or not, if it didn't work - it was straight in the bin or it was put in the 'purge/donate' pile. Here's the proof! Pretty right?
KEEP PILE
After about an hour...I DID IT! I went through the massive pile of pens etc...and this is what I was left with! WOOHOO!
In the white pen holder are a selection of pens that belong in our family centre (by our calendar & bills), next to that are all our new felt tips...for special drawing and colouring - they are stored in the family centre, away from Toddler hands. In the mint pen holder, I have my special pens/gel pens - this belongs in my office. The bright pens on the left are my partner's work pens...(they will be returned to his work this week) and the pens on the right are stored in the 3 drawer unit, along with the pencils, vivids (I have one of each colour + 2 black) and highlights (one of each colour), and my whiteboard markers, (again - one of each colour). I store all of my Sharpies in the pencil case and take this with me to PlayCentre & School.
On the left are the pens for our family centre and on the right, these are my pens for the office.
PURGE/DONATE PILE
It feels good to get rid of so many pens, pencils, vivids, & highlighter (plus sharpeners + rulers). I know other people will benefit from having these in their schools/centres/homes.
DISCARD PILE
I had a lot of pens and markers that were all dried up or the tips were damaged. Some even sparked joy and then I was disappointed because they didn't work, so I had to let them go. I filled a plastic shopping bag of pens and markers.
STATIONERY/OFFICE SUPPLIES
BEFORE...
Once I had finished with my writing supplies...I got stuck into my stationery/office supplies - this included: scissors, staplers, hole punches, tape, sticky pads, glue, pins, pegs, clips, rulers and more. This was very overwhelming - I kept asking myself WHY? WHY? WHY? As a teacher, I am constantly collecting supplies, losing supplies and buying supplies I don't necessarily need.
AFTER...
It doesn't look like I have purged much does it?...but I did. I promise. In the white drawer unit (pictured top right) is where I store all of my staples (office & gun stapler), pins, and paper clips.
I was amazed at how many scissors and glue sticks I owned. I keep a pair of scissors in our family centre, first aid kit, utility drawer in the kitchen, and a couple of pairs with our craft supplies (including a pair of fabric scissors) - having them in these areas, saves time on hunting for scissors when you need them and the same goes for glue sticks. I am looking forward to doing some collage stuff with my kids in the next few weeks, especially with Easter just around the corner. As for the tape - some of them belong to my partner and the rest are good for organising/labelling items, so I will hold on to them until I have completed my KonMari journey.
Now I just need to figure out how and where I am going to organise/store my stationery supplies/ items. All I know is most of it will be going in my office, but I need YOUR HELP, I need some inspiration. How do YOU store your stationery/office supplies? Comment below or better still, please send me photo - I would be forever grateful. You can contact me HERE.
What a mammoth task that was! It feels SO great to only have kept items I love and that spark joy. Now I know what I have, I can use these items more regularly and best of all, I know where they are and will hopefully stop buying duplicates of everything.
1. Tidy in one shot, as quickly and completely as possible.
2. Sort by category, not by location
3. Selection Criterion: Does it 'spark joy?'
3. Selection Criterion: Does it 'spark joy?'
Today I am sharing - Household Equipment: Stationery
Please note: the 'Household Equipment' sub-category of the Komono category is going to be split into two separate posts. The first (this post) is going to focus on Stationery supplies e.g. pens, pencils, felts, and office supplies. The second will be all about Craft supplies, including paper used for craft, which I will share (possibly) next week.
I knew this category was coming and as a stationery addict + teacher, I was really dreading it! Before I even started, I went to my office and started corralling ALL of my stationery supplies together - this included putting ALL pens, pencils, highlights, vivids etc into a box and any other 'office supplies' in another. I pulled a few things out of my teacher resources - note: I will be doing my teacher resources as a separate category at the end of the Komono. I was not surprised by the quantity of pens etc I owned because in my years of teaching, I have bought many items for my classroom myself (life of a teacher).
So after an about half an hour going through the office and walking around the home - THIS IS MY BEFORE PHOTO! All of my writing supplies and stationery/office supplies all in one place! eek! It might not look like much but both of those boxes are over half full of 'stuff'.
So let's get started!
BEFORE
WRITING SUPPLIES
Like I mentioned before I am addicted to stationery. I have to be honest, it is my weakness...even more so as a teacher. I am always purchasing new pens, highlighters, felts (especially Sharpies) and I have a collection of whiteboard markers and vivid markers too.
Now, some of you may remember I did a purge of my pens etc just last month as part of the #31Days2GetOrganised challenge (I shared a photo of my IG and Facebook), well that purge obviously did not include my 'office' stuff.
Here it is! All my writing supplies...scattered in a BIG mess on my lounge floor! CRAZINESS! Let's do this!
Following Marie Kondo's rule 'Sort by category'...that is exactly what I did, so I could see the full magnitude of what I had and there was A LOT! Pens, felts, gel pens, highlighters, pencils, vivids, Sharpies, Highlighters, Whiteboard markers and even TWINK (white-out). I took a deep breath and started with one pile and worked my way through everything.
I held EACH and EVERY pen etc to see if it sparked joy and also to see if it actually worked or not. It didn't matter if it sparked joy or not, if it didn't work - it was straight in the bin or it was put in the 'purge/donate' pile. Here's the proof! Pretty right?
KEEP PILE
After about an hour...I DID IT! I went through the massive pile of pens etc...and this is what I was left with! WOOHOO!
In the white pen holder are a selection of pens that belong in our family centre (by our calendar & bills), next to that are all our new felt tips...for special drawing and colouring - they are stored in the family centre, away from Toddler hands. In the mint pen holder, I have my special pens/gel pens - this belongs in my office. The bright pens on the left are my partner's work pens...(they will be returned to his work this week) and the pens on the right are stored in the 3 drawer unit, along with the pencils, vivids (I have one of each colour + 2 black) and highlights (one of each colour), and my whiteboard markers, (again - one of each colour). I store all of my Sharpies in the pencil case and take this with me to PlayCentre & School.
On the left are the pens for our family centre and on the right, these are my pens for the office.
I am only keeping what is on the left. The rest are being purged/donated/binned.
It feels good to get rid of so many pens, pencils, vivids, & highlighter (plus sharpeners + rulers). I know other people will benefit from having these in their schools/centres/homes.
I had a lot of pens and markers that were all dried up or the tips were damaged. Some even sparked joy and then I was disappointed because they didn't work, so I had to let them go. I filled a plastic shopping bag of pens and markers.
BEFORE...
Once I had finished with my writing supplies...I got stuck into my stationery/office supplies - this included: scissors, staplers, hole punches, tape, sticky pads, glue, pins, pegs, clips, rulers and more. This was very overwhelming - I kept asking myself WHY? WHY? WHY? As a teacher, I am constantly collecting supplies, losing supplies and buying supplies I don't necessarily need.
AFTER...
It doesn't look like I have purged much does it?...but I did. I promise. In the white drawer unit (pictured top right) is where I store all of my staples (office & gun stapler), pins, and paper clips.
I was amazed at how many scissors and glue sticks I owned. I keep a pair of scissors in our family centre, first aid kit, utility drawer in the kitchen, and a couple of pairs with our craft supplies (including a pair of fabric scissors) - having them in these areas, saves time on hunting for scissors when you need them and the same goes for glue sticks. I am looking forward to doing some collage stuff with my kids in the next few weeks, especially with Easter just around the corner. As for the tape - some of them belong to my partner and the rest are good for organising/labelling items, so I will hold on to them until I have completed my KonMari journey.
Now I just need to figure out how and where I am going to organise/store my stationery supplies/ items. All I know is most of it will be going in my office, but I need YOUR HELP, I need some inspiration. How do YOU store your stationery/office supplies? Comment below or better still, please send me photo - I would be forever grateful. You can contact me HERE.
What a mammoth task that was! It feels SO great to only have kept items I love and that spark joy. Now I know what I have, I can use these items more regularly and best of all, I know where they are and will hopefully stop buying duplicates of everything.
Next: 'My KonMari Journey' - Komono: Household Equipment - Crafts
Please note: The Komono (Miscellaneous) category has several sub-categories, so I will be sharing a post for most of them. Watch this space or Subscribe to my Blog, so you don't miss a post.
Please note: The Komono (Miscellaneous) category has several sub-categories, so I will be sharing a post for most of them. Watch this space or Subscribe to my Blog, so you don't miss a post.
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Charlene
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Your organisation makes me want to re-do my whole house! HAHA
ReplyDeleteYou can do it!
DeleteI think I am lucky we only moved in 18 months ago, because we were so ruthless when we moved and haven't restock too much yet. Hubby has a passion for buying light bulbs and batteries, I've had to re-organise those quite a few times now, but otherwise we are keeping the collections at bay. Thanks for linking up with #HIT
ReplyDeleteWell done you! I really do wish I did this KonMari method last year before we moved! However, now I have a real purpose for cleaning out the clutter and changing my life & home for the better.
DeleteYour post makes me happy in two ways 1) that I'm not the only one with a slight obsession about all things stationary and pens (your before stash of pens is similar to the one I have and organized just this summer) 2) That you were able to organize all your office supplies in a manner that made sense for you and your family. Konmari really has its perks, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing this on #SHINEbloghop this week!
Thank you for stopping by Maria, I really appreciate it. KonMari is amazing! I truly believe you have to be ready for 'The KonMari Method'!
DeleteWow! That's a lot of pens! Having said that I have a fair few pens in my office too. It's scary to think about all the money spent on acquiring so many pens and pencils. I love stationery too but I don't have a collection as big as yours.
ReplyDeleteMost of these pens/stationery are ones I have collected in my 5+ years of teaching. I am really happy with the what I have kept and know I will use them.
DeleteWow you had a lot of rulers, haha! It actually looks quite fun sorting all that stuff out especially the fun coloured pens. I have trouble finding a pen around here most days, and even when I do I can't read my own writing ;)
ReplyDeletehaha! It was a class set given to all teachers at a school I was teaching at. I thought I would return to the classroom, but life had different plans for me! I have only kept a few rulers.
DeleteThis is one area I actually have fairly much under control as I did a huge declutter about a year ago of the kids stationary. I had been buying all 3 of them a new set of textas and pencils each new school year but because the previous ones still worked I hadn't thrown those out so I did a huge test, throw and donate process then and now don't necessarily buy a new set each year for each of them, they are all in high school now!
ReplyDeleteGood on you! My daughter is a bit of stationery freak too, we will be tackling her stuff when I have finished my journey. I am one of those mums who will buy new school stationery every year - I blame my OCD for that one! I look forward to going through this method with my daughter.
DeleteIncredible how much we keep things! I really need to do that in my girl's room... xx cathy
ReplyDeleteOnce I have finished my journey...I will be doing my kids stuff - I can't wait!
DeleteOh you did good! I think I need to do a stationery audit too but I might wait til I see how you organise it first! I chuck mine in an IKEA storage box and it's not something I recommend!
ReplyDeleteHoly shit! That is A LOT of pens! Can you believe I couldn't find a single pen in my house the other day? Not one! Now I know where they all are! You stole all the pens in NZ! Hahaha! #TeamIBOT
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by the KonMari method but I'm not ready just yet to commit to it. Will return to check out more of your posts on your decluttering experience!
ReplyDeleteI would find it so hard to get rid of any stationary. I would get distracted using them all!
ReplyDeleteI store pens upside down (nib up) - after too many times finding that a pen stored nib down has had all the ink explode out the nib!
ReplyDeleteInformative post. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOffice stationery suppliers in chennai