Today I am sharing - KOMONO: Teacher Resources
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| BEFORE - Teacher Resources |
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.
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 you 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 & Crafts
- Household supplies (expendables like medicine, detergents, tissues, etc)
- Kitchen goods/food supplies - EATING - COOKING TOOLS - FOOD - FOOD STORAGE
- Other -
EXTRA POSTS
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.
2. Sort by category, not by location
3. Selection Criterion: Does it 'spark joy?'
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Today I am sharing KOMONO: Teacher Resources
As always I was following Marie Kondo's rules...sort by category, not by location...moving all my teacher resources from the office into the house, made it somewhat easier, because I could see everything in one place. Yes, it was overwhelming, however I could envisage my end result, and how much stuff I am willing to keep.
I was restricted to a time frame because of other commitments, so this made me tidy as quickly (and completely) as possible. When I know I have a certain amount of time to get something done, I am more determined to get it done quicker, as opposed to taking my time.
I thought I would show you all a 'DURING' photo, so you can get an idea what I was working with. I had a bit of a system, categorising as I went. I wasn't too fussed about the organisation of my resources, I really just needed to purge!
DAY ONE RECAP:
Phew! That was intense. I spent two hours going through majority of my teacher resources. I filled two bags of rubbish and had a box of unused clear files and a few spare school books. I semi-organised what I had kept...Te Reo Māori resources, unit plans, maths resources, and half a box of sentimental items (that will be sorted at a later date).
I felt like a made a good start. I would have loved to continue and get it all done in one day, but I had to pick up my daughter from school and my toddler would have a blast pulling everything out of the containers, so I called it a day.
I have been waiting for this day to come since I started this whole KonMari journey - My teacher resources!!! It pretty much takes up over half of my office and it was really bugging me. I didn't want to unpack it all because it really needed it to be culled first.
A bit of background about my teacher resources...
Before I moved in with my partner in July 2013, our downstairs bedroom was dedicated to my teacher resources...on a good day, it almost resembled a mini classroom...on a bad day, it was a chaotic mess. I had so much stuff...resources I had kept from University and from my first few years of teaching - I had kept it all. Then when I decided it was time to take the plunge and move in with my partner, I had to have a massive cull, simply because I was going from a four-bedroom house to a two-bedroom home, and there was not much room to store my stuff. So I did...I purged maybe half of my teacher resources and sent the other half to my parents. In August last year, we bought our first family home. I went up north one weekend to my parents and collected everything that belonged to me but before I put it all in my car, I purged again. It had been a year and a bit since I did my first cull, so it was like I was going in with fresh eyes. I managed to cull half of what was there, but it still felt like a lot.
This is what I was left with...(so imagine this pile x 3 - that's what I started off with!)
It was a lot to get through, because I was going through each box and looking at every piece of paper/book/resource/planning I had, to see if it 'sparked joy' or if it will be useful for me now or in the next couple of years.
Here is how my KonMari purge turned out...
- DAY ONE -
This is my BEFORE...roughly 6-7 containers worth of teacher resources (including planning, unit plans, displays, classroom resources plus much more). I stood there looking at this pile for about 10 minutes, deciding where to start. There was no turning back, I had to get it done/started because it was all on my dining room floor, so I had to choose a spot and get started.
BEFORE:
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| BEFORE - Teacher Resources |
As always I was following Marie Kondo's rules...sort by category, not by location...moving all my teacher resources from the office into the house, made it somewhat easier, because I could see everything in one place. Yes, it was overwhelming, however I could envisage my end result, and how much stuff I am willing to keep.
I was restricted to a time frame because of other commitments, so this made me tidy as quickly (and completely) as possible. When I know I have a certain amount of time to get something done, I am more determined to get it done quicker, as opposed to taking my time.
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| Where to start? |
I thought I would show you all a 'DURING' photo, so you can get an idea what I was working with. I had a bit of a system, categorising as I went. I wasn't too fussed about the organisation of my resources, I really just needed to purge!
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| 'DURING' |
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| Old classroom labels |
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| Making Progress - Teacher Resources |
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| End of Day 1 - Teacher Resources |
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| Two bags of rubbish and a container of unused clear files |
Phew! That was intense. I spent two hours going through majority of my teacher resources. I filled two bags of rubbish and had a box of unused clear files and a few spare school books. I semi-organised what I had kept...Te Reo Māori resources, unit plans, maths resources, and half a box of sentimental items (that will be sorted at a later date).
I felt like a made a good start. I would have loved to continue and get it all done in one day, but I had to pick up my daughter from school and my toddler would have a blast pulling everything out of the containers, so I called it a day.
- DAY TWO -
Back into it again - DAY TWO - I had these two containers and a six foolscap filing boxes left to go through...
About an hour later...I filled a rubbish bag, and emptied two foolscap filing boxes.
AFTER!
And I am DONE! WOW, What a difference! It may not look like much of a difference to you, but it is to me. I got rid of so much stuff! |
| AFTER - Teacher Resources |
Final Thoughts...
If I am honest, I never thought I would actually get through it. I was dreading purging my teacher resources because it's one of those categories where you want to keep things 'just in case' you need it in the future. I don't know what's going to happen next year or the year after that, so I wasn't willing to part with everything I had, although it would be so much easier if I did, and I do know of a few teachers who have actually done that! One day I may return to the classroom (my own classroom that is), so I do want some resources to start off with.
I am happy with what I have kept and the next stage is to organise my teacher resources, but that will be done at a later date because this stage of the KonMari process is all about the purging. For the time being I have all my arch folders, foolscap filing boxes and teacher resource books (pictured at the back) stored in my office cupboard and the containers (yet to be organised) sitting in front of it. Once I have had it all organised and labelled, I will share the results with you. Watch this space.
KOMONO - COMPLETE
Attention Teachers
How do you organise your teacher resources? I would love to see photos of your spaces (whether it's at home or in your classroom). You can get in contact with me HERE.
Coming Up Next: My KonMari Journey: Sentimental
The biggest and hardest category of them all...over the next few weeks, I will be tackling my Sentimental items - personal knick knacks, photos (galore), digital files etc. Watch this space...I will probably break this category into parts, because I have quite a lot to get through.
Note: I will be doing a 'KonMari with Kids' series once I have finished my own KonMari journey. Watch this space or Subscribe to my Blog, so you don't miss a post.
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I am super excited about this journey and I would love for you to follow along in this process, better yet, join me - Subscribe to my Blog, so you don't miss a post and together we can tidy our homes and change our lives, once and for all. I will also be sharing my journey on my Facebook page, and Instagram, so be sure to follow me there too.
Charlene
If you would like to give the KonMari Method a go, but don't have the book - You can view and print/save all of my KonMari checklists HERE.
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This is the area I would have most difficulty with. I shipped all my teaching resources from the UK down under and then gave/chucked them all away when we moved to our smaller place three years ago. Now I teach English to international students and have built up another whole stack of resources which I also can't bear to part with "just in case." They're all over the house; in the spare room, in the hall cupboard and even under the bed. I totally need to Kon Mari them! I think you did good!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sammie. I definitely feel lighter since doing the purge and there is more floor space in my external office. I can't wait to get it all organised! (that will come later). Having all your resources in one place will make you feel more in control :)
DeleteThis is something I've started to do but it's so overwhelming. A friend and I have agreed to help each other. I purge every time I move but it's time to do it again. I know I will feel better getting rid of the things we no longer love or need. But ... starting is hard. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteNow that looks like a life changing transformation! We have been doing similar for our office and it's so much easier to work with a clear head when everything is sorted. Thanks for linking up with #HIT xx
ReplyDeleteI need to do this with all my old marketing textbooks and books. So much of the information has changed from 15 years ago! I ended up getting my office looking tidy after sharing it being messy on Snapchat. I also need to tidy and go through my filing cabinets.
ReplyDeleteI was following with interest as I recently went through all my resources that had been sitting in boxes for the 11 years that I was overseas. I got rid of loads!!!! When I actually made myself go through it I found that much of it was out dated and so much is now available online. I brought back 3 large boxes of resources from the UK and I yet to go through those but I need to do it at some stage and put it into some sort of system! Charlene you have inspired me to get started!
ReplyDelete