Mission Organziation HELP?

Anyone watch those organization shows? Well - I need an intervention. Oh what I wouldn't give to have someone come to my house and help me get rid of things - and get it all organized. I'd post pictures, but I'm afraid I'd lose friends! LOL

Seriously though - here's some of my horror stories...

1) our bedroom looks like a war zone - clothes on the floor (to be washed) - on the dresser (no where to put them because drawers are full). It's not a nice relaxing space at all. On my side of the room there are boxes and bags of papers and who know's what else that needs to be gone through.

2) Then there's the master bathroom. Again the clothes - and all kinds of stuff on the counter.

3) The hall linen closet = such a mess I can't really tell what's in there.

4) The great room, kitchen and dining room - all stay piled up with stuff and cluttered.

5) Then - there's the mother of them all - my hobby room. It's such a mess with boxes of papers and junk that needs to be gone through. I can't get in there to work on anything cause can't move once you get in there.

The main problem is that it's so overwhelming that I can't figure out where to start. And any thing I do seems so miniscule in the grand scheme of things. I did pull out some clothes Friday to get rid of - but that's just a minor part of it. I can clean and throw out - but it's the "system failure" or lack there of - that causes the headaches.

Just venting - and hoping for some ideas - maybe some success stories! Thanks for listening!

Meanwhile - I'll keep reading about organizing my life - LOL

I hear you! Little by little, we've been working at getting the clutter under control at our house. We don't usually watch "Mission Organization", but rather "Clean Sweep". That show seems to deal more with why people hold onto stuff - the emotional connections - and healthier ways of viewing our possessions.

One book I read, really a life-changer, was The New Messies Manual, by Sandra Felton. She has a website at http://www.messies.com/ and there's a Yahoo Group list with organizational tips. It's neat because it gives you one specific thing to focus on each day.

Baby steps! :)

Geez, sounds like my house, just add several dogs, cats, and a teenager wearing a discman, playing video games, who says she will help later!! (Later hasn't arrived yet!)
Deb

I do watch all the shows like Clean Sweep, Trading Spaces & The family one, While you were out..and many more i cant seem to think of right now...

I used to be such a pack rat..and if truth be none i still am...shhh dont tell my husband. I got to our local mission, salvation army, goodwill..anywhere i can find discount things so i dont have to pay full price..And you know what is funny over half of the items i buy i dont need, i just buy them cause the price is to good to pass up and I MIGHT need it one day.I did clean out my kitchen cupboards..sold all the tupperware i did not use on ebay, and made quite a bit of money...more then what i paid for it actually...and what did i do with the money, went and bought more stuff ....lol habits are hard to break.

You just need to go thru all your belongings and ask yourself "is this something that i will ever use"...of course i say yes to just about everything, but I have a drawer that i put all my mail and bills, junk mail and go thru it once a month. I got my girls going thru there clothes like once a month as well for stuff they grown outta of or just dont like anymore and then we donate that to the local mission.
You just have to set aside a day and go thru all your stuff...room by room. that is how i do it and if i dont use it in that room it goes to the other room...when I do the other room i take it to the other room and eventually it will get to the room it is supposed to be in...hehehehe

Just take your time and it will get done. Dont overwhelm yourself...take as much time as needed to get it done...


Char :o)

I too am overwhelmed. I came across a post by Araness where she linked www.flylady.net. I started a couple of days ago and I feel better already. Like GW said, take baby steps to keep from getting burn-out.

As the saying goes
How do you eat an elephant?
Answer:
One bite at a time!

Just start on a corner - say sort out the dresser in the bedroom clear the top and put a vase of flowers up there as a reward. It'll also stop you wanting to clutter it if it looks pretty, so its a double reward.
Pat yourself on the back and take a break.
Next time set yourself another small area to sort out - and plan a reward for when you've done it. You'll be amazed at the difference in the way you feel a couple of small successes make.
Then repeat - in a few days it will be done - you'll feel great and you can post the pics to prove it.

I speak from personal experience here - just remember one bite at a time - keep them small or you'll get indigestion!! In no time the elephant will be gone.
HTH
Carol

edited because I can't type and I'm too lazy to proof read!!

This message was edited Jul 26, 2005 12:54 AM

Thanks everyone for your support.....I just need to light a fire under myself - and stop working 50-70 hours a week...and maybe I can get started. I'm going to try to do something - even if it's small - 3-4 times a week - and maybe eventually it will all go away. I'll keep everyone posted!

m.

I'd check out Flylady...it really does work. And like anything else it didn't get that way overnight so why do people expect it to be fixed in a day or even a week. I use to be terrible, and while my house might not be perfect I can pretty much have people over at the drop of a hat with little to no prep. It's like a weight is off my shoulders.

Saint

I'll have to do that - cause I hear lots of good things about it. My problem is that my DH and I feed off of each others messieness! - I be darned if I'm going to do something while he sits and does nothing - and I think that's the biggest thing I have to get over. Because it's bothering me - and maybe if I get started - he'll get on the band wagon!

When one elephant leaves, another quickly takes its place around here. New habits have to be formed or it is a losing battle.
I love garage sales and there-in lies one of my biggest problems. I have been forcing myself to not frequent them as much as I once did. I hate that because it was one of my favorite passtimes.

I agree with all the tips mentioned so far. I watch many of the shows on TV that cover the subject and read all the books I can get my hands on.

I think that tackling it all at once is too much of an emotional shock to many of us who have sentimental attachments to so many items. I began quite a while ago doing small jobs and doing them a little at the time. I am really strict with myself now about junking back up an already cleaned out area. Boy, does that ever take self-decipline!!!! Rome wasn't built in a day....and our junk didn't suddenly appear one day....so the best way for me is to eleminate it a little at the time. Concerning some of the mentioned shows, I am horrified that they don't let people keep more of their treasured items. No way could I do my decluttering that way. My way isn't that brutal cause I couldn't handle that!!!!!

I try to have a garage sale at least once a year and that forces me to get rid of lots of things. You can't have a sale without STUFF! I include my kids in my sales so that they can get rid of their stuff too. Two of them are "collectors" just like Mom.

I try to find good places to give my things that I can stand to part with cause I just die when people throw away good things. It is almost sinful to me when people throw away things that others could not only use but probably really need. I try to be inventive in my sorting too. Think through where that you could use something rather than where it is now and what use you could make of it rather than what it was intended to be. That really makes you feel good to find a use for something that wasn't really needed and save money not having to buy something for the use that you found for it. Is trhat confusing enough? LOL! Hopefully you know what I meant by that.

First of all, as I have said, I recycle things in my own home and yard when I can. Then I start trying to think of people or organizations that could use what I am no longer needing. It takes a little extra thought and work to bring things that I am giving away back to new condition but it is worth it to me because it give me a feeling of satisfaction knowing I have done that. My hubby feels really proud now when he takes things to the various places knowing that they are in excellent condition. He has seen me working on them for days so he knows that nothing is tattered or dirty or needs a button or anything.

Just a few ideas for you in my daily battle to solve my own problems.

LoL flylady deals with that too Betsy Bug..I use to feel that way but we no longer have that problem. It's amazing now the DH and I split up things and the house never gets bad. He even has learned to bring down his glasses from his study and put his plate in the dish washer.

I was going to suggest Flylady, too, but I see RachaelBee and araness beat me to it. Baby steps are the key. When projects get too big I get all stressed out and freeze, and end up sitting here looking for invisible dogs all day instead of doing ANYthing... And then I'm mad at myself for wasting so much time and the project gets bigger and I freeze even more and I sit here and it gets bigger and I get depressed and freeze and sit here and... etc. :-) Don't look at the big picture - work at your piles in 15 minute intervals - set a timer. Flylady has a weekly routine that you can have e-mailed to you every day. It really helped me to have some structure. She rotates parts of the house to concentrate on, so after a month you have worked on the whole house and things just keep improving as you go. Try it!! :-)

~ Marylyn

ROTFLMAO = looking for invisible dogs - you kill me! That was so funny!

I'm gonna check out flylady.....that might help. Problem is right now - I'm working so much I don't have much home time. But - baby steps...yeah that's it.....

So far, according to Flylady, what I have to work on is: NO WHINING! In the time it takes me to complain about my hubby, the kids, the house, this, that... I could be working on a "hot zone."
I think we can all help each other stay on track here on DG, too!

I found when I stopped whining and cleaned the house the hubby jumped in. *LOL* he now knows how much smoother things go when he helps.

Saint, maybe your hubby could be an influence on mine. Oh wait, I forgot: No Whining! (-:

No Whining???? man - I don't know if I can do that or not - LOL!!!

That is a TALL order, isn't it?
I can't do it either.

The Flylady is great, but Messies Anonymous really hit home with me. Whatever the method, they're great support to get it done!

Okay - I did it - I signed up on FlyLady yesterday....so we'll see how that goes. And - actually I made progress on my own this weekend. I threw away 1 huge trash bag of old makeup/junk/etc from the master bathroom Friday. Actually did my soul good!

I'll keep everyone posted on my progress.

Marcia

Marcia, I am a clutter bug myself. Every Jan. 1st I vow to lose weight and get better organized. I have done better on the organizing this year. One good book I read and it has lots of pictures, is Clutter Cutters. I have been giving a lot of things to a local Mission. It makes me feel better that someone can use it.

I also read if you do not use or wear an item in 6 months put it in a
box. If you don't miss it. You will be ready to send it out the door!
It does make me feel good to be able to locate things in an orderly fashion. Baskets and bins really help in the craft area.
Teresa

Main thing to remember with Flylady is DON'T go on a marathon cleaning spree, you'll just get burned out and end up in the same spot you are in now. Do 15 min. at a time, try to do a mission a day. A little bit at a time and before you know it your house is clean and uncluttered.

That's great, Marcia! You inspired me to sign back up with Flylady. I had let it drop a while ago. I'm a TERRIBLE housekeeper!! I checked out Messie's Anonymous, too, and I really like their e-mail digest. So I get Flylady for structure and practical advice and Messie's for commiseration and encouragement. This weekend I got almost all caught up with the laundry (AND actually put it all away!!) and this morning my sink is shining. Yayy! :-)

~ Marylyn

I'm happy to say my sink is shining! and dishes are done. Not bad for a first day!

Marylyn - we'll have to encourage each other for sure.

Araness - babysteps! I almost went overboard in the kitchen - but then remembered not to over do - so I cleaned a hot zone and stopped - so it at least made me feel better.

I can do 15 minutes - and eventually it will get straight.....

Thanks all!

GREAT!!! I know it's hard not to jump in and do a few hours when you get on a roll, but you and both know that after those few hours you won't feel like doing anything in the morning as far as the house. You really will be surprised at how fast things go 15 min. at a time. When the house gets in shape hot spots and 2 15 min shots during the day will keep the house pretty much spotless.

Araness - do you work or are you at home all day? I work and so necessarily will have to have a different routine - but it felt so good to get that sink shiny - I'll for sure continue. Thanks for the support!

Marcia

Nope, don't work I'm a bum *G* I had worked from the age of 14 and when we moved here a few years ago the DH and I sat down and figured out that my working wasn't a must sooo

If you work then I think you will really like this system. I have several friends who are full time Mom's with careers and they have adjusted this to fit personal needs. I have one who is a crock pot wiz and ALWAYS has dinner either planned or cooking as the heads out in the morning and the first thing she does when she gets home is changes shoes (nothing else) and does a 15 min pass in the entire house. She has also been very firm in having the two kids having t 15 min periods a day. One is while she is cooking dinner or setting the table and the second is the last thing they do at night. Her new rule for the kids is a clean floor. Just like her sink the kids have to make sure nothing is on the floor before they hit the sack. She says it works like a charm and they have a lot less fights because it doesn't pile up and take them 2 hours to clean.

Saint

I love Flylady too although despite her admonitions, I do get overwhelmed here... I have to laugh because I am in the midst of crisis cleaning for company coming Sunday and DH is not happy with the idea that people should not take our house for the messy pile it is... he has a kind of weird PRIDE about his messes and piles.

However, I like both Sandra Felton and Marla Cilly.

I was just about to post a thread asking "are you messie or organized?"

I, too dream about having someone come and get my stuff organized for me so I can try to simply maintain the system, not go in with a steam shovel and bags and boxes and cleaning products and invisible dog walkers... and then setting up a system (I'm ADD and dyslexic and VERY right-brained) and making it one my husband can stick to as well.... might as well shoot me, LOL.

I was just looking for books on organizing for right brained people (my left brain is atrophied, I think).... but I'll have to buy them since no local libraries have any of them.

Stick with Flylady and Sandra Felton... between the 2 of them you'll find the most amazing things that are similar and striking differences, as well.

God be with you as you declutter ... remember, your house didn't get like it is in a day and it's not going to be cleaned up in a day either (paraphrasing Marla Cilly of flylady.net)

--Janie

Thanks Janie! I've been good most of the week - last night I back slid - but I'm back on the horse today. I'm having to do some adjusting because I work fulltime - but the 15 minute time thing has really hit home with me. I can do anything for 15 minutes - and I make myself stop....I'm actually getting things done! Amazing. I even sent my MIL to the site - she needs help too.

I'll keep you posted!

m.

I think the biggest hurdle to decluttering is overcoming the emotional attachement to stuff...That and the "I might use this" mentality. I'm better than I used to be, but boy do I still have a lot to clear out. Cleaning is so much easier if there's not a bunch of stuff to move around before (and while) you do it.

My biggest problem is decluttering too. I know that FLYLady works for me, it has in the past. I just have to commit to it again, which I'm trying very hard to do. My dishes have been done and my sink shined the past 2 nights, I have been tackling others hot spots slowly. With DH's probable stroke Wed, it threw me off a bit, but I was able to make it through.

The one thing I can SWEAR to, is having a list of telephone numbers together in one place, all the time, and not just on a Palm or in your computer. Make a hard copy. Put it someplace easy to get to. You never know when you are going to need it, and then you don't want to be wasting time looking for that scrap of paper you put it on. I tell you this because a year ago next month my now 8 yr old DD had brain and skull surgery. A week after surgery she developed bacterial meningitis. This was on my other DD's 6th birthday. We also had over 6 feet of water in our basement from the remnants of the hurricanes. When Tori got sick, I was able to grab my "control journal" (as Flylady calls it) ands call her ped, her neurosurgeon, the local hosp to expect us if we couldn't get to Pittsburgh, my MIL on her cell to come get the other kids, it was all right there in front of me. When Tori and I were in the hospital (30 days out of 35 total) my oldest and my DH used the address section in the control journal to keep in touch with eachother, me and our family and friends. Please update your information and keep it handy. You never know when the worst will happen and you don't need to be panicked about phone numbers when you need to be taking ccare of someone or yourself :)

OK, I'll quit now sorry but this is really impt to me

Janis

Janis,

I can see how important the control journal is and I'm hoping that whatever happened to your DH is not terribly serious. I'll be praying for you.

I'm going to print a hard copy from my MS Outlook and put it in my control journal today!

Take care or yourself - and remember - baby steps.

God Bless,

Marcia

I second the importance of a control journal not just for yourself but for your family. It's great to have in an emergency but it's also a wonderful tool for day to day. I (Ms. Unorganized) am now who all the family calls to find out who has a birthday etc, for phone numbers, addresses etc. My Christmas cards are done one address page at a time at the first of a month. I never have more than 10 a page (the pages can be several letters at a time) and when December 1st rolls around it's a breeze to drop them in the mail. Sounds silly I know but I do it 15 min at a time and EVERYONE has 15 minutes a day. The stress and pace of the holidays aren't hetic anymore. OMG I sound like a flylady email...

LOL araness....should go put a testimonial on flylady.net!

Marcia,
Thanks for the prayers.... we believe it was a heat stroke, but I know that those can be just as devestating as a "regular" stroke. He refused any medical treatment that night, but has now agreed to see the doctor (fist time except 3 ER visits since he was in his early teens). I had a great uncle that had a heat stroke in his 30's, and then started having regular strokes(my mom who is a nurse says that you are more susceptibble after a heat stroke) by the time my great uncle was in his late 40's he couldn't speak, had very little use of the entire right side of his body, needed fed, it was awful. He lived like that until he was in his 80's, at home with his wife caring for him every single day. When I told DH about him, I just flat out asked him... do you want to live the rest of your life like that? I really think that is what woke him up. What ever it was ,I"m thankful :)

Haven't done much FLYing today, but I did take some me time and get some school shopping done :)

Janis

I've been looking at this thread and looking at the CHAOS in my apartment. Finally this morning I went to Flylady.

I started with making my bed, but had to strip it down including the mattress cover. Since it's the only 100% cotton (incl. filler) one that I have, that meant a trip to town to wash it. Washed my feather pillow, too. (It didn't dry fully yet but I have another.) It was 3pm before I had my bed made, no mean feat, since it's a hassle to get the mattress cover back on by just one person.

Then I did my double bowl ss kitchen sink, and then the dishes I left all week in the sink. I thought I would stop for the day but decided to do the stovetop before I start cooking any food!

I think I can manage 15 minutes a day eventually, on the clutter.

Go Darius! You can do it one day at a time.

I can totally relate to having to take hours to do one supposedly easy chore. But wow, the feeling when it is all done - and done correctly!

YAYY!

Congrat's Darius...When we lived in an apartment CHAOS would have been a nice word to use. I just can't seem to be organized in smaller spaces. We went to living in a small 1000 sq ft apartment when the DH just finished up his masters to a 2400 sq ft house and now this one at 2700. Still need more room *G*

Welcome Darius to our "seriously messy and lazy ladies" (SMALL) club! HA - I kill myself.....

Anyway - remember - baby steps and remember to take breaks and treat yourself.

Where are your shoes? LOL

Only time I won't be flying is on Sunday Mornings! I generally laze about - read the paper - do the crossword - get online....and sometimes don't get dressed until noon! That's been my Sunday routine for over a year now - my special treat and I'm not giving it up! So there.

Araness - WARNING WARNING - a bigger house just causes you to fill it up with more junk! Good luck!

Everyone have a blessed day - go bless your heart!

Much Love

Marcia

"SMALL" club LOL Marcia, I really like that :) So now, other than FLYBabies, I guess us DG-ers can be considered the SMALL's. And it fits all of us, even the ones using a system other than FlyLady's :)

I got my new FL calendar last week. I bought last years calendar from her also. At first I thought 20 bucks for a stupid calendar?? She has to be outta her mind. Then I tried to write all of Tori's neurosurgeon visits, and therapy appts into a little bank calendar, and then a bigger one I bought at the mall. No luck. I broke down and ordered the one off the site, and never regretted it for a minute. Huge squares, and everyone in the house used it. The day my new one came, I sat down with it and the old one, and 15 minutes at a time, put in b-days, dr appts, dentist, et cetera. Then I went through and did my zone stickers (I think I have a total of 3 or 4 sticker sets now) then I went to the cupboard, and got out our GALLON sized Zip Lock Bag full of stickers that I bought for homeschooling, and tori got wehen she was in the hospital. She wouldnt complain about needles if she got a sticker after LOL That kid had a room full of stickers when we finally came home. ..... Anyway, I got those stickers out and found one I liked, and stuck it in the notes section, and next to it wrote, shined my sink. So every night I shine my sink, I get a smiley face. Then I found some cute flower stickers, and put one in the notes section, and next to it, I wrote, watered flowers. So I get a flower sticker everytime I water all my outdoor plants. Makes me realize they aren't geting enough water, so I'm getting better. I'm gonna pick another sticker today and use it for "Blessing my Heart" (I refuse to use the "E" word LOL) and stickers for making the bed, dressed to the shoes (those 2 are my hardest habits to form :( ) I love my sweats so much and my big baggie t shirts. The worst part is, tax time this year, I bought a bunch of new clothes. Jeans and shirts, shoes (birkenstocks tho) so its not like I don't have anyting decent to wear.

I really thought the sticker thing was silly when I read about it, in a FlyLady email, but it really works LOL I love seeing those bright spots on my calendar, and the kids like it too. They made me promise we'd do a Homework calendar this year. We did one last year.... every day they did their homework without complaint, they got a sticker, and at the end of the month, whoever had the most stickers got a treat. Bribery works wonders LOL

Ok, I'm gonna go get dressed. I laid my clothes out last night, but I'm still in the t shirt I slept in and my sweats. I'm gonna tackle Mt Washmore today too. I have most of the laundry washed and dried, but it is in a SERIOUS mountian on my loveseat :( Here is a pic of the laundry (this is over a week ago, so its bigger now. 15 minutes at a time.

Janis