I keep hearing people say that getting things under control in one area of your life

[DawnM]

will get you under control in others.

 

For example, if you get your house clutter under control, you will naturally get your finances and eating/weight under control.

 

I just don't agree. At least it isn't true for me.

 

Our finances are very under control. We are very disciplined (well, mostly!) in that area of our lives.

 

Meanwhile, I cannot figure out a diet/eating plan that works for me, nor can I get this house completely manageable. :tongue_smilie:

 

How about you?

 

Dawn

Edited July 13, 2011 by DawnM

[Bonnie in VA]

I wish it worked that way. Finances are very under control; closets are in fairly good shape; clutter is all over the place everywhere else.

[Carol in Cal.]

I think it's true that you can get a positive snowball going sometimes. When everything is crazy, establishing and maintaining control in one area can give you the confidence and inspiration to try to get it in another. But I don't think that that works when you have the skills or motivation to be in control in one area but not in another.

[snickelfritz]

I think it's true that you can get a positive snowball going sometimes. When everything is crazy, establishing and maintaining control in one area can give you the confidence and inspiration to try to get it in another. But I don't think that that works when you have the skills or motivation to be in control in one area but not in another.

 

 

I agree.

 

I think that the more areas you have out of control, the worse you feel. If you at least have some areas that are manageable, it makes life feel more manageable. When clutter AND eating AND finances AND, AND, AND are out of control, it doesn't give you any calm in the storm. There are too many, unrelated, places you need to start working on at once.

[Perry]

I think it's true that you can get a positive snowball going sometimes. When everything is crazy, establishing and maintaining control in one area can give you the confidence and inspiration to try to get it in another. But I don't think that that works when you have the skills or motivation to be in control in one area but not in another.

:iagree:

 

When I feel like my house is getting out of control, I start with the sink (Flylady tip). It always works for me.

[DawnM]

Flylady makes me crazy.

 

It just isn't my style.

 

The first two days, while I put my shoes on, make my bed, and clean the sink, the rest of my house is getting worse.

 

And really, cleaning the sink would first require me to get stuff OUT of it! Thereby messing up the counters further.

 

And shoes on in the house? Well, there comes more dirt on the hardwood floors to clean.

 

Dawn

 

:iagree:

 

When I feel like my house is getting out of control, I start with the sink (Flylady tip). It always works for me.

[Daisy]

I don't find it true either. If I were to get homeschooling perfectly under control, the rest of the house would fall apart. :lol:

 

I am really trying to get my exercise/diet under control but now I'm noticing I'm slacking off on making the kids do summer math. :glare: We'd all rather be going on a 5 mile hike.

[nono]

I think there may be some truth to it. However, I don't think people take into account small children going around the house undoing everything you've done as fast as possible. At least they can't do that with your finances! :)

 

Hit. Nail. On. Head.

 

I can keep my house very neat and clean as long as I ship my family to live elsewhere.

 

Problem is, this snowball effect doesn't seem to jump from me to anyone else living here...:glare:

[Starr]

It's probably true but makes me laugh. I feel like when I focus on one thing, the others slip away. My mother always laughed at my home organization versus my hospital organization when I worked as a nurse

[Julie Smith]

Here is a GREAT :glare: tip to getting the kitchen under control. Have a mouse problem. A mouse (I say A, because it can't be more then one, it just can't be!) moved into our kitchen about a month ago. Now I keep it spotless. Because if I leave so much as a crumb big enough for a mouse then I have mouse poo somewhere.

 

Evey thing gets put away and all surfaces wiped down before bed, and then a good wipe down in the morning. Happily I have great cupboards and it's just things in sight I have to worry about.

 

So just start renting out your kitchen to mice. Might make you #$)*#7 angry - but does give you great incentive to keep a clean kitchen.

[Perry]

Flylady makes me crazy.

 

It just isn't my style.

 

The first two days, while I put my shoes on, make my bed, and clean the sink, the rest of my house is getting worse.

 

And really, cleaning the sink would first require me to get stuff OUT of it! Thereby messing up the counters further.

 

And shoes on in the house? Well, there comes more dirt on the hardwood floors to clean.

 

Dawn

:lol:

 

I don't do Flylady either. But for some reason, just keeping the sink clean and shiny really motivates me to keep the rest of the kitchen clean. And it snowballs from there. :)

[kristinannie]

Honestly, I think that anyone who homeschools or has small children or both is going to have a messy house. I could keep the house clean if I spent all day working on it. My kids aren't old enough to do too many chores yet. They help clean their rooms and the playroom and do other small chores (like sorting silverware from the dishwasher), but they are too young to be really helpful. When they help, it takes at least twice as long! I try to keep my house at a state where I wouldn't die if someone came over unexpectedly (although lately I haven't even been able to do that :ack2:). Plus, we tend to do a lot of projects since my kids are young so we make quite a mess during our homeschooling! Plus, we tend to read aloud all over the house so we have books everywhere too.

 

I do think that if EVERYTHING else was in order, it would be easier to get the last thing under control, but I don't think everything is completely related. I do find that if I take care of myself with diet and exercise, my house is cleaner and my homeschool runs better because I have more energy. I have also found that if I leave the TV off for most of the day, then I get a lot more done as well. I say that as I sit here on the internet... :lol:

 

If anyone finds the secret to doing it all well, please let me know!

[amo_mea_filiis.]

For me, I find that diet and exercise go hand in hand with a clean(er) home. If my kitchen is clean when I get up, I'm much more likely to cook breakfast as opposed to dishing out cereal. Same with exercise; if my laundry is done and put away, I can find the outfit most comfy to exercise in. If the livingroom is clean, I can do my P90 workout.

 

So I focus on keeping things a little cleaner and diet and exercise do fall into place.

[roxanne23]

.

Edited January 4, 2023 by roxanne23

[Gailmegan]

It's true for me. I CAN NOT function efficiently when my house is a mess. When everything is clean and in it's place I feel motivated and energized. The problem is that my two youngest are master mess-makers and I can't keep up with them as well as everything else I need to do. Thus, I sit on the computer and watch Le Tour de France instead of being productive. :tongue_smilie:

 

I signed on to that decluttering thread, so I'm gearing up to tackle the school room in 12 minutes when the Tour coverage ends...

[YLVD]

will get you under control in others.

 

For example, if you get your house clutter under control, you will naturally get your finances and eating/weight under control.

 

I just don't agree. At least it isn't true for me.

 

Our finances are very under control. We are very disciplined (well, mostly!) in that are of our lives.

 

Meanwhile, I cannot figure out a diet/eating plan that works for me, nor can I get this house completely manageable. :tongue_smilie:

 

How about you?

 

Dawn

 

I don't think it's automatic, but I think that it helps.

 

I'm currently in DBT therapy and part of it has been gaining control over my sleep. I've had sleep issues forever, messed up circadian rhythm, etc. It had started to become a real problem.

 

With some work, I've gained control over it and I'm sleeping like a semi-normal person for the first time in my life. I have to say that just knowing that I have some control has really helped in my productivity for work (freelancer) and other things seem less daunting. JME

[DawnM]

We had one for a while (although it may have been our missing hamster! :lol:)

 

The DOGS went nuts barking in the middle of the night for several nights, which made me get the house even more of a mess because I was exhausted!

 

Dawn

 

Here is a GREAT :glare: tip to getting the kitchen under control. Have a mouse problem. A mouse (I say A, because it can't be more then one, it just can't be!) moved into our kitchen about a month ago. Now I keep it spotless. Because if I leave so much as a crumb big enough for a mouse then I have mouse poo somewhere.

 

Evey thing gets put away and all surfaces wiped down before bed, and then a good wipe down in the morning. Happily I have great cupboards and it's just things in sight I have to worry about.

 

So just start renting out your kitchen to mice. Might make you #$)*#7 angry - but does give you great incentive to keep a clean kitchen.

[T'smom]

It seems to me that if I divert all my attention to one part of my life, the other parts fall apart. :rofl:

:iagree::iagree:

[Maus]

I think there is some truth to it.

 

Back in my college days, when I was feeling really overwhelmed (usually because I had procrastinated on too many things), I would sometimes go into a corner and dump everything out of my backpack, completely organize it, throw away the trash, etc. Somehow, when I was done, I usually had an idea of where to start tackling everything else.

 

I still do it. When I'm feeling overwhelmed with housework, I pick one table top and vow to find its surface before lunch.

[Scarlett]

And shoes on in the house? Well, there comes more dirt on the hardwood floors to clean.

 

Dawn

 

You are suppose to have an inside/Flylady pair of shoes!

[Plucky]

Nope. I don't think so, at least not until the kids grow up. I normally can homeschool and keep the house up pretty well, including being organized. Now that I am focusing so much on changing the way I eat, other things are starting to slip a little. I don't think we can do it all. We have to prioritize.

 

Say all your responsibility are marbles, you have a lot and are handling things well, but the jar is full. Adding more marbles to the jar isn't going to work. Something has to give. And yes, I know the analogy of putting sand in and water, etc. I don't really buy that. We have limited time, energy, and resources. Pick your priorities and battles. That is the best we can do. :)

[DawnM]

Well, then there go my finances! :lol:

 

You are suppose to have an inside/Flylady pair of shoes!

[OH_Homeschooler]

For me, I find that diet and exercise go hand in hand with a clean(er) home. If my kitchen is clean when I get up, I'm much more likely to cook breakfast as opposed to dishing out cereal. Same with exercise; if my laundry is done and put away, I can find the outfit most comfy to exercise in. If the livingroom is clean, I can do my P90 workout.

 

So I focus on keeping things a little cleaner and diet and exercise do fall into place.

 

:iagree:

 

I think this is all true in my case. I don't know how many times a messy kitchen has prompted us to eat out, and that's no good for our diets or from a financial standpoint. I've also found that when the house needs a thorough cleaning, I'm more likely to want to go on a day-long roadtrip, just to get away. Waste of time and money. So if I just spend a few hours cleaning I no longer feel the need to flee and I feel much happier.

 

And I think just being in a messy space takes up a lot of mental energy. It makes me feel tired, which makes me want to just veg out.

[Emmy]

My husband and I always joke about the fact that I have so much on my plate that I can only do two things well at any given time. So homeschool and laundry can be good but that means meals are not. I try to rotate where I'm excelling so no single area falls deeply behind LOL. :D Right now I am excelling in laundry and meals/exercise. :) I am dropping the ball on following up on kids chores and we aren't doing our summer school stuff.

[meggie]

Seeing something like this is very disheartening: "If you were better, you'd be able to get it done." I already beat myself up enough as it is. Sorry :001_unsure:

 

Our finances are under control. My house is not. It seems that I can either do a good job with homeschooling OR cleaning OR cooking healthy for my family. As soon as I try to add another into our routine it all goes to pot. Maybe it will get better once the littles are older. But right now it just seems like I can't juggle everything.

[Impish]

When I did flylady, it worked for me.

 

I need to get back to it. Now, if I could just find my missing shoe...:glare:

[Perry]

Seeing something like this is very disheartening: "If you were better, you'd be able to get it done." I already beat myself up enough as it is. Sorry :001_unsure:

 

Did someone say that? :confused:

[fairfarmhand]

not here.

 

If I am doing well food wise, I stink budget wise. I seem to only be able to keep 2 balls in the air at a time. House and yard don't ever look good at the same time.

[In The Great White North]

Someone once tried to convince me that if you made yourself get out of bed (at the first ring of the alarm clock) and made the bed, you would naturally improve your self-discipline in other areas as well.

 

Same idea, I suppose.

[meggie]

Did someone say that? :confused:

No, it's just the message I give myself. Like if other people can do it, there must be something wrong with me because I can't.

[OnTheBrink]

Seeing something like this is very disheartening: "If you were better, you'd be able to get it done." I already beat myself up enough as it is. Sorry :001_unsure:

 

Our finances are under control. My house is not. It seems that I can either do a good job with homeschooling OR cleaning OR cooking healthy for my family. As soon as I try to add another into our routine it all goes to pot. Maybe it will get better once the littles are older. But right now it just seems like I can't juggle everything.

 

I'm so with you. I'm so completely overwhelmed most of the time. I have to work, and my hours are going to increase next week (which will help the finances), I have to educate my daughter, which is going to be more intense in some ways, now that we're entering high school. Trying to stay on top of laundry, meals, bills, car maintenance, yard work, etc. It's just too much sometimes.

[Love_to_Read]

:iagree:

 

I think this is all true in my case. I don't know how many times a messy kitchen has prompted us to eat out, and that's no good for our diets or from a financial standpoint. I've also found that when the house needs a thorough cleaning, I'm more likely to want to go on a day-long roadtrip, just to get away. Waste of time and money. So if I just spend a few hours cleaning I no longer feel the need to flee and I feel much happier.

 

And I think just being in a messy space takes up a lot of mental energy. It makes me feel tired, which makes me want to just veg out.

 

This. I've read story after story on flylady of how finances are easier to manage when the bills aren't scattered, and diets easier to maintain when the kitchen is in good shape. I don't think it works in reverse--making a budet isn't necessarily going to do your laundry--but for many, many people, clutter is the big stumbling block making everything else that much crazier.

 

Of course, on the other hand, there could be some overlap...financially, it makes sense to prioritize cooking at home which is healthier, so a budget could lead to better housekeeping and diet... And starting with diet could lead you to feel healthier, to have energy to clean and pay attention to bills...so, I guess it could go both ways...

[Impish]

Someone once tried to convince me that if you made yourself get out of bed (at the first ring of the alarm clock) and made the bed, you would naturally improve your self-discipline in other areas as well.

 

Same idea, I suppose.

Some ppl are straight from Stepford. :001_huh:

[PentecostalMom]

I think there may be some truth to it. However, I don't think people take into account small children going around the house undoing everything you've done as fast as possible. At least they can't do that with your finances! :)

 

:iagree::lol:

[Kirch]

I think that's true for me to a certain extent, probably because my issue is mostly just getting started. Once I get going and feel productive, it's much easier to keep going. And once I feel good about conquering one thing, I have more confidence about tackling something else that I struggle with. I do think there is a point of diminishing returns, however (the "everything-is-falling-apart-because-I'm-trying-to-do-too-much" point.)