s/o Organization - mostly a vent

[k2bdeutmeyer]

That thread makes me want to be better organized and to have a neat and tidy house. I try....I really, really do, but I have ADD and too much stuff. The task of getting through everything while maintaining the house at at least an acceptable level is daunting.

 

I think (in fact, I know) I could maintain things, if I could ever get them to a maintainable level. I wish I could hire a professional organizer....one who understands how ADD brains work and my need for hyper-organization in order to be able to maintain.

 

Sigh. So, who is coming over to help me purge & organize WITHOUT judgment - unlike my "friend" who clearly thought she could do that & couldn't.

[elegantlion]

I would love to come help if I were closer.

 

How do you think? Do you think in terms of categories? Room designation? Who "owns" what you're trying to organize?

 

Organizing is a lot about knowing your weaknesses as well as your strengths. If you know you keep magazines, then have a basket to put them in and go through when the basket is full. Stuff like that.

 

You could use a notepad and write down ideas or make a list. Something like a yellow pad (bright color) writing in a sharpie or other colorful pen. So you can't miss it type stuff.

 

Start small and don't let your mind go to all the things you're not getting to by focusing on this one small thing.

 

Someone posted in another thread about getting rid of 6 items from their dresser. That's a start. Do something like that.

 

Seriously, I'd love to come help you, maybe a WTM road trip would be fun. Alas, I can't right now.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I definitely think in terms of catagories. DS's room is so easy for me to keep clean. Everything is sorted & has a place (all the cars/trucks in one bin, all the Mr. Potato Head pieces in another, etc). I tried to do that with my school room, but there were so many items that didn't seem to fit in any catagory, but a misc. bin stressed me out, lol.

 

I also find that it's hard enough for me to keep up that staying on top of the kids feels nearly impossible. It doesn't help that DD5 and DS constantly get into things that AREN'T toys as well as mix up all the toys and THAT stresses me out (kitchen toys that belong downstairs in DD's room for example).

[meggie]

I would love to help you if you would come and help me too :D. Take heart. Just remember the baby steps if you need to. Rome was not built in a day and even Pretty in Pink didn't get that way overnight. Lots of the organized people have probably been working on their habits for years and years.

 

I promise that maintaining a clean house always seems easy, but unless you have those habits, it's not really (ask me how many times my house has finally been completely cleaned and how quickly it all fell apart again).

 

Just try something simple and start with that. Flylady's recommendation of a clean sink is a good one. If you can manage to stay on track with dishes, laundry, and the trash, that's a pretty good head start as those areas just never stop.

 

Maybe watch some Hoarders to motivate your purging. Nothing puts me in a mood to purge like Hoarders.

[MeghanL]

Every journey begins with a single step right? What I do (for my highly ADD brain) is divide the house into sections & tackle one section per day. Today it was the kitchen, 1/2 bath & entry (all right next to each other). I change the towels, make sure the 1/2 bath is stocked with toiletries, pick up/organize (nothing stays in these areas longer than a week that does not belong in these areas). Then I clean. My oldest son washes the windows, 1/2 bath mirror, entry door & cleans the 1/2 bath toilet. My younger son washes off the kitchen table. I wipe down the counters, sink, stove, microwave, clean the 1/2 bath sink, vacuum & mop. <I also have 4 baskets in the hallway between the bedrooms. Each family member puts their dark laundry in one basket, their light laundry in another basket, towels in the 3rd basket & linens in the 4th basket. Every morning on my way downstairs, I pick up one basket and throw it in the laundry. After the kids go to bed, I fold laundry & watch tv. Then I put it away the next morning after making beds.> Written out it seems like a lot, but it's really not. My whole "housekeeping" takes about 45 minutes a day (with an extra 30 minutes to finish the show I started while folding laundry). Once the area of the house is done & the laundry is folded, I can consider my housekeeping *done* for the day. Tuesday I tackle the living room/dining room, Wednesday both full baths, Thursday all the bedrooms & Friday the finished basement. By the weekend, I don't have any cleaning to do and my house looks lived in but presentable every day without having to find the time to clean it from top to bottom in one go. The first week it might take longer as you put stuff away, but after that, it is so easy! Don't worry about making the whole house "organized" in the first day. Just tackle one area & then move to the next. Even if it takes a few weeks to get everything where it belongs, it'll be better than allowing the amount of work to be done prevent you from starting at all.

[Stacia]

A great book is Conquering Chronic Disorganization. The author talks about ways to organize that make sense for you (regardless of whether it would be what a 'born organized' person would do). She has a lot of alternative ideas for simplifying & organizing that appeal to different types (highly visual people, kinesthetic people, etc....).

 

Btw, I got my copy from the library (so I wasn't adding another 'thing' to take care of to my home).

[lorrainejmc]

This week I'm helping my mother pack for moving house. I've long suspected she is a hoarder. I'm not a super tidy/organized person, just average I think, but this house made me :blink:. The worst thing is that among all the 5yr old magazines and newspapers, junk mail and unfinished craft projects were old family photos and other irreplaceable items of sentimental value, battered and destroyed.:crying: I'm going back tomorrow to tackle the bags of clothing she has in the greenhouse:001_huh:, anyone like to help?

[cherylw]

I feel your ADD pain. I have been overwhelmed lately. I can at times get organized but staying that way is a huge problem. I'm also the worst procrastinator. I also jump from one thing to another. January/part of Feb. I was all about couponing. Coupons were everywhere!:tongue_smilie:Now I've moved off that and now I've doing nothing but curriculum/dyslexia research. Once I've filled by brain full in a few weeks it will be something else. I've even been considering medication.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I feel your ADD pain. I have been overwhelmed lately. I can at times get organized but staying that way is a huge problem. I'm also the worst procrastinator. I also jump from one thing to another. January/part of Feb. I was all about couponing. Coupons were everywhere!:tongue_smilie:Now I've moved off that and now I've doing nothing but curriculum/dyslexia research. Once I've filled by brain full in a few weeks it will be something else. I've even been considering medication.

 

Amen!

[Desert Rat]

That kind of job is right up my alley, Kristin. I actually do help people organize and purge....and I'm nice! The next time I visit my relatives in the Burlington area, I'll give you a head's up.

Until then, I recommend that you make a list of areas you want cleaned, with subcategories of what in that area you want to focus on. Then, start at the top of your list and move down. Have keep, sell, toss boxes handy and right there with you so that you don't wander off and get sidetracked. Or you can copy a calendar page and write in a tiny task a day. That may help, too. Never having met you and only knowing your personality through this board, these are my best suggestions.

I helped clean out 3 rooms of a major hoarder's house last year. It took a year, 4 hours a week. Basically, she just needed me to keep her on task and directed. I also helped her make decisions on what is useful and needed (I used those words a lot). It doesn't sound like your problem is keeping stuff, it's just putting stuff in it's place.

That's why a list or calendar would help, maybe. Little bites. Tell yourself, for example, I'm going to work on cleaning out the glass cupboard today. Then do that. When you're finished putting the go stuff in a box, put it in the trunk of your car if you're donating or a place in the garage if you're yard saling.

Hope this helps! If there's any pointers I could help with or you need a private cheerleader, PM me. I'd be happy to help!

[k2bdeutmeyer]

That kind of job is right up my alley, Kristin. I actually do help people organize and purge....and I'm nice! The next time I visit my relatives in the Burlington area, I'll give you a head's up.

Until then, I recommend that you make a list of areas you want cleaned, with subcategories of what in that area you want to focus on. Then, start at the top of your list and move down. Have keep, sell, toss boxes handy and right there with you so that you don't wander off and get sidetracked. Or you can copy a calendar page and write in a tiny task a day. That may help, too. Never having met you and only knowing your personality through this board, these are my best suggestions.

I helped clean out 3 rooms of a major hoarder's house last year. It took a year, 4 hours a week. Basically, she just needed me to keep her on task and directed. I also helped her make decisions on what is useful and needed (I used those words a lot). It doesn't sound like your problem is keeping stuff, it's just putting stuff in it's place.

That's why a list or calendar would help, maybe. Little bites. Tell yourself, for example, I'm going to work on cleaning out the glass cupboard today. Then do that. When you're finished putting the go stuff in a box, put it in the trunk of your car if you're donating or a place in the garage if you're yard saling.

Hope this helps! If there's any pointers I could help with or you need a private cheerleader, PM me. I'd be happy to help!

 

Yes, please do!!

 

I'm learning a lot about myself. The biggest thing is that I need everything to have a very specific home. The part I struggle with is sorting, because my brain wants to sort to very specific things, and I often end up with multiple single (small) items that have no home. I always want to keep them by themselves though. I hate combining things that don't "go together".

 

I hate going through things, because I inevitably end up with a bunch of stuff that I need/want to keep, but don't know what to do with. Then, I have a big mess on my floor/table of sorted items that I don't know what to do with instead of a messy/cluttered shelf. At least with the messy or cluttered shelf, I could use my table or not worry about the kids messing my piles on the floor up, lol.

[regentrude]

I hate going through things, because I inevitably end up with a bunch of stuff that I need/want to keep, but don't know what to do with. Then, I have a big mess on my floor/table of sorted items that I don't know what to do with instead of a messy/cluttered shelf. At least with the messy or cluttered shelf, I could use my table or not worry about the kids messing my piles on the floor up, lol.

 

Use a box. Put misc items with no "home" into box.

Do one of two things:

1. keep box in house. Limit yourself to ONE box. Only. If more items accumulate, something must go (this is how I store an assortment of un-categorizable small things of sentimental value).

2. Label box with date and put it into garage or attic. If you have not opened it after one year, throw it out.

[Desert Rat]

I was going to say a box, too, but if you don't like things to be mixed, try thinking of a slightly broader catagory for some items. Use shoe boxes in a drawer or if you don't have shoe boxes and are crafty, take a flat piece of cardboard and cut it to the size of the drawer. Get going with some smaller pieces of cardboard and lots of tape to make dividers. You can make as many as you like. However, I would encourage you to make broader categories or you might go a little nutsy. :tongue_smilie: Think: office supplies in one box, household do-dads in another (like picture hangers, nails, batteries, etc.) I know money is squeaky at your place right now, so I'm trying to think of things you can do at little or no cost.

The real key is to fight those little voices that distract you or tell you that a pencil needs to be in a separate place from a pen, as an example.

It's almost as if you're OVER organizing. So, take a step back and think in more sweeping terms. I tend to be like you, but have learned that I can't micromanage my stuff, if that makes sense. :lol:

[jg_puppy]

I feel your ADD pain. I have been overwhelmed lately. I can at times get organized but staying that way is a huge problem. I'm also the worst procrastinator. I also jump from one thing to another. January/part of Feb. I was all about couponing. Coupons were everywhere!:tongue_smilie:Now I've moved off that and now I've doing nothing but curriculum/dyslexia research. Once I've filled by brain full in a few weeks it will be something else. I've even been considering medication.

 

This sounds so much like me. I never suspected that I might be ADD, but the more I read about it for research to help me son the more I see myself as possibly having ADD. I thought it all came from my husband. :)

 

I wish I could get my house organized and find a way to keep it organized. I think I would feel a lot less stressed.

 

Janet

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I actually JUST did my cabinet under my bathroom sink, and surprisingly had no issues with random items. Well, actually I did, but there were very few and they still kind of fit a "theme", so into a basket they went.

 

I look at all the drawer organizers and baskets/bins/drawers and feel like I'm in heaven, but then I have no idea which ones I need, lol. Let me see if I can find a pic of my shelves right after I first did them......and then I'll take one of them now for comparison.

 

I look at all the "random" stuff and I'm not sure how to organize it.

[Desert Rat]

Really, it looks okay, Kristin. I would put the stuffed animals in a laundry basket or hamper and "disguise" a few of the upper shelves that look like they hold craft things. It looks like the shelves on the right are starting to bow under the weight of the books. If your 2yo is okay with books, I would move them down to the bottom. If he isn't good with books yet, I would divide them up into 2 shelves worth.

Otherwise, these shelves look pretty dang good! I think what's making you think it's messy is the very top. I would pull that stuff down and go through it. Maybe it just needs to be put back up there in a tidier way (so the cord isn't hanging down, etc.)

[Carol in Cal.]

I hate going through things, because I inevitably end up with a bunch of stuff that I need/want to keep, but don't know what to do with. Then, I have a big mess on my floor/table of sorted items that I don't know what to do with instead of a messy/cluttered shelf. At least with the messy or cluttered shelf, I could use my table or not worry about the kids messing my piles on the floor up, lol.

 

I am not organized at home, nor am I a neatnik, but I do know the answer to this one. It's got two parts. One is to sort things as they come into your house. Mail--right away. Library books--on a specific spot for them on a shelf. Food--put away (if only I could convince my DH of that.)

 

The other is to throw things away, every day, and give things away pretty often. Either set a number of things that you're going to toss, or set an amount of time (15-20 minutes) during which you'll focus hard on tossing things. Grab an opaque garbage bag and go through your house and fill it with stuff to get rid of. Then a couple of times a week, ALSO grab a sturdy but not huge box (cardboard file boxes are a great size for this, and they have lids!) and fill it with things you're going to donate to the local thrift store. At the end of your 'session', take the bag out to the garbage, and put the box in your trunk to drop off. Bring the thrift store items there weekly. What happens when you do this is that instead of sorting and organizing, you're thinning. Thinning makes room for what you really want, and it helps you to be more effective when you get to the point of organizing. Plus it feels really, really productive to get bags and boxes of stuff out of your life so often!

[Desert Rat]

Also, a nice tip for books that makes them look more pleasing to the eye is to lay down some of the smaller books an stack them between the books that are standing up. Breaks up the solid look of straight up and down books. Or board books could be put in a little basket on a shelf to clear up more room. They can get hard to stack and straighten. HTH! I have to go make dinner now, but I just love thinking of organizing. I know, I know. It's a sickness! :)

[Matryoshka]

Yes, please do!!

 

I'm learning a lot about myself. The biggest thing is that I need everything to have a very specific home. The part I struggle with is sorting, because my brain wants to sort to very specific things, and I often end up with multiple single (small) items that have no home. I always want to keep them by themselves though. I hate combining things that don't "go together".

 

I hate going through things, because I inevitably end up with a bunch of stuff that I need/want to keep, but don't know what to do with. Then, I have a big mess on my floor/table of sorted items that I don't know what to do with instead of a messy/cluttered shelf. At least with the messy or cluttered shelf, I could use my table or not worry about the kids messing my piles on the floor up, lol.

 

I think I am your twin. :001_huh: Sigh.

[Carol in Cal.]

The other thing is collections. You don't have to marry a collection and keep feeding it. You can date it.

 

For instance, I collect a certain kind of mug. I have lots of them, and I don't buy new ones anymore unless they are really special. Also, I use some of them for non-mug purposes--the ones that I don't really care that much if I break one. So, for instance, I have my long thin lipsticks, mascara, and eyeliner tubes all in one of those mugs on a shelf in my bathroom cabinet. It is much more functional than leaving them loose, and it looks cute.

[Bang!Zoom!]

Have you guys ever heard about the flickr group called rainbow of books?

 

::sigh:: :001_smile:

 

http://www.flickr.com/groups/96822943@N00/pool/with/1704875109/

 

They do stuff like this:

 

 

I don't have the picture, but I saw one once where a lady took and covered all her books in white kraft paper. Now that's crazy!

[ElizabethB]

This one is good:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Messies-Manual-Complete-Bringing-Beauty/dp/0800759796/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330994408&sr=1-2

 

It is for people who are not inherently organized, much more useful than most organizing books. Most organizing books are written by and for naturally neat and organized people, even if they claim to be written for everyone.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Okay, pic #1 and #2 - that is the parts of my shelving that is making me bonkers. The kids (mostly my oldest) just shove things on the shelf and the basket contents have gotten all mixed up and there is random stuff shoved all over the place. I feel overwhelmed just thinking about trying to sort through it all. The top has gotten messy too. I'm not sure what else to do with that stuff though.

 

Pic #3 - A typical example of what that room looks like as a whole most days. Of course there are days that are worse, but....

 

Pic #4 - My living room at first glance (on an average day).

 

Pic #5 - What lurks in the corners (VERY typical of my house)

 

More coming.....

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Pic #6 and #7 - More lurking clutter

[Carol in Cal.]

That space behind your couch? Get one of those behind the couch tables, and vow never to put anything on it. Vow. Make everyone else vow, too.

 

Then, get those plastic 2 or 3 drawer craft cabinets on wheels and put them UNDER the table. They won't show, and they are the BEST storage. Plus you don't have to pull the couch very far out from the wall to use them.

 

Then that big wall with the white board on it is just crying, CRYING, for double tall Billy bookshelves with cabinet doors on them. Out of sight, out of mind.

 

I never did solve the stacks of paper issue. I have never seen a homeschooler that did not have that problem. However, I DID solve the stacks of unused paper of various kinds problem. I bought a plastic box, about 10 inches deep, the kind you put hanging files in. And I separated the construction paper and cardstock by type and color into the files, and this worked absolutely great. The nicest thing about that kind of box is that you can close it up and put it on a shelf and it looks organized just sitting there. Someone better than I could figure out how to do something like that with used paper, too. I never really got a system off the ground for that.

[Carol in Cal.]

See, this is what I have never quite solved. The 'I just stuck it there for a second, but it really doesn't have no home, and it's not actually doing any harm, and that was 3 years ago..' problem. (Which is how I interpret pictures 6 and 7)

[k2bdeutmeyer]

See, this is what I have never quite solved. The 'I just stuck it there for a second, but it really doesn't have no home, and it's not actually doing any harm, and that was 3 years ago..' problem.

 

LOL!! I always feel like I get everything sorted and clean, only to turn around and do it all over again.

 

As far as the wall with the white board....well....the the left of the toy box (which houses dress up stuff) is the doorway to our basement and garage. I can't put a whole lot on that wall, at least not close to the doorway, or that doorway becomes VERY cramped, very quickly.

 

I'm actually looking at switching to desks. My ADD DD prefers to stare at the wall for less distractions. I'm not quite sure how I'll do that. I'll probably have to break up the shelving wall.

[WeeBeaks]

:grouphug: Aw, I would help. My MIL sounds very similar to you, but has had 40 years to pack stuff in her house so it is probably a lot worse than what you have!

 

My own husband is diagnosed ADD also. I know where you are coming from. I clean his desk for him, and keep everything organized. He drives me nuts at times, but we balance each other. I keep him organized. Marrying another just like me would have meant too much OCD in one house ... not an official Dx on that one.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Haha!! I'm too controlling over how I need things organized to let DH do it! He's a closet stuffer. Out of sight & he's happy - until he needs something out of said closet and things come tumbling on him. Then, he gets mad and wants to throw EVERYTHING away.

 

Speaking of closets....I know that is part of my problem. If I could get through the closets and return them to useable space, maybe I would have homes for some of the things I feel like don't have one?!? That's a DAUNTING task though. It feels like I'd have to make a gigantic mess in my already messy house in order to do that. And....I inevitably run out of motivation part way through and need somebody there to guide me after that (usually about that point when I realize I have a stack of things with no place to put them).

 

See.....

 

Pic #1 - Linen closet (the empty shelves is where our bath towels go....yep, need to do laundry)

 

Pic #2 - Coat closet - YIKES! That filing cabinet is unusable because it is FULL of stuff. Definitely needs gone through.

 

Pic #3 - Upper 1/2 of the other side of the coat closet. The lower half is actually clean :) I went through it a few weeks ago!!

[k2bdeutmeyer]

How about DD's room?? It's so small. I have very limited toys in there....and had it all pretty. She's forever bringing in toys/things that don't belong and I'm ALWAYS in there trying to help her clean and re-organize it again. Makes me crazy.

 

I KNOW her closet needs serious work. I just don't have the $$ to buy the organizational tools/items that I dream of.

[Harriet Vane]

This one is good:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Messies-Manual-Complete-Bringing-Beauty/dp/0800759796/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330994408&sr=1-2

 

It is for people who are not inherently organized, much more useful than most organizing books. Most organizing books are written by and for naturally neat and organized people, even if they claim to be written for everyone.

 

I LOVE this book. Love. it.

 

I am a Messie, and I really, really struggle with clutter control. This book is absolutely so kind, and so on target with how I think. I highly recommend it.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I LOVE this book. Love. it.

 

I am a Messie, and I really, really struggle with clutter control. This book is absolutely so kind, and so on target with how I think. I highly recommend it.

 

Oh my goodness!! Just reading the preview pages and I'm laughing. I think I NEED this book.

[Jean in Newcastle]

This one is good:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Messies-Manual-Complete-Bringing-Beauty/dp/0800759796/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330994408&sr=1-2

 

It is for people who are not inherently organized, much more useful than most organizing books. Most organizing books are written by and for naturally neat and organized people, even if they claim to be written for everyone.

 

I have this book. . . somewhere. . . :tongue_smilie:

[Desert Rat]

For the paper on the shelves that bugs you, get those plastic stacking paper shelves. (I got some at a dollar store) This is how I personally organize paper. Crayons, pencils, pens used to go in old diaper wipes boxes. I also use plastic folders that close to store finished drawings. You can even make folders out of large size cereal boxes. You can get directions online.

 

For the TV area. I would grab a laundry basket and clear all of it off at one time. I would probably repurpose the wicker baskets to the playroom, maybe to hold craft stuff. Then I would empty out that laundry basket. Anything that doesn't belong to a TV or isn't decorative in nature has to go back to its home. :001_smile:

 

The closets are tough. It looks like the first 2 closets just need the laundry basket treatment mentioned above and everything needs to be put back.

 

The third closet looks like it has stuff that should live elsewhere, like the games. Maybe these can live on the shelves with the toys? Then, I would sort through the papers up there (I know! It's tough!). Box up all tax/keep papers and label them. If you can find boxes that are close in size it will look neater.

 

Your little lady's room just looks like a girl has been playing in there. :lol: The closet looks teeny so I would probably only put clothes/shoes in there. The toys would go in laundry baskets or cardboard boxes wrapped in gift wrap. You can usually buy some cute paper at dollar stores. Wrap them and stack them to make your own cubbies. Or you can paint the boxes, too. Spray paint or even tempura paints work. You can then call it "art" for the day. :tongue_smilie:

 

Just some ideas. I hope I didn't overstep myself.

[MSNative]

Okay, pic #1 and #2 - that is the parts of my shelving that is making me bonkers. The kids (mostly my oldest) just shove things on the shelf and the basket contents have gotten all mixed up and there is random stuff shoved all over the place. I feel overwhelmed just thinking about trying to sort through it all. The top has gotten messy too. I'm not sure what else to do with that stuff though.

 

Pic #3 - A typical example of what that room looks like as a whole most days. Of course there are days that are worse, but....

 

Pic #4 - My living room at first glance (on an average day).

 

Pic #5 - What lurks in the corners (VERY typical of my house)

 

More coming.....

 

 

Hee hee - what is a Beer Kit - the box lurking in your corner? ;)

 

It doesn't look like you are super cluttered. Honestly, your messes wouldn't take more than a weekend to conquer. I'm not trying to minimize your problem. Sometimes for me it seems like projects will take SOOOO long. Really, I think you could knock this out in a solid weekend, or spread it out over a month. You've already gotten great ideas. I just wanted to give you some encouragement that it's not that bad.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

For the paper on the shelves that bugs you, get those plastic stacking paper shelves. (I got some at a dollar store) This is how I personally organize paper. Crayons, pencils, pens used to go in old diaper wipes boxes. I also use plastic folders that close to store finished drawings. You can even make folders out of large size cereal boxes. You can get directions online.

 

For the TV area. I would grab a laundry basket and clear all of it off at one time. I would probably repurpose the wicker baskets to the playroom, maybe to hold craft stuff. Then I would empty out that laundry basket. Anything that doesn't belong to a TV or isn't decorative in nature has to go back to its home. :001_smile:

 

The closets are tough. It looks like the first 2 closets just need the laundry basket treatment mentioned above and everything needs to be put back.

 

The third closet looks like it has stuff that should live elsewhere, like the games. Maybe these can live on the shelves with the toys? Then, I would sort through the papers up there (I know! It's tough!). Box up all tax/keep papers and label them. If you can find boxes that are close in size it will look neater.

 

Your little lady's room just looks like a girl has been playing in there. :lol: The closet looks teeny so I would probably only put clothes/shoes in there. The toys would go in laundry baskets or cardboard boxes wrapped in gift wrap. You can usually buy some cute paper at dollar stores. Wrap them and stack them to make your own cubbies. Or you can paint the boxes, too. Spray paint or even tempura paints work. You can then call it "art" for the day. :tongue_smilie:

 

Just some ideas. I hope I didn't overstep myself.

 

No, you're just fine!! I NEED someone to guide me, lol.

 

The baskets in the entertainment center are intended to house things that were getting stuffed up there. The one farthest to the left houses my camera stuff. The next one is papers....you know the ones you think you need to keep. I'm supposed to clean it out when it gets full. Yeah, it's been full for awhile. Sigh. The next one is Wii games, and the last one is all the Wii accessories.

 

Nothing else is supposed to be up there.

 

DD isn't supposed to have toys in her closet, but I struggle with where to put her Pillow Pet and spare blankets. The other half of her closet is filled with 2 3-drawer plastic organizers. They are used to house her off season clothes. I can't ever fully switch out between seasons, because we live in Iowa and one day you may need pants and long sleeves and the next shorts and a tank top.

 

The closets....yes. They just need emptied. A lot will probably be donated or thrown away. It's just a matter of telling myself that it's okay to make the house even MESSIER in order to do it.

 

Want to see what I'm proud of?? :)

 

Pic #1 - My bathroom counter (I cleaned it today) - yes it's purple

 

Pic #2 and #3 - The bathroom cupboards that I cleaned out a week or so ago. They seriously looked like the bottom of the linen closet before.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

Hee hee - what is a Beer Kit - the box lurking in your corner? ;)

 

It doesn't look like you are super cluttered. Honestly, your messes wouldn't take more than a weekend to conquer. I'm not trying to minimize your problem. Sometimes for me it seems like projects will take SOOOO long. Really, I think you could knock this out in a solid weekend, or spread it out over a month. You've already gotten great ideas. I just wanted to give you some encouragement that it's not that bad.

 

 

Hehe....you haven't seen the dining room or the kitchen. Not sure I'm willing to share those, lol!!

 

And....it's exactly what it says it is. DH got it as a gift for Christmas from his dad. He and DD did it together. It's actually filled with other garbage (from a toy DD just opened yesterday) and WAS sitting next to the garbage can. DS hauled it out and has been messing with it.

[woolybear]

That thread makes me want to be better organized and to have a neat and tidy house. I try....I really, really do, but I have ADD and too much stuff. The task of getting through everything while maintaining the house at at least an acceptable level is daunting.

 

I'll see your add and too much stuff and raise it one. Add to that lack of storage--1 closet upstairs and 1 and maybe a half downstairs. We have a ridiculous attic and things just get ruined in the basement. How do I organize when almost everything is out in view. yes, I know we need to get rid of more. I try.......too.:001_huh: Can I be next in line for help?

[woolybear]

See, this is what I have never quite solved. The 'I just stuck it there for a second, but it really doesn't have no home, and it's not actually doing any harm, and that was 3 years ago..' problem. (Which is how I interpret pictures 6 and 7)

Actually, what happens here is kids leave things scattered about, I usually am in the process of organizing something, dh decides he's the master cleaner and comes along and puts things up on shelves or in big garbage bags and hauls out to the shed (only to see the light of day many months or years later--we could talk about library books, but I won't go there:glare:) Anyway, it so disrupts my flow of thinking OR I don't notice till I find odd boxes or bags of stuff or just stuff put up on shelves making no sense. This is dh. Drives me nuts, but I know I'm no better.

[woolybear]

OP---love, love, love the pictures. I don't think it looks that bad, but I still think it's quite brave of you to post your pictures. I'm not sure I'm that brave.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

OP---love, love, love the pictures. I don't think it looks that bad, but I still think it's quite brave of you to post your pictures. I'm not sure I'm that brave.

 

 

thank you!!

 

I haven't posted the bad ones. I'm not sure I'm that brave.

[Desert Rat]

Beautifully clean and organized! :) Now, write that to-do list and getting going! I know you've got it in you now! Clean! Purge! Organize!

(I wish I lived closer. I really am good at this kind of stuff.)

[lorrainejmc]

I posted at the start of this thread about how I'm helping my mother pack for moving and that I consider myself averagely tidy/organized. Anyway, the point is I wasn't always this way. I was a disaster. I have overcome OCD (a whole other story) and now my home is normal, I think. The most helpful book was Cut The Clutter, although I believe the US edition is called House Works. It saved me.:D It took me a few years to get rid of the clutter, get organized and, most importantly, form new habits. There is no quick *permanent* fix without establishing those new habits. Good luck.:001_smile:

[ElizabethB]

I LOVE this book. Love. it.

 

I am a Messie, and I really, really struggle with clutter control. This book is absolutely so kind, and so on target with how I think. I highly recommend it.

 

Yes, most other organizing books make you feel like you're some kind of idiot if you don't naturally hang up your clothes in some certain order or naturally put things in good places.

 

I have this book. . . somewhere. . . :tongue_smilie:

 

:lol::lol::lol:

 

I actually lost my copy for a while and bought a 2nd, although a bought a slightly different version. In my defense, it was right after a move, we have thousands of books, and my husband had shelved the books in an order that made sense to him...

 

(I try to be the one that organizes the books most moves. I now let him do the kitchen and I do the books. He actually does quite a good job setting up a kitchen and the few things that I want moved are easier to move than hundreds of poorly shelved books.)

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I THINK I may have an Amazon gift card. If I do....this is what I'm buying. I really, really do want to do better.

[Shellers]

I feel your ADD pain. I have been overwhelmed lately. I can at times get organized but staying that way is a huge problem. I'm also the worst procrastinator. I also jump from one thing to another. January/part of Feb. I was all about couponing. Coupons were everywhere!:tongue_smilie:Now I've moved off that and now I've doing nothing but curriculum/dyslexia research. Once I've filled by brain full in a few weeks it will be something else. I've even been considering medication.

 

I'm the same way! Right now my thing is pressure canning. I'm fighting the urge to drop $200 on a fancy pressure canner and do some canning. I've canned once about 10 years ago, so it's not like canning is my thing. I feel the need to build up my food storage thanks to all these survival shows I keep watching. :001_huh: I've made a deal with myself, if I can get a spot cleared out for all these foods I think I need to preserve, then I'll get the canner and stock up on freeze dried foods.

 

What's funny is before I even started clearing out a spot for canned goods, I decided I need to hoard toilet paper, paper towels, pads, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, dish detergent, shampoo, 1st aid supplies, etc. I already have a whole empty closet for all this stuff.

 

The UPS man just delivered my copy of, "Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family". I can only imagine what I'm going to want to do next. :tongue_smilie:

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I do this too. Oy. For awhile, it was sewing, but then I had to move my sewing stuff off the table and now it seems like too much work and too big of a mess to get it back out again.

[Shellers]

OP: You are very brave to post your pics, I wouldn't do it. I really don't think your house is that bad, my house is worse. My house seems to be getting worse as the kids get older. I look back on pics of when my four kids were little and the house was clean. I have three at home, 16, 14, and 11, and my kitchen/living areas are a mess about half the time. If we all work together the rooms can be cleaned in about 20 minutes or less. The kids all have their own bedrooms but all their stuff is in the living room. My DS11 treats my bar as his own Lego display shelf. The whole bar is covered with his Lego masterpieces.

 

I have lived in this 3,000 sf house for over 17 years and DH has been here longer. We have so much stuff, I can't stand it, I fell like I'm drowning in stuff. I guess that's one benefit of moving every few years, it forces a person to purge. For a few years now, I try and make sure my recycle and garbage cans are full each week. We have a ranch with lots of outbuildings so there's always lots of stuff to throw out. I've been concentrating on getting rid of outside stuff but I need to turn my attention indoors.

 

Maybe try and tackle a small spot every day? Like ONE shelf or ONE drawer? Or get rid of one plastic shopping bag full of stuff per day? LOL - I should take my own advice!

 

I'm going to see how many days in a row I can get rid of AT LEAST one plastic grocery bag (donate or trash) of clutter per day. One bag per day doesn't sound like much but I'm sure over time it could make a big difference in the amount of clutter.

[meggie]

OP: You are very brave to post your pics, I wouldn't do it. I really don't think your house is that bad, my house is worse.

 

:iagree: Mine is worse too. I don't think you have much to worry about. If mine looked that good, DH would be so happy.