I swear, the minute I walk into a clean room and it's like everything just falls on the floor and piles up behind me! I know it's me because DH is a very tidy person! I seem to just aquire piles of stuff and can't get into a habit of keeping things tidy. I'm not a slob by any means, but i'm very... disorganized I would say, and I know it, and it drives me crazy! I'd like to fix the problem, I just don't know how!
DO you guys have any tips on how you keep your homes organized?
Why don't you check ouy flylady.net? I've found her tips on de-cluttering pretty helpful.
My biggest tip for keeping a home organized is to SLOW DOWN.
I know this sounds really simple, but my dh and i are naturally a little messy and it drives us nuts! We have both found that if we slow down and finish tasks completely, the house stays cleaner.
Example: You make dinner, you all sit down to eat, you finish dinner...done, right?
NOPE...Sitting down to dinner includes cleaning up after dinner...it's part of the act. Yes, it adds 5-10 minutes to the act of having dinner, but if it's done as a family, that's 5-10 more minutes you get to spend with everyone.
I have 3 skids under 12 so there seems to always be a "something to do next" on the horizon...but I've gotten to a point where when I am finished with one thing, I clean it up right away and make the clean up part of the whole act. If the first thing isn't cleaned up, it isn't DONE, and I can't move on to the next thing....
I dunno...that's my two cents
rachey i am the complete opposite lol i dont have ocd or anything but if i walk into a room and see something laying around a peice of mail or clothes or something i have to stop what im doing to pick stuff up or organize lol. my house is by no means perfect but really really has a good point with the dinner example...dh on the other hand is like you lol i swear i can clean the kitchen to the point where its spotless and he'll go in there to make a snack or get soemthing to drink and ill go in there afterwards and im like what in the heck happend lol
im gonna go check out that website that chrissy suggested i might find something helpful lol
hugs to you girly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you ADHD? Piles of stuff is a symptom. Seriously.
Reference "Delivered From Distraction" by Ned Hallowell and also
"Finding Your Focus" by Judith Greenbaum.
My DH and OSS are ADD and if they could, they'd pile crap on every horizontal surface. DH solves that at work by using a drafting desk as his desk - it's on an incline. Stuff slides off if the piles get too high. Really.
As for home - baskets. Big ole basket on each level of the house for shoes. Small baskets for personal junk by the front door (my basket - keys, etc, his basket(s) - keys and all other kinds of junk).
I've also declared all seats off limits for anything other than a$$es. That one occurred as we were leaving one day, and just as I went to sit down on the ONLY chair in the living room without something on it, OSS slides his bag there so he can run to get something. All he!! broke loose on that one and henceforth, nothing is allowed on seats.
(07-29-2010 03:08 PM)EvilStepMother Wrote: [ -> ]I've also declared all seats off limits for anything other than a$$es.
This one made me lol Evil.
Basically you should get rid of everything that doesn't have a "home" in YOUR home. Do it simple and don't do it all in one day, either. Go room by room and figure out what you want to Keep, Give Away/Sell, or Trash.
In my house, the kids have one of those plastic shoe racks to put all their shoes on. They use those Sterilite bins to organize their toys. I use the same type of bins to put my own shoes in. Those storage bags you see on TV, you know the ones you vacuum the air out of, are great for seasonal blankets and clothing.
I don't think I have ADD but I'm pretty sure I have a slight bi-polar disorder. I've suffered from depression for almost my whole life. I do don't have extreme highs and lows but I'll have spurts where I can take on the world and start all kinds of new projects, and then when I hit my low I don't finish them and the mess is left behind. I also came from a very abusive, and very poor family. I also know what it feels like to go with out food, or clothing etc, and I think this is part of my problem. I keep everything! to an extent, because I'm afraid I'll need it later. I'm aware that I do this so I can kinda control it, I'm not like a hoarder, but I do have a lot of useless stuff lol.
I've tried flylady, and i loved it.... but that was like one of those projects, i started it, and then i quit.
I am going to try the baskets, and also starting tomorrow I have two days off work, and I'm going to go thorough the house, room by room and rid it of anything that is unnecessary. I think maybe if I also made a chore list for myself then I might get things done. Not only cuz i'm so disorganized but because I work full time, am raising a teenage sisters, am a Smom to 2 skids (5 and 9 mo) and a full time wife! lol..... I just need to make sure it fits into my schedule.
LOL it's sad that a 25 year old needs a chore list to make sure things get done!
Thank you ladies! and mroe tips are welcome!
(07-30-2010 01:34 AM)rachey00 Wrote: [ -> ]I don't think I have ADD but I'm pretty sure I have a slight bi-polar disorder. I've suffered from depression for almost my whole life. I do don't have extreme highs and lows but I'll have spurts where I can take on the world and start all kinds of new projects, and then when I hit my low I don't finish them and the mess is left behind. I also came from a very abusive, and very poor family. I also know what it feels like to go with out food, or clothing etc, and I think this is part of my problem. I keep everything! to an extent, because I'm afraid I'll need it later. I'm aware that I do this so I can kinda control it, I'm not like a hoarder, but I do have a lot of useless stuff lol.
I've tried flylady, and i loved it.... but that was like one of those projects, i started it, and then i quit.
I am going to try the baskets, and also starting tomorrow I have two days off work, and I'm going to go thorough the house, room by room and rid it of anything that is unnecessary. I think maybe if I also made a chore list for myself then I might get things done. Not only cuz i'm so disorganized but because I work full time, am raising a teenage sisters, am a Smom to 2 skids (5 and 9 mo) and a full time wife! lol..... I just need to make sure it fits into my schedule.
LOL it's sad that a 25 year old needs a chore list to make sure things get done!
Thank you ladies! and mroe tips are welcome!
Egads girl! NO wonder you've got stuff going on. With your background (having read some of your other posts), I'm hoping that you're getting some therapy. You've had an awful lot of crap thrown your way that any person would have issues with. And if you do have BPD - there are some meds out there that can help with that. My mom had really really bad BPD, and got on some good meds - didn't have another meltdown for almost 20 years (when the meds were changed).
And people have made millions marketing "chore lists" for adults - check Franklin Planner.
Quote:Egads girl! NO wonder you've got stuff going on. With your background (having read some of your other posts), I'm hoping that you're getting some therapy. You've had an awful lot of crap thrown your way that any person would have issues with. And if you do have BPD - there are some meds out there that can help with that. My mom had really really bad BPD, and got on some good meds - didn't have another meltdown for almost 20 years (when the meds were changed).
And people have made millions marketing "chore lists" for adults - check Franklin Planner.
unfortunatly it's only gotten worse over the years... i mean the stuff thrown at me.... my grandfather was given custody of my sisters and i... and along with him came my wicked step grandmother, she's always told us we ruined her life (sorry my dad brutely shot my mother lady, believe me i would rather have her here in a heartbeat, than have to deal with you!).... my grandfather had always kept my stepgrandma from going too far with her hatefulness and resentment, but he worked on the road a lot, and it would get really bad! you can't belive the things she's said to us. She's even gone on to tell me i should have died with my mother ( the night my father murdered her, i was shot twice)... i dunno why she never left... well actually i do... because my grandfather was a multimillionare..... my sisters are 18 and 16 now, and my grandfather passed away in april.. ugh! NO parental figures left... she kicked out my 18 year old sister, who is now living with me... we just got her an apt this week! and a job! so proud of her... but Sgrandma is reliquishing her rights to my youngest sister next week, so she'll be coming to live with me as well. ON top of that, she was my grandfather's power of attorney, and did all the paperwork stuff for him, and she never had his will probated, she is now the heir of a few million dollars (that she never worked for, she hasn't had a job in 30 years and literally worked my grandpa to death, if it wasn't for her i believe he would be alive right now) because she lied to my grandfather about getting his papers done right! i swear it's one thing after another!!!!
I was in therapy for many years before and after my mother's death. THe before part because my father was abusive. Right now I can't afford it nor can i find a therapist in this po-dunk town worth a darn! (after 12 years of therapy I can spot a good one and a bad one lol) I've taken prozac for about 8 years, but have been off of it for about a year. I wanted to try to get my life straight without medicine, but I'm thinking it's time to go back on the drugs.... i need to learn to not be ashamed and not feel as if i'm weak because i'm no meds!
anyway,. sorry for the big long shpeal! I've posted up daily to-do lists in the house, as well as a schedule, daily, and weekly cleaning lists. I've been going through and checking off each thing as i do it and it's really helping! helping me as well as DH, and sister. I also went through and had DH help me get rid of stuff! If I said no, he'd ask, "do you really need this and why".... needless to say i probably didn't need it and in the trash it went! now! if we can keep it up, we'll be in business... and prozac, here i come. :-)
I used to be so messy and now I am super organized (to the point that it annoys my BF). I don't know why or when this drastic change occurred, but I feel much more relaxed as a result. I am much more organized on a daily basis and rarely run late anymore. The only downfall to being so anal about stuff is that I literally cannot relax in my living room if there is clutter! I wish I could find a happy medium...Here are some things I do to stay clutter free:
-I like having designated drawers for things such as electronic cords, school supplies, etc.
-I have big plastic bins for each member of the family where I put their personal keepsakes. I add items to the bins to get them out of the way and then later when I have time organize them and figure out the best method to store them.
-My BF is not as uptight as me when it comes to items laying around the house. I usually ask him to go through his paperwork/mail once a week and throw out what he doesn't need and then I file the rest for him. (I file all my paperwork on a daily basis because I'm always afraid I will lose something if I don't file it). Also having multiple expanding file folders helps with categorizing papers (by importance, topic, etc.) I organize coupons with the mini file folders too.