I have a problem with clutter. I seem to attract it like dust. Any ideas how to get the crapola out of my life? I am organized at work, but at home, I fall apart.
I am trying this website which helps organize people, but I am finding that I am just reading the emails, and now those are cluttering up my inbox.
Help! Summer is coming, and I get sucked into the computer and hide from the heat. With no schedule, I am a mess. Literally.
Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
Martha Stewart's main magazine and mini magazine called "Organized" are great. Also, the magazine, "Real Simple." I am the queen of organization, so trust this advice. Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Clutter is my enemy. My husband is a pack-rat on the 12-step program, and his habits used to drive me crazy. My suggestions: Pick one day a week to do heavy cleaning. Pick one day a month to go through closets, etc. and get rid of stuff. And finally, don't buy anything that you don't have the space for or won't use a lot. My biggest problem used to be that I wanted to keep everything that the kiddos ever made. They each have a special box that I save things in, and I make myself go through them each about every six months. Funny how you can stop being so sentimental about things when you don't see them for awhile; it helps me weed out the junk and keep the truly special items.
space opera
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Ritalin.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I'm a flylady.net survivor. (((Elizabeth))). I hadn't heard of a 12 step group for clutter. What constitutes "sobriety"? Or was that a joke?
Suze Orman had some interesting thoughts on clutter in Courage to be Rich. Maybe I should read it again. Sure sounds more interesting that actually cleaning some stuff up. Though I did empty a box on Saturday.
Posted by kaioshin00 (Member # 3740) on :
throw everything away
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Flylady is what I am not doing!(I do have a shiny sink, though.)
Mack, don't make me come over there...
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Whatever I throw away just seems to multiply in the kids' room. It is like an alternate reality in there.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Oh! I'd love you too!
(I'm on MSN, goober)
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I cannot find MSN now, either! He deleted that, too! Wait til he gets back here! I think he even cleared yahoo Messenger.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Want to borrow my stick?
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Pooka, it was a joke. My husband's 12 step program has consisted of me warning him to sort through clutter or I will. Works every time.
space opera
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I have to go now. We have a cat window now. New thing. So far, the cats have brought three live animals in through the window. Two mice, and one giant frog. They are supposed to keep them OUT of the house. So, I am out of here. I am going up and will throw ten things away. Thanks guys and gals! I can't wait to hear more tips.
[ May 17, 2004, 11:08 PM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
One of the easiest ways I have found to get rid of stuff is to wait for a black mood day when you hate the world.
You won't keep anything unless you have an absolute need for it.
One problem: getting all the stuff to GoodWill or the dump. Plan ahead.
OR does that go against organization blues?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote: Flylady is what I am not doing!(I do have a shiny sink, though.)
Heehee! Same here. Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I don't have a problem with clutter. I love it! Posted by Lupus (Member # 6516) on :
Get a poster that says "organized people are to lazy to look for things" and put it up...then you don't have to clean Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Let's see... my computer is cluttered, all of my emails are cluttered there is kipple everywhere. Plus I hate to clean. Cleaning is so boring. I'd rather read.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Actually, I have to look for stuff more when things are tidy. When they are messy, everything is all out in the open.
Posted by Wussy Actor (Member # 5937) on :
Just move. I guarantee, the junk that survives the throw it in a box phase will never survive the unpack it and put it away phase.
Posted by Damien (Member # 5611) on :
Embrace it. HOORAY FOR CLUTTER!!
DXM
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
Elizabeth:
I'm a grounded flybaby, too ... not up to the shiny sink part yet
anyway, there's a site: Messies.com that has some helpful hints. They advise getting a bunch of boxes and sorting things into them to clear a space ... presumably you then empty the boxes by putting things away and getting rid of stuff, but the boxes help you sort by category.
I got the boxes, and decided to put my paperbacks in some of them and categorize them while I'm at it - do a database of all my books. I am not through the first box yet. Can we all say, "easily distracted?" Thanks, kiddies, that's our phrase of the day.
I'm offering this up in hopes it will help you more than I've allowed myself to be helped by it. You don't have to sign up for the emails, btw. The "getting started" bit is posted on that page.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"Just move."
I have mentioned doing a "fake move" to my husband, who just gives me a weird look. Butthat would do it!
I do like the Flylady Way, and maybe I should just go from the website instead of the emails.
I will try the other site as well.
Off to clean my sink! Hey, I guess it IS a start.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
quote:Butthat would do it!
I read the first word as Butt hat and thought, "Did Homestarrunner.com add a new character?"
The moving idea is the best. But you can't use packers if your goal is to reduce clutter - you have to handle every item yourself and decide if it's worth keeping.
Dagonee
Posted by Beca (Member # 4340) on :
I have ICD (Impulsive Cleaning Disorder), so I don't know if any advice I can give would actually help. Mostly, things stay pretty clean, but clutter does build up. The coffee table, for instance, is where all the mail goes. I open all the mail, but some of it needs to get filed away, and I never really feel like filing. I suppose it would help if the files were located in some tucked-away corner of the living room, instead of all the way on the other side of the apartment, in my room.
But when I'm decluttering, I'm pretty methodical about it.
I go by room, and if a room is large, I go by area. I get the large trash can, and a laundry basket, and I turn on some music - depending on what sort of cleaning rampage I'm on, it can be angry or bubbly. Then I get to work.
I first find everything that's out of place, but belongs in the room, and put it there. While I'm doing that, if I come across things that belong in other rooms, I put them in the laundry basket. Trash goes to the trash can, placed conveniently in the center of the room if I'm wandering around, or next to me if I'm sitting down and sorting through a bigger pile. Eventually, I'm down to bits and scraps that don't have a place, and then I either categorize them such that they have a place, or I toss them. If they don't have a place, but have to get addressed in the near future (like unpaid bills) I tack them up on the bulletin board. I've been much less worried about losing bills since I got that bulletin board.
Then there's Real Cleaning, and Cleaning Out. Real Cleaning involves dusting and vacuuming and mopping, and only happens if company is coming, or things are so dirty I can't stand it. Usually we have company before the dirt piles up that high. My roommate is very clean in that he doesn't create mess or track in dirt, but his tolerance for both is much higher than mine, so I usually do a lot of the cleaning, mostly because I want to. I can get him to do most chores I don't feel like doing at the time ("Would you take out the garbage, please, before you take your shoes off?").
Cleaning Out rarely happens, but when it does, it takes over the room for a little while. Cleaning Out is exactly like decluttering, but the clutter is invisible before I dig it out of wherever I hid it (boxes, bins, closets). For example, the next things I'll be cleaning out will be the utility closet and the boxes in the hallway (never got unpacked, and we moved in last June). It's unlikely to happen before I've decluttered the common room and my room, but since my folks are flying in from California in less than two weeks, all of it may very well happen this weekend.
I'm not much of a pack rat, though, so it's easy to throw things away or give them away. There are often charity collection bins outside the dorm across the street, so I take my Goodwill-type stuff there. I lose my emotional attachment to junk pretty quickly.
Wow. This explanation turned out longer than expected.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Well, part of me hates clutter, and part of me has a problem with certain TYPES of clutter.
Like my closet never gets cluttered because I'm a firm believer in the rule "if I haven't worn it in the past year, I will never wear it -- out it goes". I don't like extra stuff sitting around, and I'm the only one in my house that really throws stuff out.
However, the exceptions is newspapers, magazines, books. I have them stacked everywhere. A good article I read and wanted to keep -- a magazine I haven't had a chance to read yet. Something I might refer back to later. My roon is stacked with paper goods. I can't make myself throw away the written word (except for the daily newspaper, which I dutifully recycle).
I have brochures I've picked up at the state fair, and places I've visited. I don't know that I will ever read them again, but I hate to throw them away -- it is like memorabilia.
Farmgirl
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
As far as cleaning styles -- like Beca's example above -- I tend to go a little "over the top" probably.
My style of cleaning is this -- take EVERYTHING out of the area. Entirely. For bedrooms this even means breaking down the bed and moving it to the next room.
Then I clean the empty room.
Then I clean items as I put them back in the room.
And if I come across items I don't WANT back in the room -- that is what is left over when the cleaning is done, and it gets trashed.
I clean everything that way.
Farmgirl
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I still belong to flylady. I had a brief stint as a cleaning Nazi before I found a job. Now I'm back to my usual cluttered self.
Steve has a higher clutter threshold than I do. I found that I used mess as self defense when I lived with my parents to keep them out of my room. I'm horrible about putting things away though, and I have this nasty tendency to put things random places at shoulder level where I lose them.
But if I can get Steve to help me just a bit in keeping me on track, I can actually clean pretty effectively. Basically he is my idea and cheering section. I say ok, I want to clean this room, where should I start? He gives a couple of constructive suggestions and I Start. I get going, and then when I run out of steam I take a break, drink some water, and have him come back in and list the remaining problem areas with an unbiased eye. This gets him involved and more likely to keep the room somewhat decluttered after I'm finished, despite his higher clutter tolerance.
The one thing that I'm still learning is not to lose momentum by obsessing over the little things. You know pens, paperclips, the odd bill or junk mail. If you are working on a big room, to do the actual cleaning, you simply throw the clutter in a box. Then after the room is decluttered, you go through the box. You see how nice the room is without its clutter, and that gives you incentive to keep it that way, and it becomes much easier to prioritize your clutter in the box on which to pitch and which to keep.
Since we are still doing all sorts of home improvments, there is one bucket that is the "tools etc" bucket. Yes it isn't a thoroughly organized tool chest but tossing it in the bucket is much easier when cleaning, and it also makes it easier to locate the tools next time you need them even if you have to dump the bucket upside down. But this keeps me from obsessing over the exact best place to hang the hammer in the garage. I used this method on Sunday to clean our laundry/dog/utility room and it is vastly improved. The dogs didn't recognize the room when they came back from the handlers because it didn't smell right!
The other trick, that I learned from my aunt is to have garbage cans everywhere. Go to a dollar store, and buy them for $2 each or use 5 gallon buckets. You see, if a trash can is always within arm's reach, you will be 10 times as likely to throw stuff out, as you will if you have to actually move your body to a garbage can. It is a psychological trick that will work on your relatives as well as yourself. By making it easy to throw things out, you don't put something down and go "oh I'll throw it away when I get around to it" Now that I've gotten in the habit of throwing stuff away my clutter hasn't been accumulating nearly as rapidly.
I do however still fold my wash in the living room and use our living room as a walk in closet of sorts. But hey I'm taking baby steps!
AJ
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
Oh yes, and clorox has just come out with cleaning tablets that you put in the toilet bowl tank, that are wonderful. The toilet is staying clean on it's own, and I'm not having to be grossed out at least once a week.
AJ
Posted by Alexa (Member # 6285) on :
Throw away 3 things a day that you would not normally throw away. Do this for a month and then evaluate the impact it has had on your life.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"The one thing that I'm still learning is not to lose momentum by obsessing over the little things."
Ahhh, that is me! I start out to clean the house, and end up cleaning on square foot of it completely. My husband is better at the one hour company is coming cleaning.
I find that Flylady is helpful in the baby steps thing. And you are right, Alexa, even three things a day is huge after a while.
I laugh, but dang it, my sink IS shining! I guess I am taking embryo steps. Hopefully, I will graduate to true baby steps soon.
One thing I noticed that made me so happy. My husband, who cleans a lot, but never puts th freakin' dishes in the sink, or folds his laundry, put three glasses NEXT to the sink. It was his little baby-stepping show of support.
OK, I need to gt OFF THIS COMPUTER and throw away 27 things.
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
Thought you might appreciate a little humor. Zits, the comic strip, ran a cute line starting May 3.
*giggle* Everyone has their weak areas. I think I'm a clean freak, but it drives Tom nuts that I don't clean the stove immediately after I'm done cooking. I usually go eat and then clean up the dishes and kitchen at the same time. He cannot sit down to enjoy the meal until the kitchen is cleaned. Yet, I cannot stand paper clutter and he doesn't mind it at all and I like to put things away under the coffee table which to him is clutter.
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
I'm tempted to rent a small dumpster - here it's $40 for four week and they will empty it once a week.
The problem is, I don't want to be the only one cleaning. One, it's not fair. Two, I will put it off unless I have some support.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
do you have children Cay? I bet the novelty of throwing things in the dumpster would last for at least a week.
You can have contests for what makes the weirdest sound, or the best shatter of glass.
AJ
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Christy, The ironic thing is that my books at school ARE organized Dewey decimal style. Or at least my version of it. Each book gets a little tab with the letter of the author's last name. I put the book, author, genre, and various notes in an Excel database, and I have the kids sign the books out.
At home, it is a different story.
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
Elizabeth, I would guess then that you just need to set aside a little time each day for organizing -- you already know what to do. Its just a daunting task after a full day's work. Break it up into little pieces and try to make them fun.
If you have serious crapola, though, I've liked the approach of "Clean Sweep" on TLC. Make an area to put things to keep and go through your pile of junk in a set amount of time (i.e. 1/2 hour). That way you can't get distracted by compulsive organization or small tasks and have to make quick realistic decisions about your stuff.
[ May 19, 2004, 05:34 PM: Message edited by: Christy ]
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
C, That is what the dear Flylady tells me too. She says to even use a timer. I think I can do it at school because the schedule IS like a timer. Most of the kids in our class are ADD or ADHD, or their behavior is similar enough, so it helps them to stay organized if I am organized. I LOVE watching those Clean Sweep shows. I feel so good when they are done. Our house is not a total pigsty or anything, but I know that behind and under things there is a mass of mess. So I am sort of obsessive about cleaning, yet I get overwhelmed. it's weird. Mack has prescribed Ritalin numerous times!
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Hey, it helped me out LOADS. Both my doctors have said a "holiday" from taking it would NOT be a holiday for anyone.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Mack, I know how much it has helped you. I really DO think I should get Ritalin, but I am trying this first. This self-organizing business.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
*snicker*
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
That comic = me. Reminds me of all the junk I'd carry with me in my back pack at school.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
We have kids in our class who need help organizing. I swear, we turn our backs, and they are in complete disarray again. If you know a really end-of-the-spectrum ADHD child, you can multiply that child by 13, not give him ANY medicine, or give it sporadically, and that is our class. Maybe there is just so much energy going into helping them learn how to do this for themselves that I just don't have any left when I get home. I have time, but no desire or energy. Plus, I have to help my kids. I am not trying to give a sob story, it is just an emotionally draining job.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
Oh. My. Goodness.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
My reaction as well... It's certainly working on me a bit... I got to do something about all these stupid irrarating papers...
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
OK, evert piece of laundry in this house is washed, folded, put away, given away, or thrown away.
It feels SO good. I swear, I can feel my head starting to clear.
My son went running down to the laundry room to get his clothes(which are usually in clean overfilled laundry baskets), and came running back up.
"Mom, I forgot I had clothes in my drawer!"
Ouch, but hey, we are moving forward step by step.
Did someone on this thread mention a Japanese philosophy called (Fenshui?), or was that one of my frinds? Anyone know anything about that?
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
BannaOj: yes, I have kids. I'm thinking I should rent the dumpster the first week of summer vacation. It's $40 for four weeks, and they empty it once a week.
I haven't checked those sites out thoroughly, but that second one looks like fun.
Oh, and I've heard it pronounced like "fung shway"
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Renting a dumpster sounds like fun! My biggest problem is actually taking the trash downstairs to the throwing-trash-out area...I'd say dumpster, but it's more of a...pile...with some trashcans randomly distributed...in the corner of the first floor of our apartment complex (the complex is raised so that actual rooms and things, aside from the laundry rooms, don't start until the second floor..first is mostly car parking).
That, and sorting my stupid clothes...I moved two weeks ago, and I still have clothes on my bedroom floor in duffel bags.
Posted by Jenny Gardener (Member # 903) on :
I'm hopelessly lost when it comes to taking care of myself or my household. I even find it hard to take care of my basic hygiene needs on a regular basis! It just doesn't occur to me to wash my face every night before going to bed. It has something to do with the way my mind operates. I fixate on a task and stay with it for a very long time. When I'm done, I'm done. OR I am flitting from task to task, unable to settle with it long enough to get it accomplished. I hate my work habits. Sometimes they're so awful I think about suicide! It's my lifelong struggle, but so far nothing I've tried seems to help. It's not something I like to talk about, because it seems like such a stupid thing to have problems with.
Ah well. This thread helps me realize that I may be extreme, but I am not alone in the world. Keep it up, folks, and I'll try to incorporate some of your ideas.
I like the clean everything up and then put the little miscellaneous stuff in a box. I can do that. But then when do you put it all away? It usually takes me all day to declutter a room, and I'm tired and hungry and need to pay attention to my family. So I shove the box in a corner, and it never gets tended. And things start to accumulate in that corner, and then things are back to where they began within a week.
What do I do?
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Elizabeth, try googling Feng Shui.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Jenny, I am with you. Flylady is really helping. I am not too far past the shining of the sink, and it is hard to actually DO all the things they say, but it does help.
I now have my kids clean a little portion of their room each day, and I write them a checklist. It was a dresser drawer a day, then under the bed, etc. They are just as overwhelmed as I am.
I like this Feng Shui idea, I think. I did Goole it, smarty-pants Tom, but most of the things that come up are sites that assume you already know what the heck it is. Basically, it seems to be that the clutter in your life becomes the clutter in your head.
Jenny, even my garden is in disarray now, and that is unacceoptable to me! it always used to be my place of peace and organization.
Posted by Jenny Gardener (Member # 903) on :
Right now, I am focusing on the Triumvirate of Trash - the kitchen, my bedroom, and the office. I figure if I can get a handle on these three areas, the rest of the house will be a piece of cake.
Elizabeth, it's okay to feel crazy about the house. When you need a bit of peace and calm, go look at nature for a while. Then come back. Claim one teensy area of the house as your sacred space, and keep it so. Then, start expanding that space.
I'll try to take my own advice, too.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
Well it depends who is cleaning as to what happens with the box. Steve does these cleaning sprees when I'm gone at a dog show, and the house looks wonderful when I get back. However I realized that a lot of the stuff that he "decluttered" went in boxes in the garage. But the fact I didn't see it for a while actually helped a lot. If you have some space to put it OUT of that room, and not look at it for a while that is your best deal. Then when you look at it a month or two later you can be more heartless about pitching stuff.
I just did that this weekend. Was looking for one item that I haven't seen in a while and went to the garage. Some of the boxes still haven't been unpacked from our move almost a year ago, and I realized that Steve has been decluttering into another couple of the boxes. So I took a trashbag and started sorting stuff. I pitched a good third to half of the stuff, and the rest was clearly obvious where to put away now. Found a lot of miscellaneous pens too. Only saved the really important paperwork and trashed everything else.
And I cleaned the bathroom sink and the kitchen sink AND the stove. Go me!
AJ
Posted by Ayelar (Member # 183) on :
I'm even worse than a clutterer... I tend to have a hard time just getting the dirty dishes and food wrappers into the sink and trash can from where we eat in the living room. Mark laid down some ground rules for the new apartment, but what's really helped this past week is my new stainless steel step can in the kitchen. I've wanted it for the past year, but only recently has it been on a big enough sale at Target that I could afford it. It's a lot more fun to use than the grimy small plastic can we had at the last place.
But then, you all probably throw garbage away just fine. Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
We have a garbage can IN the living room where we eat, to solve this problem Though we often eat in front of our computers, but there are two trash cans in the computer room to solve that problem.
AJ
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
At my house I keep the public areas clean but my room is a disaster area. Several people have cursed me as a slob because of my room. I point out that I keep 90% of the house clean but they say it's only my room that counts. Since that's messy that means I'm a lazy bum who can't be trusted with responsibility.
I see it as that's my room, that's my inner sanctum and I can do with it as I please. No one should be in my room anyway so why do they care?
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
I made the call today - the dumpster arrives on Wednesday.
Posted by Christy (Member # 4397) on :
Anna -- of course if you never go look in the garage (or basement in my case) it is awfully messy when you do! We need some major cleaning ourselves, but I figure as long as the basement can contain the mess and I don't have to see it, it must still be okay. *grin* And, I think you're right, too, all the stuff you don't necessarily need gets filtered there and you just have one major mess to clean up.
I am definitely a sanctuary believer. When my living room and bedroom are messy, I am depressed, but as soon as they are clean it doesn't matter what the rest of the house looks like, I can have someplace to relax and be happy.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"We have a garbage can IN the living room where we eat, to solve this problem"
Yes, I am getting one today or tomorrow. the table next to the couch is a pile-up area for the kids and us. So, Ayelar, I understand the terribly long walk to the kitchen garbage problem. Sad, but I do.
After a nice clean-up of the kitchen this weekend, it feels so much better. Good golly, though, does laundry heap up fast!
Edit: Does anyone have a really good site about Feng Shui? One that explains the basic philosophy? I am still trying to find one. Is it that inner sanctum idea, Christy?
[ May 24, 2004, 05:32 PM: Message edited by: Elizabeth ]
Posted by Architraz Warden (Member # 4285) on :
Feng Shui and Geomancy in general are areas I've been reading bits about. Something about the design arts and mysticism (and regardless of what most people or sites might say, at their roots both of these are Mysticism) fascinates me. I suppose I'll have to go back and read the entire thread now to see if I can offer any pointers off the top of my head, but until then here are some decentFengShui sites. I think the second one in particular actually hits upon the philosophy.
Feyd Baron, DoC
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Thank you! That was exactly what I needed. i think it is pretty fascinating.
A friend and were talking about it today. She went to China, and there was a building which had a giant hole in the center of it to "let the energy flow through."
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