I am a disorganized mess. I always have been. I’ve tried to get better at it, but I don’t seem to have the switch in my mind that makes it stick. However, with a new member of our family arriving in 6 months, I need to learn to get organized and stick with it. I have clutter in my house. Papers, DVDs, CDs, etc. I can straighten things up only to have them right back where they started three days later.
(And please don’t recommend Flylady - I’ve tried Flylady before and I can’t deal with her ‘tips’ - they’re not realistic to me or my life).
So - real-life advice on how you got organized. I’m not looking to become a neat freak, I’m looking to get organized as much as possible with as little effort possible (Obviously, I’m willing to spend a lot of time in the beginning, but I’d like to be able to do short organizational moments after that).
I’m not the most organized person either, but I have gotten better. I have a small house so I need to make the effort or I’m quickly overwhelmed.
As far as paperwork goes…GET VERTICAL. Horizontal piles of paper make it impossible to find anything. Here’s something that might work for you:
If you’re like me, the kitchen table is the catch-all for all the bullshit paper that flows into the house. If you pick up one of those little file chests (it’s a plastic thing with hanging folders in it), you can put a few main categories on the tabs. When the mail comes, drop each item, either opened or unopened (if you prefer to do your bills on the weekend) into it right when you bring the mail in.
Later, after you’ve dealt with the mail, paid the bills, etc., anything that’s permanent can be transferred to your main record-keeping file cabinet. If you don’t have one, consider getting one. They really help keep the paperwork under control.
Also, invest in a shredder. You’d be surprised how much crap you can clear out of your life. And it’s fun. Really!
I forgot to add that you’ll need a file to keep your little one’s stuff in. They start generating paperwork the minute they’re born. Insurance, hospital bills, birth certificate, social security card, doctor visits, school stuff…all that crap. They’re like little miniature beaurocrats fercrissake!
Would you say you have different zones in your house that are for different purposes, or does everything end up all over? What purposes do your various piles of stuff serve? How much money and space do you have available to organize yourself? Is it helpful to you to see everything in its place, or hide things in containers?
One of the helpful things to me is that within each organization area, everything does not have to be neat. For example, you might have like things in the same area (a drawer for tools, fasteners, etc., a box for receipts) but inside that drawer or box you are allowed to just toss or pile stuff. So as long as I collect my slips of paper and put them in the right bin, file, etc., it’s organized without the minutae of lining up each piece. Makes it a little less overwhelming.
It may feel like too much to put everything back exactly where it should be (CD back in the case and back on the shelf) each time you use one thing; I have set up something of an intermediate spot for “things to be refiled”. Nothing formal, just a spot that means when I get a critical mass of stuff and a few minutes to do it, I put all of them away at once. It cuts down on feeling pissed at every little thing to put away, and I just do it in one swoop.
The trick is just to do a little every day. Go around your house and find spots that are convenient to make storage areas for things like bills, papers, pens, etc. Then go to Bed Bath or The Container Store and buy some nice baskets or bins or whatever will help you create spots for things. We have several areas around our house that are the clutter spots so I tried to keep them central areas of storing stuff but in a more organized way. Things like bulletin boards and shelves and filing carts can help, but if your way is to throw stuff in a basket that can work too, just try to have seperate baskets for different things so you can at least have things sorted and find them easier. Plus it just looks better and keeps things in one spot.
Oh, and you might be getting some help soon with your pregnancy nesting hormones kicking in. I did not used to be so organized but about 7 months into my pregnancy I went nuts…I mean I was cleaning out closets and rearranging drawers like there was no tomorrow. I remember being in tears one day because I couldn’t decide where baby’s onesies should go…with shirts? Pants? or in a seperate drawer? I was like Monica from Friends on Ritalin. So I was a little too far gone, but hey my house sure got whipped into shape and some of that has remained now that baby is 18 months.
One thing I do when cleaning my house (it’s relatively neat, but every 2 weeks or so I do a “mass clean”) is this:
Get yourself a box and a garbage bag. Start at one “end” of the house and go through each room. First clear all the clutter out by putting “stuff that doesn’t belong in this room” in the box and putting all the trash in the bag. Clean the room as much as you desire (vaccuum, dust, mop, change sheets, etc) then move on to the next and do the same. Don’t worry about minutae like organizing DVDs and CDs, filing papers or cleaning out old clothes from the closet at this time.
When the box gets full, empty it. Put the stuff in the correct rooms. If the room’s already been cleaned then put the things where they belong. If not, leave the stuff in a heap for when it’s that room’s “turn.”
When the trash bag gets full, close it up and put it outside with the rest of the trash and get another bag.
You can also have a box in a central location for “things to donate to charity.” There are several charities in my town that come once a month or so to collect stuff right from your house. Or you could drive the stuff to Goodwill or whatever.
Then once you’ve recovered from this mass cleaning, set specific nights aside to tackle those detail-oriented projects. One night for filing, one for organizing CDs and DVDs, one for cleaning out the closets. Dont’ try to do it all in one day - you will never get it done.
As you go through the house on the initial “mass sweep” take note of items you could buy to help organize things. “I could use a box here to dump my mail in” or “a hook would be handy here to hang stuff on”. Keep a list and buy it all at once.
Then of course - you have to stick with it
So far it’s worked for me. Luckilly I have a small house and an un-used basement, so doing a mass-sweep isn’t a huge job for me. But I really find that it helps.
I had the same problem! I stood there in front of the linen closet stressing on what stuff would go on which shelves. Psychotic behavior. :eek: It wore off after a couple years.
For me, the biggest hurdle to becoming organized was holding on to too much crap.
I’ve learned a lot from the TV show Clean Sweep, especially about the emotional reasons I hold on to crap. Their methods of sorting stuff (Keep, Sell, Toss) really help me to deliniate possibilities for everything I pick up.
I found that there really is a lot of stuff that I don’t use, but hold on to thinking I’ll use it someday - especially my fabric and other sewing/craft stuff. The Clean Sweep Rule (as far as crafty-things go) is “Am I willing to commit myself to using this in the next year, or do I have a concrete plan for this item?” If not, out it goes.
I’ve gone a step further with this - anything I haven’t used in 6 months, don’t have a 6 month plan for, and costs less than $10, out it goes. I find that after 6 months, I’ve forgotten I have that gold button anyway, and bought a new one when I finally do need it. So the first one never gets used, and sits around for another year. Out, out, I say! (By the way, your local school is a great donation spot for fabrics and other craft supplies!)
They also have some interesting things to say about keepsakes. Any memorabila should be displayed and honored, not left to mildew in a box under the bed. If it’s not something you cherish enough to display it, it’s not worth keeping. (I make one exception for the macaroni art from my kids - but even that is getting a nice plastic storage container the next time I go to Target.)
Cut out the stuff in your life, and there’s less stuff to organize.
If you need help organizing your day, check out this week’s MMP, where I posted my daily schedule of housekeeping/baby care. It will have to be adapted to you and your baby, but it’s a place to start.
Yeah, the Clean Sweep and a lot of the HGTV shows are really inspirational. When I see how much better things look without all that clutter, I get really motivated to just get rid of stuff.
My huge clutter epiphiany came when I finally realized you need to have a place for everything. No more just throwing my backpack in a corner or leaving my purse on the counter or the mail piled up in a big stack, the house will never look neat if you wind up with everything in “temporary” piles. Yeah, yeah, it’s totally obvious but it took me 20+ years to learn.
If you have a really good friend you can trust, maybe she can come over and help you. A couple of friends did this for me last year when I had really let things get out of control and it really helped to have a critical eye help me decide what to get rid of.
Another habit I’ve had to unlearn is holding on to stuff with some vague ideas I can take it to a consignment store or put it up on ebay. I know myself and, dang it, I’m lazy. I’m never gonna get around to it. It feels great to just let it go, get over any imaginary potential profits, and give it away.
Remember, when you procrastinate, you’re really just dumping work on your future self. In the long term, you have a great reason not to do that, because your future self is going to be focused on your baby. Think about this in the short term, too.
You know how good it it makes you feel to do a favor for someone else? It feels good to do yourself a favor, too. When you find yourself thinking, “Ah, I’ll do this later . . .” try to actually picture yourself doing it, later on. Then imagine yourself sitting down to relax and enjoy a nice movie instead, because the task is done, because some considerate person (you!) has already taken care of it. If you’re thinking, “Eh, I’ll just leave this here instead of putting it away,” then imagine yourself coming across it later on. How do you feel? Are you a little bit annoyed at your past self? Then imagine, instead, walking into the room, and finding it tidy and organized. How does that make you feel about your past self?
This idea (which I must fully disclose came from a F–L— testimonial) is kind of weird, but it has really helped me with some of my own procrastination problems. When I lived with a friend who was quite a neatnik, I used to do a lot of things because I knew if I didn’t do them, she would, and it made me feel good knowing that she would come home and find the dishes done, or the bathroom cleaned, and be pleased. Now I live with my husband. He doesn’t notice when I do anything, and if I don’t clean the bathroom, it’s not like he’s going to bestir himself to do it. But, hey, I live with me, and I’m going to appreciate my hard work just as much as my old roommate would. Probably more.
Yep, that’s a problem area - the kitchen and the mud room. I like the idea of keeping a file folder in there - that would solve a HUGE issue we have right now (my husband doesn’t sort the mail, he gives all of the junk mail to me… :rolleyes: . Like I need 10 flyers from Wal-Mart.).
Things end up ALL over. I try to keep them in one area, but it’s not unusual to find half of my DVD collection in our bedroom and half downstairs, since I tend to watch a lot of stuff while napping on the weekends now. I also have a TON of books, so they’re all over the house - seriously, I’ve found books in the refrigerator before (that’s just me being forgetful, though).
I think we can probably swing a few hundred dollars on organization over the next couple of months - my husband lost his job last week, so we’re trying to be somewhat careful on money, but we’ve drastically reduced our spending, so we can stretch it out a bit.
Honestly? I think I’m already kind of getting started. I went into mad cleaning frenzies in the bedroom and living room this weekend, but was so exhausted after an hour, I had to take a nap . I’m hoping once my energy returns, I’ll feel a bit better.
I really like this idea. Our house isn’t huge, but it’s three floors and lots of little rooms. We’ve discovered that our new thing is to use what will be the nursery as our ‘storage room’, so we’re trying to get out of that habit.
Crap, I forgot about this show! I love Clean Sweep - I may have to tune in again to get myself motivated to throw things out. And I’ll definitely check out the schedule - if I can get myself into some sort of pattern before the baby comes, I think I’ll feel a bit better.
That’s what drives me nuts about myself - I put something down with the ‘oh, I’ll move it tomorrow and find a good place for it’, but two weeks later, it’s still there. The table in our mud room has had the same broken light on it for months, and I don’t know why I haven’t just thrown it out.
Podkayne, that’s a good point. I know I feel better when my house is straight and uncluttered. I clean - that’s the part that’s annoying - my house is VERY clean, we make sure of that. But it’s cluttered, and it’s really starting to get on my nerves.
I was like Monica from Friends on Ritalin. So I was a little too far gone, but hey my house sure got whipped into shape and some of that has remained now that baby is 18 months.
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