Great advice.......Toby check this note out.....

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: Oops, I think you ment to post to Toby, not Chris. Although my house is messy on occasion, it's not one of my greatest dilemnas...:) But I liked reading the post anyhow.....Chris :) : : Aloha Chris.... : : <<<< I have one of the messiest houses I have ever seen. : : Chris, first of all badgering yourself won’t help :) MANY people feel the way you do -- so you are not alone. Obviously, the first step is “wanting to change yourself” & I hear that loud & clear :) : : : : <<<There are only three of us, my husband, daughter and myself. We dont put things away when we finish using them and cant seem to remember to do this for more than a day or two. : : Chris, something that helps is if EVERYONE participates in a 10-15 minute cleanup prior to going to bed...thiis way you wake up to a more organized home ...which will motivate you to tackle another area during the day. : : <<<I want a house that is neat and clean enough so that if someone drops in, I am not devistated. That is NOT an exageration. : : I hear you on what you’re going through -- maybe this will help: I recently saw a sign that said: “If you came to see my home -- please make an appointment. If you came to see “me” , c’mon in!” : : : : <<<I dont even know where to start. Pick up or clean? I dont know how to balance these two things. : : Chris, keep in mind it’s harder to clean around things...so my suggestion is “pick up first.” Hence, you need everyone’s support in the family. It is a great way for you to all share a vested interest in the home. : : <<<<And there are always other things to do such as fun things with my family or projects that need to be done. : : Scheduling helps Chris....what if you decided that between 8-10 a.m. you picked up all the areas in *ONE* room & organized it to suit your needs. Pick ONE room at a time & do it from top to bottom. This may take several days depending on the level of dis-organization it is in currently. The “maintenance part” is MUCH easier when ONE area is done in entirety. When the room is completed ...move to the next and do it ALL. : : Remember, to go easy on yourself in the process ...the clutter & dis-organization didn’t happen over nite ...so give yourself the time to understand it’ll take time to get it in working order :) : : <<<I have done a lot of studying of this website and there are so many good things in it. : : Thank you for your kind words Chris! :) : : <<<<But how do I begin this monumental job of picking up, cleaning, sorting and how do I balance the time so that it can stay picked up, cleaned and sorted? HELP PLEASE : : As stated above ...pick ONE area at a time ...I have stated to clients that whatever we work on in a given session becomes “sacred space” they are NOT allowed to dump in the areas that we have already completed. Using this method you become limited WHERE items can be dumped ...as you go thru the process there is more & more “sacred space” as each item finds it’s own home. The “dumping habit” does not end overnite ...yet by limiting the space you are allowed to dump will help AND not make you feel as frustrated when an area that is completed does not have to be redone. : : Chris, I HIGHLY suggest having a family meeting. Let them know you are on a mission & your NEED their support. It’s a family team your are building ...& EVERYONE needs to pitch in for the team to win the clutter battle :) : : Hope something here helps! Please keep me posted :) : : : : Much Aloha, : : Julie Signore - CEO : : 1,2,3 SORT IT Organizing Solutions -- Innovative Tools : : NSA Member, NAPO Member

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