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  • #16
    Invite me over. I have the opposite problem: I can't stand to have too much stuff, so bi-annually I take a bunch of junk to the thrift store. Later on, I'll be looking for something I could use and realize I gave it away and have to buy something else. Well, that doesn't happpen very often. I usually will get rid of something if I realize I haven't used it for 2 years. This doesn't include clothes. I can't afford to replace those, even if I wear them only on the rare occasion.
    "Is it hot in here to you? It's very warm, isn't it?"--Nero, probably

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    • #17
      and which state is your expres lane in? :P
      It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning.

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      • #18
        Quoth Food Lady View Post
        Invite me over. I have the opposite problem: I can't stand to have too much stuff, so bi-annually I take a bunch of junk to the thrift store. Later on, I'll be looking for something I could use and realize I gave it away and have to buy something else. Well, that doesn't happpen very often. I usually will get rid of something if I realize I haven't used it for 2 years. This doesn't include clothes. I can't afford to replace those, even if I wear them only on the rare occasion.
        I could join you and we'll have the whole place cleaned up in no time! My parents are pack rats and having clutter around drives me bat-shit crazy. I do sometimes find that I'd like to have something I got rid of months prior, but not often.

        To the OP, you've been given pretty good advise. Break down the larger task into a lot of smaller, more doable tasks. When I'm tackling a major disaster (like one of the rentals that's been left trashed) I like to break things down into tasks that will take about an hour each. Sometimes that means a room at a time, but other times that means one particular type of task.

        For example, a couple years ago I volunteered to help a friend of mine who's entire 3 bedroom apartment would have qualified for an episode of "Hoarders". I am not exaggerating. It took me and my friend three days to do the whole thing, but I spent some time organizing how we would attack it. In this case I broke things down not only room by room, but task by task. The first item was the kitchen. First we hauled out all the trash and cleared off the counters. As I cleaned the counters, she went through and got rid of anything broken or outdated. Once that was done we moved onto the hallway closet. We emptied it out separating things into "save", "give away" and "trash". Those two things took the hour and then we stopped for a smoke break. Next we moved onto the living room. That was too big of a job, so step one was to simply gather all the laundry and start washing it (we used my washer, hers and the community washers to save time...what we couldn't start right away got shoved into the laundry room until a washer opened up). Then we went through and ONLY picked up newspapers. Next was kids toys. Being able to focus on only a single type of item made the overwhelming mess of a living room far easier to manage. Day one we were able to get the kitchen, living room, laundry room and hallways done. Day two we tackled the bedrooms and bathrooms. Day three was the picky details. My friend really was shocked how easy it was once it was organized into small, manageable tasks. One of the reasons it got so bad was that she was looking at the whole thing and getting instantly overwhelmed. The thing is, though, that you don't have to think "I need to get my whole house cleaned". That just leads to feeling overwhelmed and possibly giving up.

        Good luck!
        Last edited by mathnerd; 02-20-2014, 07:55 PM.
        At the conclusion of an Irish wedding, the priest said "Everybody please hug the person who has made your life worth living. The bartender was nearly crushed to death.

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        • #19
          ok maybe I'm making my house out to be worse then it is with carefully planned walkways through the clutter...

          its not....I promise....(why no I do not live anywhere near a river in Egypt why do you ask?)

          I run 2 businesses out of my house, and with the purchase of a 2 drawer filing cabinet I knocked alot of clutter off of my desk, but there is still the bookshelves in the office that hold nothing but things I sell on Ebay, and ONE shelf for my school books/folders since i don't have all 5 classes in one day.

          My bedroom closet is a mess to, but a few simple things will fix that....

          I guess i just need someone to kick my bum and make me do things and help me make choices rather then be a "yes man".
          It is by snark alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire 'tude, the lips acquire mouthiness, the glares become a warning.

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          • #20
            Sarlon, just pick a few small tasks each day and do those. Don't worry about trying to do it all at once. You can definitely manage one bookcase, or the closet floor, or some other small task. Soon enough, all those small tasks will add up and your whole place will be tidy and organized.

            Or, I can put on a pair of steel-toed boots and start in on a road trip....
            At the conclusion of an Irish wedding, the priest said "Everybody please hug the person who has made your life worth living. The bartender was nearly crushed to death.

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            • #21
              I highly recommend the book Clutter's Last Stand by Don Aslett. I read it when it first came out 30 years ago and it changed my life.

              Don Aslett has a whole series of books dealing with cleaning and decluttering, but the one mentioned above is a very good one to start with.
              "I don't have to be petty. The Universe does that for me."

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              • #22
                Please, someone come and help with our place! Our biggest problem is three disabled adults, no able-bodied anyone. Except the dog, and she's not much help with tidying.


                Sarlon: four biggish containers from the cheap shop; different colours. One colour is to keep, one to keep but relocate, one to give away, one for trash.

                Pick a spot, any spot. Pull things out of a cupboard (or off a table, or whatever), and sort into the containers. Once a container is full, it's break time: but only after you've emptied the trash container, and put the 'give away' container contents in your staging area. Which can be your car boot (trunk?), as long as you do empty it.

                Once the spot is empty, clean it. Then put the things that belong in it back in place. If you plan to paint, you can paint it before putting things back. That's one way to manage not having the room to store a bunch of stuff while you're painting: paint a little bit at a time. Just be sure to blend in the edges.

                Things you need to relocate can be put in their new home. If you can't find a home, buy another cheap temporary-storage container; you can put 'relocate' items in it. If it fills, you need to consider what's in the container. Do you have a bunch of things of the same 'category', that need a new home?
                Maybe you need an 'art supplies' box, or some such.
                At any rate, the contents of the 'relocate' container will help you identify longstanding storage issues.
                Seshat's self-help guide:
                1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
                2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
                3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
                4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

                "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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                • #23
                  For stuff that you aren't sure of.... do you have any loft/basement storage space? If so box up the stuff you aren't sure of and date it. If you go looking for it then you know you want it. Set yourself a deadline - say 6-12 months - and if stuff is still in those boxes by then you can make the 'chuck/give away' decision a lot easier.
                  I am so SO glad I was not present for this. There would have been an unpleasant duct tape incident. - Joi

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