OT Daunting Tasks How Do You Handle?

[DisneyMomOK]

Hope I am not too far off topic, but I need help! I have had a pretty depressing year (health, etc.) and feel that making my home a better (calmer) place would make me feel better. I have 25 years worth of paper work (tax stuff, bills, etc.), vacation trivia (alll those Welcome Home packets, etc.), and misc crap that I must get organized that I have in two different closets and boxes in three other rooms, plus a basement completely full of stuff that will never be used. It depresses me every time I need to find some business stuff for my husband or something from my basement that I KNOW is there. I do laundry in my basement, so there is no avoiding it. I am going to be off work the month of Dec, so I could start then. Does anyone have any ideas for approaching tasks that are so overwhelming, but you know for your health's sake they must be done. I live in a pretty small house and I know it would make us (DH and DS) all feel better to have more living space (DS is getting a weight bench for Xmas and I wanted to surprise him Xmas morning with it in the basement, ready to use).

Any help will be very much appreciated; I so need some help!

Thanks.

Sharon

 

[ksoehrlein]

I am in a similar situation, although the health stuff isn't much of an issue yet. I haven't actually started really doing it myself, but I have heard that Fly Lady dot com is good for people like us.

She sends out reminders to clean different areas of your home at different times and then tells you when to focus on your "hot spots" (your basement, my study). Her e-mails have lots of good tips and tricks and help you break down large tasks into manageable pieces. I think her site also tells you how long you need to keep important papers and when it's safe to toss them, but I might have it confused with another site.

Good luck and I hope your health problems are now resolved (or soon will be).

 

[mom2alix]

I know where you're coming from. I learned about this website right here on the Dis and it really does help motivate me. You get A LOT of emails from them if you sign up (it's FREE), but I just delete what I don't have time to read and the reminders to get up from the computer and get to work help me. Dising and e-mail are just so much more interesting than cleaning! Maybe it will work for you too! Good luck!

http://www.flylady.com/

 

[ohiominnie]

Hope I am not too far off topic, but I need help! I have had a pretty depressing year (health, etc.) and feel that making my home a better (calmer) place would make me feel better. I have 25 years worth of paper work (tax stuff, bills, etc.), vacation trivia (alll those Welcome Home packets, etc.), and misc crap that I must get organized that I have in two different closets and boxes in three other rooms, plus a basement completely full of stuff that will never be used. It depresses me every time I need to find some business stuff for my husband or something from my basement that I KNOW is there. I do laundry in my basement, so there is no avoiding it. I am going to be off work the month of Dec, so I could start then. Does anyone have any ideas for approaching tasks that are so overwhelming, but you know for your health's sake they must be done. I live in a pretty small house and I know it would make us (DH and DS) all feel better to have more living space (DS is getting a weight bench for Xmas and I wanted to surprise him Xmas morning with it in the basement, ready to use).

Any help will be very much appreciated; I so need some help!

Thanks.

Sharon

Well, I was going to suggest www.flylady.net as she has an awesome way to declutter. Her system, though, talks about baby steps---that it didn't get messy overnight, it won't get cleaned up quickly. She advocates 15 minute sessions of concentrated de-cluttering with many questions to ask yourself...."is this useful?" "have I used this in the last X number of years?" "am I holding onto this because I'd feel guilty if I threw it out?" etc....maybe her site is worth checking out for this task of yours!

You are undertaking quite a task with a short time limit. Your goal though is exciting and maybe that will keep you from getting too burned out doing it.

Good luck!! I do know that when I have a decluttered room, I feel much much better and more at peace.

 

[mom2alix]

I am in a similar situation, although the health stuff isn't much of an issue yet. I haven't actually started really doing it myself, but I have heard that Fly Lady dot com is good for people like us.

She sends out reminders to clean different areas of your home at different times and then tells you when to focus on your "hot spots" (your basement, my study). Her e-mails have lots of good tips and tricks and help you break down large tasks into manageable pieces. I think her site also tells you how long you need to keep important papers and when it's safe to toss them, but I might have it confused with another site.

Good luck and I hope your health problems are now resolved (or soon will be).

LOL! We must have been typing at the same time! I should also mention that you can check out the Fly Lady books from the library too. She has a couple of different titles and they had some pretty good ideas in them.

 

[ohiominnie]

WOW! Three posts about Flylady all within 5 minutes of each other!!

 

[frannn]

but the room where the tree goes is filled with clutter. Also, just got DD3 a beautiful bed, so her room needs to be decluttered. Also, must find all the hidden Xmas presents! I'll check out flylady. Any other suggestions are welcomed...

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Obviously I don't need to mention flylady, lol, but I did want to add that she has a "crisis cleaning" section on her website as well to help out.

 

[dawnball]

One step at a time. I find flylady sort of obnoxious, but you may like her. Take a trash bag and some boxes into whatever space you need to clean. Pick up the first thing you see, If it's trash, put it in the trash bag. If you want to keep it, put it in a bin labeled keep. If you want to give it away/sell it, label a bin for that and put the object inside. Work until you're tired, an hour passes or your bins are filled. Then you empty the bins. Take the trash out, put away/file things that are in the keep bin, put the items for sale/donation in an approprite place. Take a break if you haven't already, then start again.

You can do it as a family project, with everyone doing the whole process, or someone responsible for each part (for example, I usually have my husband haul bags of trash out, pile things for sale, make donation runs, etc while I sort). That makes the time go faster.

 

[DisneyMomOK]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I will go to flylady's site and check that out. About two years ago my immune system went nuts, attacked my optic nerve, lost my vision for a couple of months and now I don't drive (which I hate!). It seems to be worse (still no diagnosis on why or what happened, just know my IS is still out of kilter) and I think it is because I have no sense of refuge (crazy job, parents elderly, DH's business ups/downs, DS teen-age angst). A neat, organized home with all the "stuff" in its place would be wonderful.

Any other ideas, please help!

Thanks.

Sharon

 

[go cowboys]

My wife has a friend, who happens to be in Tulsa, that comes in and helps you get your closets organized. She does this for a living. I do not know the cost or how backed up she is but it might be worth a call. PM me if you want some info. Hope things get better for you in "green country."

Jeff - Edmond

 

[Dory's Twin]

Buy a paper shredder! I used to keep everything. You don't need to keep all of that paper work....It's easy to do and it feels great to see the shredder do it's job!!!!

I have always thought that I would keep the shreds and learn how to make paper...you know, with a paper mold...but that's never happened!

Also, another vote for FlyLady!

 

[DisneyMomOK]

Thanks, Dawnball, I think that having a concept of sorting (how many categories) before I start is a great idea. I know some things will require shredding while others will not, some things will have to be hauled upstairs by DH or DS. I hope that I can figure out what goes where beforehand so I don't keep handling the paper stuff over and over. I am thinking I might need a bunch of files already labelled for the obvious and some unlabelled for the surprises. There is just so MUCH!!! I think that is what scares me.

Sharon

 

[DisneyMomOK]

Hey GO COWBOYS, I am an OSU grad, too. (Many, many years ago!!!) Thanks for the suggestion about the help. I was hoping that I might do this myself, but if it proves impossible, I might need some assistance. I was thinking that completing this goal would give me a personal, kind of "I did it!" pat on the back that I think we all need once in a while.

Sharon

 

[calie_j]

For large tasks that overwhelm just looking at them here's some things that work for me.

Break the task down into teeny tiny sections and make a list. You'll feel you accomplished something each time you can cross something off.

Schedule what days you can work on it each week whether that's 1 or 2 days or you want to work on it every day and a time to start. Then get your favorite upbeat CD out and play it nice and loud when you start working. When the CD ends you're done and you've worked for about an hour. It's amazing how much you can get done in that time and how it adds up if you do this a few times a week and the music helps get you motivated to start.

Team up with a friend for a declutter session, this works great with online friends. Set a time to declutter together and check in with each other about 15 minutes before the start time to motivate each other with what you want to accomplish. Work for 1 hour then check back in with your declutter partner to compare notes of how much you each got done.

HTH, Calie

 

[DisneyMomOK]

Calie, those are great ideas, I forgot about how much lists help and the music idea is good, too. Thank you!

Sharon

 

[cbrfan]

Another recommendation for FlyLady here! I've been signed onto her website for a few years and it's wonderful!! I have lupus so I'm sometimes unable to get things done like I should. Her method guides me through doing without overdoing. And it taught me not to feel guilty when I can't do everything. At the time I joined FlyLady I was trying to take care of my in-laws estate (LOTS of paperwork and "family heirlooms") and was nursing a broken leg. Her method helped me to keep things under control. I highly recommend checking out her system.

 

[Sugardimples]

I have learned a lot about how to let go of "stuff" by watching Clean Sweep on HGTV.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I think the list idea is a good one. I make a list of all the things that need doing, and if there is one large job that needs doing, I break it up as two or more items on the list. I think it's also important to find a way to reward yourself, especially after a whole day of work. Make the reward something little though - like a chocolate latte, or an inexpensive manicure...maybe just a Hershy's Kiss. Also, don't get discouraged if cleaning an area requires you to make a mess, just keep at it.
I think once you find that the area has been cleared, it is still a challenge to keep it clutter free. To do that, you've got to keep on top of the little things - try not to let any job get out of hand. Do spend money on boxes, organizers (So long as they aren't complete junk). Target has nice ones to go with each holiday. But don't go too crazy. Those boxes can get expensive. You should also consider a filing cabinet, and a fire-proof lock box for important papers (deeds, birth certificates, ss cards, etc.)
I think it's also important to set aside time each month, and maybe twice a year for big cleanup jobs.
Having said all this, I do have a few boxes of stuff in my basement that I've put off going into...
***WARNING*** Gross story ahead!!!!!****

In my former house, we got a mouse...it got into all the boxes we had stored in the attic. When I was moving, I lifted up a rolled carpet that had been stored there, and I got showered with mouse poop! It was in my hair, down my shirt, inside my bra! It was terribly nasty! To make matters worse, there was no way for me to take a shower until I late that night, so I just had to keep working...the memory gives me shudders. So those are the boxes I've been avoiding ever since. I could throw them away, but there are antiques in them from my grandmother's house, so I'd feel bad if I threw away anything important....

 

[arminnie]

When I have a room or a closet or a garage that is a total disaster area I find myself avoiding it - I don't even know where to start.

What generally helps me to get going is my "Five Item" rule. I deal with the first five items that I pick up. Then every time I pass that room or have a few extra minutes I go pick up 5 things and put them where they should be - maybe it's in a file or maybe it's in the garbage can.

The flylady 15 minute thing doesn't work for me because then I start thinking about what I can do and then where should I start, etc, etc. With the 5 item thing, I can start anywhere. I can do more if I want to but I have to take care of 5 items.