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Any "messie" moms out there who have successfully overcome their chronic disorganization?
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Anonymous
| I am a mom who was very organized and in control--until I got married and had 2 kids. Now I struggle constantly with paper piles, unfinished projects, out of control closets-you get the picture. I have read multiple books about organization and have tried different programs, but I never stick with it for more than a few months. Things have only gotten worse since I went back to work part-time. Anyone out there with similar struggles who has found a program that works or has advice? I can't afford a professional organizer, so no referrals , please. I have used Fly Lady, Messies, and read countless other books. I think I might be somewhat ADD--I lose focus so easily when it comes to organization--maybe I should try a medication that would help? All helpful advice appreciated! |
Anonymous
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PP, I kinda hear you.
I've been disorganized my WHOLE life, now, with an also procrastinator and disorganized hubbie, having kids is going to be hard to handle task. My case is so extreme that I try to read books about organization and procrastination and I can't even finish reading it! I go to the stores, buy the stuff to start fixing and organizing the house and I NEVER FINISH! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP! |
Anonymous
| I can absolutely relate to your post. I used to have every surface clear and all papers organized and filed before I had kids. I have a fantasy that if I can only get back to my original organized state, I'd be able to maintain it, but that's just a daydream. In the mean time, I try to spend short amounts of time on things like paper piles, and do a bit of organizing and preparing for the next day every night. I enter my bills in the billpayer as soon as they come in and then toss them in a drawer. I also have a basket system for toys and papers -- if it's not organized, at least it's sitting in a nice looking basket. That seems to help somewhat. |
Anonymous
| I can't say I've become successfully organized over the years but I have gotten a little bit more organized. But only by starting one new simple habit at a time. One that has helped me a lot is to always keep my desk at home clear of clutter. It makes it easier to get started on things if there isn't a pile of stuff that needs to be filed sitting there. Of course the pile of stuff is sitting elsewhere so I haven't solved that problem yet but at least it isn't keeping me from sitting down at my desk and getting started on what I need to do. |
Anonymous
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I have to plan my home tasks just like one would professional tasks. Lists, email reminders, daytimers the whole 9 yards, checking off each "done" as I hit it.
Every Friday I take 1/2 an hour with a cup of tea and plan my "to do" list for the following week. The repetitive items are already on a printed list that I tuck in my "home - to be done" folder. My planner is almost always no more that a foot away from me. I know it sounds anal, but it is the only way I can stay focused. |
Anonymous
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No.
It feels better if you just accept that you will not be Martha Stewart. I consider myself exceptionally creative and creative minds cannot be confined by order and structure. |
Anonymous
That's my endless conversation with DH. I'm soooooooooo creative. I can't be organized, sorry. I'm always happy overall with my success in other "departments" of my life. But, when it comes to house organization: I'M A TOTAL FAILURE! Things are clean, that's for sure. Laundry gets done, trash thrown away but to fold and put away laundry, to organize my "STUFF" is not my strength. |
Anonymous
| What helps me most is being relentless about throwing and giving stuff away. You probably don't need half the crap clogging your closets and covering your desk. |
Anonymous
I was being tongue in cheek, but I do paint...you should see my studio, a COMPLETE disaster. Not sure if it is related, but it's my line and I'm sticking to it. My house? If we could not afford a weekly housekeeper, the house would be condemed as a bio hazard. |
Anonymous
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Flylady.net has a great baby step approach to getting organized. I think you can get a daily task emailed to you, too. |
Anonymous
| Many women view their home's disorganization as "my" problem when the entire family creates the clutter and lives there. Unless your children are infants and your husband is disabled, time should be set aside on the weekend (one hour should do it) for the ENTIRE FAMILY to sweep through the house, minimizing clutter and putting stuff in its rightful place. You can decide whether it's easier to tackle big projects like closets on your own or with the whole family. But I refuse to look at a messy house as "my ADHD." We all live there. It's OUR problem. |
Anonymous
| One thing that has helped me get organized is to take a day off of work, have the children away (babysitter, school) and do a project. Last summer, I was becoming so frustrated at all the clothes in my closet and drawers that didn't fit anymore but that I couldn't deal with while trying to get ready for work. I spent one of these "off" days trying on everything and throwing out a bunch and giving a huge bunch away. This also made me realize what I needed to buy. On another day, after buying a file cabinet and folders, I organized all the "papers" that were in different piles all over the place and threw out/recycled a bunch. Now, it's so much easier to stuff the papers into their labeled folders. It feels really good to accomplish these little projects. |
Anonymous
| I don't "get" the flylady. I saw the website once, read that whole first big mantra about "clean your kitchen sink everyday" and was like ok, wahoo, I'm outta here. |
Anonymous
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I am in the camp that has always been disorganized. I married a man who is anal retentive when it comes to organization and I am driving him to the brink of insanity. We have a two year old and a 7 week old. Between my piles of paper and other stuff everywhere and the toddler's toys everywhere, my poor husband is all out of sorts.
Right now I'm still on maternity leave for the next four weeks, then I'm back to work full time. While I'm home, I'm trying to get some systems in place so hopefully, when I go back to work, things will run more smoothly. But, this process is going very slowly because I'm exhausted! I just read an article in Parenting magazine about de-cluttering. The two points I found most helpful were... * Take care of it if it takes less than 30 seconds. For example, hang up your jacket, put the scissors away when your done. I've started doing this and found it really does help control the clutter. * Get the kids involved. In order to do this, all of their stuff has to have a place. My two year old is able to help put things away at this point, but he needs to have a place to put them. The article said that saying to kids "Clean up your toys" is too general. It has to be something like "Put your trucks back in the bin." One of my projects to complete while I'm still home is to go through my sons toys and either donate, trash, or store some of his toys so they are not taking over our house. The toys I store will be for the purpose of rotating toys in and out of use. I just looked at the flylady.net website that an earlier poster suggested. It said when you sign up, you will get about 10 emails per day. I honestly don't know if I can deal with that. I also have a problem with email clutter. I can't see myself dealing with 10 extra email messages once I return to work. Once you sign up, can you set preferences? |
Anonymous
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Great question!
I have just last week started to use this technique: when I get a sweet tooth, or want to munch on something extra, in place of reaching out to the cookie jar I put something away. That distracts me from the thirst for sweets and makes life a little more organised. Don't know if this will be along term solution, time will tell. |