Reply to Drowning in stuff, finally time to tackle but how to not be overwhelmed? Anyone do this before?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’d start with a pencil and paper think through a strategy before you get sucked into the mess of distractions. Think about what you want you house to be, how you want it to flow, with. Also list the things you know are packed and determine where you want them.

Determine which room you need functioning first and get that room sorted before moving on.

Always have a set of bins while you are sorting and take out the trash regurally.

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+1. I’m a reformed slob. This is exactly what I’d suggest too. Make a plan for what needs to go where & find a way to delegate.

I’d start practical and start with stuff that makes it easier to get out the door:
Work bag/school bags: dump everything and organize/streamline contents. Create a spot for all of this to get parked once sorted (hooks near door, repurpose a coat closet, etc)
Gym/sports: each person gets a bag that holds all the stuff they need for each activity (shoes, balls, rackets, etc). Label the bags and make sure there is an easy place for this stuff to land (hooks/cubbies near door/repurposed coat closet etc.) - and if stinky athletic clothes are involved, make a laundry hamper available nearby.
Lunch stuff: organize and sort bags/storage containers, create self-serve area where kids can DIY their lunches assuming they’re old enough
Paperwork: open any unopened mail, toss what you can and create a prioritized pile of admin for the rest. Label separate piles for you/spouse/kids and delegate responsibility to others as much as possible.

Create covered donation bins to keep in garage or basement. As soon as you don’t want something, into the bin it goes. Cover them up so that your kids/spouse don’t walk by and gain renewed interest and ‘rescue’ un-needed stuff. As those bins fill, drop them off. Ferrying donations to goodwill etc is a great task for people to do when they ask how they can help. My teen did 40 of her required learner’s permit hours driving stuff to the dump when we had to clean out my parents’ house.

Dealing with the above will help create time and control messes, preventing them from snowballing.

As you have bandwidth, go room by room or even corner by corner, following your game plan to relocate items to areas better-suited places. Seeing improvement will help you gain confidence and a sense of progress, so target high-visibility places first.
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