Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
postum

Need help getting back on track

postum
17 years ago

I just sort of lost my energy (six weeks of rain does that to me) and my house is now back to stage one - total disaster area. I've kept up with the laundry and making beds, but the clutter is taking over and kitchen is grimy and there are a lot of BIG projects (planting, exterior painting, MAJOR birthday party, dd in several dance shows, job interviews, yada yada yada) that are weighing me down.

Any suggestion on how to get back on track? And keep my energy going and stay organized with a lot of events going on?

Thanks for your organizational expertise!

Comments (8)

  • quiltglo
    17 years ago

    I was going to tell you to set your timer lol.

    Take a walk around the block and clear the cobwebs and then focus on the clutter. Too hard to bother with cleaning if there's clutter all over the place.

    I think the best way to deal with clutter is to do a room at a time. Either put away or give away. I don't like having a "keep and decide later" box. If something doesn't have a home, leave it where it is for now.

    Start the process all over again after you've hit each area of the house. You will probably be able to put away anything that didn't have a home the first time. If not, it's time to decide why you want to keep the item.

    I really like this quote off of Sandra Felton's daily email list:
    ""Your house is your larger self."

    The house is not just bricks and mortar, furniture
    and personal items. Your psyche, as a woman,
    is intrinsically connected to the condition of
    the house.

    The problem is that a messy house does not properly
    reflect our better qualities. Instead it reflects
    our fears, bad habits, and misplaced ideas. "

    We always have lots of stuff going on. Just the small amount of effort every day will help you build some energy. Tackle the big projects in small amounts also. The entire garden doesn't need to be planted in one day.

    Do something silly, like putting a star on your calendar for each day you do SOMETHING in regards to getting the house back in order. Be sure and give the kiddos some jobs.

    I still prefer using Flylady's system and whenever I get off track I can jump right back on.

    Gloria

  • vicko_wa
    17 years ago

    So glad you asked that question- quiltglo's response inspired me also!

  • sheriz6
    17 years ago

    I'm in the same boat ... I've been sick off and on for the past three weeks, the DS has had horrific allergies this spring and has been home from school, and I just don't have the energy to deal with the house at all.

    Today I've managed to get a load of wash started, and I'm going to set my timer and at least clear out the kitchen. Thanks, quiltglo.

    Love the Sandra Felton quote, it's so true!

  • zeebo
    17 years ago

    Sometimes when I just don't know where to start, I just pick on spot or one corner and start from there. Then work my way around the room. Just accomplishing a small corner give me enough of a positive boost to really get my creative organizing energy going.

  • talley_sue_nyc
    17 years ago

    I like the star on the calendar idea, that's fun!

    I wanted to say, don't get so discouraged!

    If you've mostly had your home under control before that rainy season, you'll probably find that it's MUCH easier to regain that lost ground than you fear.

    Things already have a place; you already have mental patterns for keeping or tossing; you know what you want it to look like in the end; you've BEEN there before.

    You just need to do it. Without thinking too much about it. Or fearing it too much.

    And sooner than you think, you'll be back where you were. Because you **already did** the hardest part.

    The Newsday columnist Katti Gray closed last week's column (a tribute to her mother) with this about her hardworking parents, and their generation:

    "They just did it. Not without complaint, of course, but they did seem to spend very little time belaboring the point. They just did it. "

    This has been racketing around my head all week, and I'm trying to just do it, and not waste much time talking about it.

    Good luck!

  • stephanie_in_ga
    17 years ago

    That happens to me a lot, I fall off the wagon, break my diet, pick a metaphor. I feel this is a lifestyle change and it's very hard to do. Then something comes up, illness for the kids or for me, a vacation, or just a few really busy days. Then it all piles up on me again.

    I need a deadline. So I invite people over giving myself several days to get it together. That is the one thing that movitvates me better than anything else. If I wait until after I get the house together again, I'll put off both the housework and the invite indefinitely. If I know some girlfriends are planning a moms night out, I use that deadline. I can't go unless...is cleaned up.

  • quiltglo
    17 years ago

    I think that's why the Flylady system has worked so well for me. My lack of organization was learned, not an emotional response and she gave me a way to both take on the house as well as maintain it in so little time. As long as I'm not the one who is sick, I can usually find 15 min. a day.

    You're really correct in that this IS a lifestyle change and it takes time and effort. For me, that effort period lasted about 8 months and then it became much more natural.

    I'm leaving with dd tomorrow for 5 days in Reno for an Irish dance competition. Since the entire family uses this system, I know I won't come back to a mess from the 4 staying at home. They know what to do.

    Gloria

  • joann23456
    17 years ago

    I agree, Gloria. I'm still fairly new to Flylady, only a few months, but it's been really helpful. I like the morning and evening routines, and especially like Kelly's Missions in the various zones. For people who haven't checked it out, the idea is that, in addition to the daily stuff like wiping bathroom and kitchen surfaces, you work in one zone (i.e., room or set of rooms) in your house each week, and do one of the "missions" related to the zone you're in each day. Each takes about 15 minutes, and in a month you've worked around your home and at least given everything a once-over. I notice now that I've done it for a couple months, things stay pretty clean and the next time I do them, they get even cleaner.

    I like having someone just tell me what to do so I don't have to think about it, knowing that everything gets done eventually, if not perfectly. My house wouldn't be up to the standards of a really neat person, but it's much improved from the way it's looked for many years.

Sponsored
EA Home Design
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars69 Reviews
Loudoun County's Trusted Kitchen & Bath Designers | Best of Houzz