Deadlines do it for me. I plan a family gathering dinner party....yeppers, works like a charm. Things I didn't know I had get cleaned! Even the cat gets vacuummed, dusted and scrubbed with a microfiber towel! If I have a big sewing project(for the house), that gets done too so we can use the dining table to ....ummmmmmmmm .....eat!!!! :^)

LOL, I wish my cats would let me vacum them. The dogs too!! Nothing like company coming to get the house spic and span.

I think a little pressure always helps - the more you do, the more you do sort of thing, but in case of a move, no amount of prep and planning and pre work is too much. Even if one is completely compulsive about moving, you get to the end and you are throwing things in boxes.
(I don't want to be Debbie downer here.)
I'm a list make, and it helps me stay organized. What if you made a list, set a REALISTIC schedule and then thought of ways to reward yourself for sticking to schedule? (I'm a tad compulsive, so simply sticking to schedule is reward enough - lol.)
Just remember that everything you can get rid of is something you don't have to pack!
Also, you may want to ask a friend to help you. Packing my best friend's kitchen was so not a task becaue we were laughing the whole time.
best of luck!

Company coming always lights a fire under my butt. Invite a group of people and I finally get down to brass tacks cleaning my house. Especially my super-cleanie MIL,if I invited her the house would simply sparkle by the time shealked in the door. Once , I goofed, she arrived and sat down in the one chair in the house that had cat hair on it. Was my face red!

Yes, it does usually help me to get something done, but I've found that the last several times I've waited (in order for the pressure to build up, I guess! LOL) something has come up, sick grandkids needing babysitting, etc. and it really puts me in a time crunch!

garden, you're right, I need to start making lists. I know it's the thing to do. I use to make a lot more lists. then it became too depressing not being able to complete the list. LOL Just kidding. Lists definitely help keep me on track.

Pressure? No.

But deadlines? Yes!

If I set a reasonable deadline for myself, it is my friend. I like to get things done early, without having to rush.

But then there is the part of me that likes to have some time to goof off, and do whatever I want, like gardening, reading, quilting, or spending time on the computer. I need that time to restore myself, but it is very easy for it to become an avoidance of what I need to do.

When I have my wits about me, I ask myself what will make me feel better in the long run: the carefree ease of lazing around, or the satisfaction of finishing a project?

I have to admit I do. I guess because all during my working life I had to work that way. I miss the hustle and bustle of office life but not the politics.

In the past I found lists were the best, I loved crossing off the things as they were finished. When I was having club, etc. and there were so many things I wanted to look great I went (in my mind) through everything I needed to do in the room and wrote it down, it was easy to look at and know what needed doing next. The same with food prep. or getting paper goods out or those little extras you do for company but don't necessarily do on a reg. basis. I was always the lady with a list! Not so much now unless it's errands or phone calls I need to do.

Don't have the experience, but I think you need to put it in writing. Don't only write the chores on a piece of paper, but also the fun things that you want to do. Then decide which chore you're going to do BEFORE you do a fun thing.

If you allow yourself to do the fun things in between, at random, then it will be very difficult to remain disciplined. If you have one list with ALL things on it, it might become more visible.

i crack my own whip..i don't work well with people..unless i need them to hold the other end of something or go up high..i hate up high..

i am a get it done, my way,myself person..and don't like people's schedules or waiting on anyone.

yes i work well under pressure..but it is generally my pressure..cause i "gotta get it done"

I have learned that I like to THINK I work better under pressure but have to watch how that leads to procrastination. There is sort of an optimal pressure/time point for "good pressure" and if I go beyond that, then the feeling that there is not enough time to get it done, or done right, takes over and makes me less effective. Plus, I tend to understimate how good it feels to have some breathing room. Plus, as life and work get more complicated, you can never "count" on that last day or week--something may come up, and excuses don't fly (in a lot of my situations). The best pressure, for me, is self-imposed pressure within some breathing space--meaning, setting a goal of time or something produced but not yet being in a true last-minute external pressure/panic.

I found that I make lists and have a cleaning schedule for every day because I wasn't getting things done but I had the time.

I think when I left work not having a schedule and sticking to it led to not getting things done that I needed to get done. When things started piling up I would get overwhelmed and say to myself that I will get that done tomorrow because I don't have time right now. That seemed to go on and on. After struggling with that I just said to myself no more. I don't want to panic if someone wants to come over my house should always be neat and clean like it use to be. Not that my house is real dirty but not as good as it could be and more importantly it was bothering me.

I went on Flylady and looked around and made lists of every thing that needs to be done and have been doing real well with it.