I have always been a very organized person, but my house right now is so disorganized that its driving me crazy. We moved in almost 3 years ago. At the time, we knew we were going to do some redecorating, build in some storage, and re-do the kitchen. We'd been living in temp housing for 3 months so when I unpacked, I just sort of stuck things anywhere with the intention of redoing them. HA. Life happens.A pregnancy/miscarriage, then Katrina (had family from New orleans in and out for many months), then another pregnancy which blessed me with my beautiful 1-year-old. Mix in my very sensitive daughter getting used to all this and acting out, and I've got a disaster of a house. Now she's going back to school, I am on my feet, and I absolutely don't know where to start. I have organized the kids rooms and closets, set some clutter aside for a garage sale. The kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, EVERY room--all the drawers and cabinets are a mess, nothing is placed where it makes sense...everything needs painting and decorating........when I look around the house, all I see is what I need to do. Should I organize first, then decorate?? Decorate to get motivated, then organize as I go?? And did I mention everything needs cleaning?????????

Big hugs your way, you seem overwhelmed! I have an ongoing list with things I want accomplished around the house then tackle them according to priority or wants as I can get to it. I don't feel overwhelmed and I see that I am completing tasks.

I would recommend starting with getting rid of stuff - spend a few weeks going through the stuff you have and really weeding it out. You said you set some stuff aside for a garage sale - well, add to that pile and actually hold the sale. If you aren't able to hold the sale in the next month or so, I would say just donate the stuff - you can claim it on your taxes and you won't have to look at it anymore. I don't even do our neighborhood yard sale anymore because for me it was just one more thing added to my "to do" list and adding to my stress. I spent so much time pricing and organizing the stuff to sell, and except for the first year when we had big items like furniture to get rid of, we never made that much money.

When you have less stuff it will be so much easier to organize it. And yes, I would definitely take little "decorating breaks" to reward yourself. I am not the type of person who totally redecorates a room so it works for me that when I get an area clutter-free and somewhat organized, I can paint that room, or buy a new bedspread, etc to reward myself for my efforts and start to see how nice the whole house will look when it is done.

Thank you both! Its so nice to get a calm, collected perspective. I am probably feeling more overwhelmed than I should be. I spent the last hour going thru the house with a trash bag, getting rid of the actual trash--half-finished kid crafts, broken stuff, expired medicine, etc etc. That alone is a huge relief. decluttering will definitely take the edge off! I have something of a plan now: declutter--trash first, clutter second. Find homes for the clutter--freecycle, craigslist, charity, garage sale--whatever. I guess I'll decide once I see what I have and what is worth the time. Once the clutter is gone and I can think clearly, I'll make a list of what needs doing and tackle it as I can. Maybe I'll go room by room--a whole house list would just be so much. Today i'll organize the master bathroom. It needs major redecorating, but I'll focus on the organizing.
Thanks again, so much!!

I just start at the room furthest away from the main living area (the one that usually can gets neglected as most people don't see it) then work my way toward the main areas. That assures that every room gets done. We are having company over on Sunday and I have to 1) do a clutter sweep 2) dust, clean glass 3) bathrooms 4) kitchen 5) laundry 6) floors 7) basement. On no, that sounds like a lot and it's already 2:00. I need to get going!

Oh - one little tip, too, if you have a digital camera. Snap a few pix of the areas before you start. Then you can look at them and you will see your progress, even if it is only that you got one table cleared off! I didn't have a digital camera when I was going through the same thing (we had also just moved to a new town and gotten pregnant very quickly and between the loneliness of not knowing anybody and the exhaustion of a new baby my house definitely suffered), but I had taken so many pictures of my DS when he was little, that I could go back and look through them. My husband would laugh when we looked at pictures of my older DS next to pix of my younger DS (who came along when I was getting things under control) - it was like "Look! There's no pile of old magazines under the coffee table anymore!" Even though it was (and still is) far from spotless, it gave me a sense of accomplishment.

Go to "flylady.net" she has some great tips...I use her system all the time....I'm in the process of getting our house back organized....it seems like since its been summer...I have let things slide.....laying in the pool on a raft with a glass of ice tea didn't help a lot either. but my tan looks great.
Anyway...I have most of the house looking really good...except for the bedrooms they still need some tweaking and what did my sweet dear one do.(we are in the "thinking"process of having a new garage built) ..he took the contractor and his crew on a tour of our house and yes he opened all of the bedroom doors to let them peak in...thats like someone opening the dressing room door on you and your standing in your underwear.

Start small.... set a timer ( I use 30 minutes) and pick a room and work ....give your self a deadline like "okay by the end of this week I want to have the kids rooms and closets done" and go from there.

I know exactly what you are going through. We moved in to our house when I was pregnant with our 3rd...our first 2 were only 2 and 3 at the time, so I had little ones to deal with, the house, our jobs, getting the house livable for us quickly, and it was Christmas Eve our first night in the house! Ugh!!!

Now, it is 3 1/2 years later and I've just spent my summer break doing all the organizing that I hadn't had a chance to do. Here's what I did to make this monumental task less daunting:

I made lists. I labeled columns for each room of the house. Then I listed what I wanted/needed to do in each room.

After seeing it all written down, all the little details and everything, I decided what my priorities were. What did I need to do first and what could slide for now.

Then I hit it. I started on a project and didn't quit until it was finished. It might mean reorganizing and cleaning the entire mudroom with all 3 pantries in it and the storage bench (if I had a full day free) or it might only be to clean out and organize a couple drawers in the kitchen. Try to work it around your schedule.

As I accomplished a task, I scratched it out. What a great feeling! Once a room was completely finished, I put an "X" through that list completely. When I started to get worn out or discouraged, I looked at the list or the rooms that I had completed and I'd get rejuvinated.

Good luck and keep up the great work.

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Parker, Wyndser, and Carson....................Wyndser (in blue) with her cousin

Try this site, I use it a lot, and I have the book .. Sidetracked Home Executives: from pigpen to paradise, great help!!
I got it on Half bay for like $2.00

The Brat Factor™ - Get Your Brat Organized?

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