Hubby is out with his buddies so I put in an emergency email to my friend to come help tonight. She is good at organizing, but more importantly, she understands me. I have to take a shower before she gets here.
I'll post back later. I love the great responses. You all are so good.

For now here is what is on the floor of my computer room/laundry room:

magazines
books
box of staples
paper
mail
clothes -- clean and dirty
laundry bag for delicates
hangers
water spray bottle for ironing
calendar from last year
a mardi gras necklace
pens
a can of nuts
receipts
magazine or two
old phone bill
notebooks
papers from my students from last semester


On the floor in the living room:

clothes
books
cd s
dvd s
papers
student papers
papers for work
box of Christmas cards
christmas card or two that I started to fill out and then messed up
reading glasses
an unread news paper
two calendars from last year --I'm a calendar freak
book bags (empty and filled)
plastic containers for papers (empty and filled)
mail
bills
shoes
umbrellas
hair brush
clothes
lunch box
a couple bottles of my meds that fell off the med shelf
stuff for pedicure that escaped its box
markers, pens, pencils
a few bottles of water
trash
phone book for work
empty plastic bags
stuff from CVS still in the bag
boxes of tissues here and there
1-2 catalogs



Sorry. I don't really expect anyone to read that. I get compulsive about this. I am not trying for the neat freak prize. But I need a pathway through my living room. I also need to find some piles of books and papers for when school starts Monday.

As you see, the mess is not a time issue. I have time to type this. The mess is about something else -- don't know what.

Sometimes I feel like the messiness is holding me back from moving on and getting a few things done.

Mari