Dear Mari


As hard as this sounds when you are dead and burried... no one will recall if you were tidy or untidy...

My mum once said 'when you have children they will recall you playing with them, and the love given not mess arround the house'

Always remember there is you and your husband, you both have clutter, you both either live arround it and be happy, or you choose to clear it out.... only as individuals can this be reached....

if he chooses not to complain why are you worried?, if you are hurting by mess and clutter but can't remove it... ask hubby to remove it for you...


Take care and a Happy new year to you both.

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

mari, i just watched part of an oprah show. it had lots of recycling and "green" stuff. you know...if you recycle just 4 ft of some of that paper..you can save a 40ft fir tree.

i'm big on donating clothes that don't fit the kids or that i haven't worn. my big thing now is..if it's not flattering...donate it. i'd rather have just a few items that fit and look nice. being busty..tops tend to be too short.

the list is great! i can't wait to see the X's next to the stuff you have taken care of. say hello to your friend.

Supper is over and I managed to finish the bookcase by his chair and vacuum everything on the went side of the trailer...while he's watching tv tonight I will try to do the corner his desk is in and the big bookcase. Working on the entertainment center a bit at a time...as I find places to put the stuff that's on it cause the entertainment center has been sold, just gonna be awhile before she gets it out of here.

Guess I should remove my dragons and get them dusted and in a safe place...I have three big ones and room for two! I can put the smallest of the three on the small set of shelves...it doesn't stick out too far.

Hubby seems to be feeling better tonight. I'm only pitching JUNK and he can see that now. why do we need calendars that are 5 years old??

Hi,
Curious, I put an X by the stuff that is either off the floor or at least in a container or planner of some kind.

While I was working I found more stuff that perhaps should be added to the list, but really, what for.


I'm tired. I'm going to watch a movie.

M.

good job!
A bit of work and then a break is a good thing.

you must have taken a heap of energy pills! hehehe

awesome job!!! i am so proud of you.

go enjoy that movie.

Great work Mari!
You are doing great and pat yourself on the back!!!!!!
bizi
what movie did you see?

Mari, are you Wonder Woman or What?

great going! i want to hear about the movie too. i hope it was enjoyable and engaging... you really deserve a reward for that. although, i think that the state of the apt will now be a reward in itself, eh???

the X's help. i use that for task lists.

i do this for my task lists:

- task 1
- task 2
- task 3

and as i do them, say when i do task 2 (i do this on paper, i am still hung up on paper for a lot of things but i recycle and reuse like you'd never believe i sooooo believe in that) anyway.. say i do task too, then i put a vertical line down the minus sign.... so i get

- task 1
+ task 2
- task 3

i didn't think of this, a friend of mine did and i liked it.

an evolution for complicated task is i use 2 minus signs, so that i can tell if i've worked on something. eg:

-- task 1
-- task 2
-- task 3

say i did part of task 1 and completed task 3:

+- task 1
-- task 2
++ task 3

obviously, or maybe not it is better to break down a task which can be done "partially" into the parts. but sometimes there is no clear break down... its more continuous ... like say writing to a friend and not finishing the letter... the envelope and stamp might be separate tasks, but the writing i cannot see being broken down. so that is when i use this system.

i'm complicated what can i say. even my pdoc says so tho he didn't put that in writing



for anyone who decides they want to immerse themselves in my psyche wrt my hoarding, cluttering, and organization............. i restored my post after mari's first post. i had deleted it at one point.

RavensWings, looks like you read it... i don't know about anyone else, but i figured i'd put it back for consistency in the thread and besides i changed my mind and what the heck! all are free....

To read....
Or not to read...
That is.... not really a question, just an option

~ waves ~

sometimes i don't do X's or the plus minus thing...
i scratch the item out... it is so deliciously rewarding that act in itself... i usually scratch out not enough to hide what the thing said... so still can see the "done" item later.

also after i get a lot of dones, i transfer the undones to a new list and sometimes add things.

i'm undone... perhaps i should transfer myself to a new... ehhh... i don't think there is an end to that would-be sentence.



hugs to all

~ waves ~