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<blockquote data-quote="Lil" data-source="post: 744828" data-attributes="member: 17309"><p>I have SO much to say on the subject of clutter. Jabber and I live cluttered lives. Cluttered house, cluttered minds - disorganized and procrastinating and always <em>planning</em> but never <em>doing</em>. The house is the tip of the iceberg. I'm not a neat person, but I try to be a clean person. Still...when I was in college, with likewise cluttered roommates, I'd go for months living in our clutter until one day I'd just lose my mind and clean and clean and clean...then it would get cluttered (and lets face it - dirty) again.</p><p></p><p>This is something I've lived with forever. In fact, over a year ago, I did a MyFitnessPal blog about it. Here are some excerpts:</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">********</p><p><em> I have the kind of life that just seems out of control. I’ve been here before. Work is backing up. I have too much of it to do and I have to just dig myself out of my backlog. That’s going to involve working evenings and weekends (on salary, so I don’t even get paid for it) but I did it to myself. Somehow I let myself get behind and now I have to catch back up. On the up side, a LOT of people at my office have let themselves get behind…but that doesn’t make it right that I have. This is a cycle that's been repeating for 22 years at this job.</em></p><p></p><p><em> My house is an absolute disaster area. I can’t even begin to explain that. It’s not “Horders” bad – but it’s bad enough. The floors are repulsive. Dust is literally everywhere. Not talking a little dusty here – I’m talking you can write your name on every horizontal surface. The mail – God the MAIL. It’s always everywhere! Junk mail and bills and letters alike – just piled on the kitchen counter. I can’t even open my cabinet on one side. Stray paper is everywhere. I don’t even know what to do with it all. There’s not a clean area in my entire house! The other day our church choir was trying to plan a carry-in lunch and figure out who’s house to have it at. I can’t EVER volunteer our house because it’s never in any condition to have guests. </em></p><p></p><p><em> And then there are the unfinished projects. We have ceiling tiles out of our suspended ceiling in the basement that have been out for 10+ YEARS. Not that it matters, as we stripped it bare 5 years ago and never finished that remodel. Now it’s full of cabinets we bought a year ago, waiting to be varnished for the kitchen remodel we planned and haven’t started. There’s a new stove and dishwasher in the garage. They’ve been there For. A. Year. Guess we better hope they all work, as it’s too late to return them…still in the BOXES. My master bathroom hasn’t had baseboards in nearly that long and at the moment is half painted. I painted behind a new vanity and the commode when we installed the new sink…three or four YEARS ago.</em> <em>There’s the guest room that needs cleaned out and painted and the ceiling fan changed. We don’t have a railing on our front steps and we have an unfinished landing. We’ve had tile for the main bath for more than 7 years! And then there’s the yard work…</em></p><p></p><p> <em>What is wrong with me that this happens? My husband and I are happily married. Really, I couldn’t love anyone more. My job is secure – though I’m behind. I have more paid vacation time than I can take – if I ever get caught up. But my life in general is overwhelming. I feel like I have so much to do that I don’t do ANY of it. I don’t even try. And when I WANT to try is when I’m at work! Right now I could clean the HELL out that that house. But I’m at work.</em></p><p></p><p><em> And I’m not working. I’m blogging.</em></p><p style="text-align: center">********</p><p></p><p>You want to know the worst part? ALL THOSE PROJECTS ARE STILL IN THAT SAME STAGE - A YEAR AND A HALF LATER! </p><p></p><p>I need help.</p><p></p><p>Clutter, clutter everywhere! I actually DO want my home to be uncluttered. In fact, I wouldn't mind if it is just somewhat spartan and minimalistic. I'd LOVE to have a bare coffee table with a book and a vase of flowers on it. I'd LOVE to have kitchen counters that look show-room staged. I'd LOVE to have a guest room that you can actually have guests in.</p><p></p><p>Really, I'm to the point that I would like to just take big boxes and garbage bags and fill them with - everything. I'd love to be "ruthless" and "brutal" in my pitching of items out of my house! But that isn't practical. Can I really make myself donate my mother's dishes? Won't I regret that later? Can I throw out papers without going through them and making sure they aren't important legally speaking? What if I rummage sale my four extra cookie jars and my friends who gave them to me show up at the sale? What do I say?</p><p></p><p>With our plan to RV after retirement - even if instead we downsize to a little bitty house like we've planned - we HAVE to get rid of stuff! And...I want to. Right now.</p><p></p><p>But I'm at work...and I'm not working.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lil, post: 744828, member: 17309"] I have SO much to say on the subject of clutter. Jabber and I live cluttered lives. Cluttered house, cluttered minds - disorganized and procrastinating and always [I]planning[/I] but never [I]doing[/I]. The house is the tip of the iceberg. I'm not a neat person, but I try to be a clean person. Still...when I was in college, with likewise cluttered roommates, I'd go for months living in our clutter until one day I'd just lose my mind and clean and clean and clean...then it would get cluttered (and lets face it - dirty) again. This is something I've lived with forever. In fact, over a year ago, I did a MyFitnessPal blog about it. Here are some excerpts: [CENTER]********[/CENTER] [I] I have the kind of life that just seems out of control. I’ve been here before. Work is backing up. I have too much of it to do and I have to just dig myself out of my backlog. That’s going to involve working evenings and weekends (on salary, so I don’t even get paid for it) but I did it to myself. Somehow I let myself get behind and now I have to catch back up. On the up side, a LOT of people at my office have let themselves get behind…but that doesn’t make it right that I have. This is a cycle that's been repeating for 22 years at this job.[/I] [I] My house is an absolute disaster area. I can’t even begin to explain that. It’s not “Horders” bad – but it’s bad enough. The floors are repulsive. Dust is literally everywhere. Not talking a little dusty here – I’m talking you can write your name on every horizontal surface. The mail – God the MAIL. It’s always everywhere! Junk mail and bills and letters alike – just piled on the kitchen counter. I can’t even open my cabinet on one side. Stray paper is everywhere. I don’t even know what to do with it all. There’s not a clean area in my entire house! The other day our church choir was trying to plan a carry-in lunch and figure out who’s house to have it at. I can’t EVER volunteer our house because it’s never in any condition to have guests. [/I] [I] And then there are the unfinished projects. We have ceiling tiles out of our suspended ceiling in the basement that have been out for 10+ YEARS. Not that it matters, as we stripped it bare 5 years ago and never finished that remodel. Now it’s full of cabinets we bought a year ago, waiting to be varnished for the kitchen remodel we planned and haven’t started. There’s a new stove and dishwasher in the garage. They’ve been there For. A. Year. Guess we better hope they all work, as it’s too late to return them…still in the BOXES. My master bathroom hasn’t had baseboards in nearly that long and at the moment is half painted. I painted behind a new vanity and the commode when we installed the new sink…three or four YEARS ago.[/I] [I]There’s the guest room that needs cleaned out and painted and the ceiling fan changed. We don’t have a railing on our front steps and we have an unfinished landing. We’ve had tile for the main bath for more than 7 years! And then there’s the yard work…[/I] [I]What is wrong with me that this happens? My husband and I are happily married. Really, I couldn’t love anyone more. My job is secure – though I’m behind. I have more paid vacation time than I can take – if I ever get caught up. But my life in general is overwhelming. I feel like I have so much to do that I don’t do ANY of it. I don’t even try. And when I WANT to try is when I’m at work! Right now I could clean the HELL out that that house. But I’m at work.[/I] [I] And I’m not working. I’m blogging.[/I] [CENTER]********[/CENTER] You want to know the worst part? ALL THOSE PROJECTS ARE STILL IN THAT SAME STAGE - A YEAR AND A HALF LATER! I need help. Clutter, clutter everywhere! I actually DO want my home to be uncluttered. In fact, I wouldn't mind if it is just somewhat spartan and minimalistic. I'd LOVE to have a bare coffee table with a book and a vase of flowers on it. I'd LOVE to have kitchen counters that look show-room staged. I'd LOVE to have a guest room that you can actually have guests in. Really, I'm to the point that I would like to just take big boxes and garbage bags and fill them with - everything. I'd love to be "ruthless" and "brutal" in my pitching of items out of my house! But that isn't practical. Can I really make myself donate my mother's dishes? Won't I regret that later? Can I throw out papers without going through them and making sure they aren't important legally speaking? What if I rummage sale my four extra cookie jars and my friends who gave them to me show up at the sale? What do I say? With our plan to RV after retirement - even if instead we downsize to a little bitty house like we've planned - we HAVE to get rid of stuff! And...I want to. Right now. But I'm at work...and I'm not working. [/QUOTE]
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