Anyone else rubbish at organzation?

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by LaRussa

I'm actually a very neat person and like everything in it's place so I know where to find it.
Exactly. Even when I was little I would spend hours perfectly sorting out and arranging my toys and art supplies.
Part of that is it is naturally how I am and how I was raised. The other part is that I've always lived with animals - cats and dogs that would chew on things if given the chance. That's not changed, I have a couple of kittens that try to eat things they shouldn't and if anything fabric is left down Siri will pee on it. It's a great motivator to keep everything clean and put away.

Though I don't care about the bed so much. I usually can't make it when I get up because it would mean disturbing all of the cats.



My rule - If you don't use it, lose it. You don't need it. If you have something you're collecting, show it proper respect and organize it neatly.
 
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junior_j

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Man i think i need lessons from all your organized guys lol!

I am not even sure how the mess happens , I think a lot of it is I have so much stuff , i am a horrible hoarder . I am getting better with organizing things like I keep all the drawings my nursery kids do for me at work or pictures my Godson brings home from school , I fold them or put them in pouches then put them in my little "memory" box which has things from days out experiances , or my first kinda stuff. Like it has my first bank debit card my first gym card , my stick from planet hollywood ect. xx
 

laceface

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I can be very messy as well! I definitely think it is a nature vs nurture thing. My mother is an incredibly neat person. My father is not. I spent a lot of time with my dad growing up, so I took on his method of mess. I spent enough time with my mom though, that I want it clean... it's odd!

My mom is actually flying in from NY (I'm in florida) tomorrow afternoon and staying for two weeks and I should be cleaning...but you can see how well that is working...
 
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junior_j

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I have a lot of toys clothes and nappies i keep here for my 3 god children and i have a ton of paper work and text books because i do 2 college courses in the evening and work full time during week days x
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by junior_j

I have a lot of toys clothes and nappies i keep here for my 3 god children and i have a ton of paper work and text books because i do 2 college courses in the evening and work full time during week days x
Get some plastic bins - the type with drawers. Get fairly large ones, if you wish you could get colorful ones for the kids' stuff. Sort it out, put in it the drawers, and have labels on the front of those drawers. If there's more toys than can fit, you can get extra individual bins.
For your paper work start looking around rummage sales for a small file cabinet or ask family if anyone has an old one they need to get rid of. Baring that, they do make plastic storage containers with inserts for filing.
Work on an easy system that allows you to put anything out back up with only a couple minutes and minimal effort. Maybe get yourself a small dry erase board and put it up above were you usually do your school work.

If you have any extra clothes of your own, such as winter clothes, put them up. Do you have an attic or is there some space above any closets in the house?
Organize your own closet (if you have one) and add some shelves to your room for you to put your little stuff up. The cheapest way to do this is a couple of shelf brackets and a piece of wood (sand and paint or stain it) from the hardware store. Just make sure you screw the brackets into studs or use proper drywall anchors.

A lot of work to start off, but if you try all of this ( a little at a time) you should be able to get all of your stuff organized and keep it that way.


Also, even for those who do have it, look up ADD/executive function disorder methods for keeping organized. There should be a lot of simple tips that you could take and apply to help you.
 

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Originally Posted by laceface

I can be very messy as well! I definitely think it is a nature vs nurture thing. My mother is an incredibly neat person. My father is not. I spent a lot of time with my dad growing up, so I took on his method of mess. I spent enough time with my mom though, that I want it clean... it's odd!

My mom is actually flying in from NY (I'm in florida) tomorrow afternoon and staying for two weeks and I should be cleaning...but you can see how well that is working...
I would non-chalantly ask for her advice. She'll probably be flattered, while you get to learn new neatness tips/ideas
 

momofmany

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I'm married to the king of disorganization and his habits too often trump my desire for orderliness. It offends me when I have to spend an hour getting the clutter out of a room before I can actually spend the 10 minutes to clean it.

I've come to this conclusion and I'm beginning to influence him after 20 years of marriage: the less "stuff" you have in your life, the easier it is to keep what you have organized. Get rid of stuff you don't use and it's amazing how more organized everything looks.

I'm in the middle of a major renovation in my home, where all 3 bedrooms and all 3 closets are empty while the rooms are being redone. I'm taking advantage of the fact that before I move anything back into those rooms, I'm going to try to get rid of 50% of what was in there previously. Some of it goes to charity and some of it I've been selling.

So maybe just empty the room into boxes and start over?
 
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junior_j

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thanks for all your tips guys
I brought the bin bags and stuff and was all motivated to do it , then my cat Allan gave birth to 5 kittens , i think she may have one left not to sure ,its quarter past midnight here i am shattered. She has done so well so far though , i have had to pull the whole sac of one kitten and help with the rest , but she is doing good , tired now but good. x
 

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I thrive on structure, planning, schedules, organization, no surprises, and lots of lists. I carry a planner with me, and use it and have for years. I purposely live with minimal clutter and minimal "stuff" (although I do love my home to have animals!) so organization can be even easier. That means I use craigslist, garage sales, donation centers, etc. to get rid of excess stuff when I get the chance. And most of what I buy for the home is either for my pets use or stuff for us to eat. Everything has its place. We recently moved and it is about all I can do to not try to pull all nighters day after day to get everything in its right place.
I have always been like this since I was little. Cleaning is actually fun to me and releases stress. I used to clean my siblings rooms for fun. My most hated chore is the litterbox. Grosses me out.
 

cococat

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Originally Posted by laceface

I can be very messy as well! I definitely think it is a nature vs nurture thing. My mother is an incredibly neat person. My father is not. I spent a lot of time with my dad growing up, so I took on his method of mess. I spent enough time with my mom though, that I want it clean... it's odd!
My siblings and I aren't all the same in that department, but we all had the same upbringing in every way.
 
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junior_j

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Do u guys have a organized system as in like when u get up u do a chore straight away or u have a set "cleaning time" I know my mum gets up bathed dressed , cleans her room , bathroom top hall , comes downstairs do some work phone my elderly aunt then she will have breakfast clean the kitchen and sun lounge , hoover and polish the front room and then possibly potter about the garden watering the plants and cleaning up after the dogs then lunch time all the litter trays, bowls and mats get a very good cleaning (this happens at least twice a day!)

xx my dad is quite clean to but me and my brother have never really picked up that trait from them lol x
 

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I'm organized and my desk is always cleared. DH, however? Not so much. His desk (and his bureau in the bedroom) always looks like a hurricane hit it. And it's frustrating for me. Papers all over the place, pens and pencils lying all over, mail just plopped wherever. It makes me crazy. For the most part, I've learned to live with it. It's his desk and bureau after all. But still.......
 
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junior_j

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i was doing the read a chapter pick up 3 things technique earlier lol I ended up putting away shoes , dirty laundry and books so i am getting there lol x

back from the doctors, steriods and more antibiotics so hopefully it will kick this chest infection once and for all x
 

blueyedgirl5946

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I am so organized it drives my husband nuts. I love throwing things away or taking it to the thrift store. When we built our new house and moved, the only thing in the attic of our old house was suitcases and Christmas Decorations.
 

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I think i need to lend one of you


Blaine is a neat freak to he organised my books last night
im trying to get him to do my whole room
 
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junior_j

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I still didnt tidy my room lol.. tutututut x
 

strange_wings

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^Just consider yourself very lucky that you don't have cats that pee on anything or are tempted to eat things. Though, just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it never will. Maybe that will give you a little push to try cleaning up?
Surely you don't want it to harm your pets.
 
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junior_j

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the cats aren't allowed in my room its under lock and key (because i take a lot of medication that i panic i might leave some out on my bed side table so i can relax if i know the cats/dogs cant get in there) and plus cos i have asthma which is worse when i lay down so the added ca fur wouldn't help!

Today is the day i get stuff done in that bloody room lol.

I woke up today to find one of Allans kittens had passed away
i knew it wasn't doing great because he seemed more floopy and he had trouble feeding and Allan was not interested in it at all , kicking it out the nest ect. xx
 

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I am a little messy, I admit it. Can't blame it on kids or a hubby so I blame it on Bella
Really, my way of keeping things organized is to go through the whole apartment about every 6 months and get rid of things. Donate clothes, books etc. shred papers I don't need anymore. I just did this last month and got rid of about 100 lbs. of "stuff". It's very cathartic and an organized house=an organized life...allegedly
 
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