aving trouble getting motivated to organize your home? Tired of people saying "Just do it?" You're not alone. Many of us become chronic clutterbugs because of our lack of motivation. It doesn't matter why we avoid organizing our home because at some point we realize we can no longer maintain both our sanity and the disorganization.

Why get organized?

Why should you organize? Do you realize how much life is sucked out of you when things are disorganized? Do you feel anxiety and guilt? Have you gained weight? Do you snap at your kids (when they ask where the stapler is)? Do you feel tired or ashamed? Do you lack confidence or feel hopeless? Are these reasons enough?

I could just say, do it for yourself, but let's cut to the chase and think about this: Do you want your family to have to deal with your disorganization and mess after you die? Will they know where that important life insurance paperwork is? Do they know the mortgage has a balloon payment coming due? Do you want them to have to deal with that while trying to grieve?
Do you have an emergency preparedness kit handy? Why not? Is everything scattered around? What would happen if you had a natural disaster near your home? If your home was organized you could have an accessible kit ready when needed.
Do you want more time to do the things you enjoy? How many things are you missing out on because you are overcome with guilt about not doing "your job" as a homemaker?

Peace of mind. Ever since I started organizing my house room by room, my mind and body has become more and more peaceful. I enjoy life more and have virtually no guilt left. And the extra weight is coming off, almost without trying.

Inspirations and solutions that will motivate you, if only temporarily!

1. Invite your neatest (and maybe obnoxious) relative or family member to your house. This should propel you to clean and organize as fast as possible. Along this line, I know some people who hire housecleaners to come to their house for a few hours which in turn gets them to "tidy up" before the cleaners arrive. Desperate, I know, but I've been there.
2. Offer to make a craft for a child which requires you to clean up at least a small portion of your craft table. How can you defend your disorganization especially to a small child? Don't pass on these excuses to your children.
3. Subscribe to digest versions of email lists, such as the "DECLUTTR" list [0]. These email lists will inspire you to organize more than anything else I can think of, including the obnoxious relative solution.
4. Help someone else clean and organize their home, especially someone who is even more disorganized that you are. Now that you're feeling superior, use the energy on your own home.
5. Put a trash bin in every room and car. Don't give yourself an excuse to store up garbage. Along this line, keep cleaning tools in plain view or some in each bathroom, a constant reminder that you'll soon stop trying to ignore.
6. Lock yourself in your bathroom with a trash bag. Start throwing out anything you haven't used in years, old or expired prescriptions, makeup and nail polish, old toothbrushes, perfumes and colognes, those small things you collected from all those European hotels, and things you never did like. Five minutes to happiness!
7. Start by organizing a room other than your most favorite. Below I show how I organized my childrens' room. For me, this now means every room is clean and organized except my den-computer-craft-office-room.
8. Get a useful date book, to hold your lists, names and addresses, schedule, and anything else which will help you plan for organization. As an alternative, start a computer file called "Do this lifetime or else." That's where I keep all my notes of things to do or buy. I then print it out when I need it. Or, if you need printed planner pages, check out the Digital Women Daily Planner [1] pages. Truly need your computer to organize your life? Try Day-Timer® HomeLife^TM [2], a program which allows you to organize virtually everything, from birthdays to emergency preparedness procedures. A friend let me see it, it's pretty nifty and I'm very picky. Win 95 and above only.
9. Set a portable timer for 15 minutes. Organize. Set for 15 minutes. Goof off. Repeat as necessary.
10. Start your own personal reminder service at LifeMinders^TM [3]. This is a subscription service which will send you email reminders for everything from when to plant your Spring bulbs to when to start shopping for a birthday gift.
11. Last ditch trick: Make a promise to someone important to you. Make it a promise like "I'll mail you the latest genealogy tree by next week" forcing you to organize all your genealogy information before you can keep that promise.

Organization style

We all want an organized home. Before I could get motivated to actually do something about it, I had to borrow and read every book on the topic. Once I'd done that, I had no more excuses. I was prepared, I knew what was involved, I had my list of priorities and goals, and it was time to start. Off I went to the local "everything store," on a day I knew my essentials would be on sale.

It is essential to have the tools to organize which will make you want to keep it that way. I happen to use plastic, see-through boxes, crates, whatever I can find. For example, my kids' room was a disaster until I decided we would have to categorize the playthings. I bought 3 plastic boxes for under their bunk bed. One is for legos and blocks, one is for doll paraphernalia and Barbie^TM, and one is for small junk toys (see McDonalds^TM) which is sorted out 3-4 times a year. Two large plastic buckets were bought, one for stuffed animals and one for hot wheels. Then I bought 4 plastic baskets to organize the electrical or battery powered items, the music tapes, jewelry and hair doodads, and Beanie Babies^TM.

Everyone has a style, what is yours? Not everyone is a plastic queen like me. You can just as easily use shoeboxes and free boxes that stores throw away. Others will find they want a classier way of organizing their home. For instance, my mother likes handmade baskets, so when I helped her organize her home I worked within her style which makes her want to keep it organized.

Lastly, whatever your style, everyone will benefit from it if you do not start something that you cannot finish. Unless you are doing home improvement like a room addition, try to organize in small steps. This will help you avoid the "I'm almost done with that" defensive comments. If no one sees the mess you made while you were organizing, was it even there?

Weekly Schedule
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Weekend
Pick-up	Pick-up	Pick-up	Pick-up	Pick-up	Garden
Dishes	Dishes	Dishes	Dishes	Dishes	Dishes
Laundry	Laundry	Kids' Room	Laundry	Master Room
Living Room	Garden	Kitchen	Garden	Bathrooms
Organize pantry	Organize books	Organize linen closet	Organize office supplies	Organize cleaning supplies
Organize _____________	Organize _____________	Organize _____________	Organize _____________	Organize _____________
Use the "Organize _____________" field to fill in a different organizing task, examples given above.

Remain focused

1. Keep your goals and priorities clear and in front of you (I use pink stickies with task names in big lettering). Start your day with your favorite task, working down to your least favorite. Make your schedule reasonable and not overloaded.
2. Play music while you're procrastinating. You'll soon feel more inclined to get up and organize. Play music while you organize. Don't be shy, get out your favorite albums, 8-tracks, tapes, or CDs. (Do not turn on the TV, it can be too big of a distraction.)
3. Have your favorite sodas or drinks close by.
4. Wear your comfiest clothes, no matter what they look like.
5. Use tools and supplies that work. Invest in or make quality.
6. Take timed breaks. At least have fun in between if not the whole time.
7. Pick a time when there is no one around to complain about or sabotage your method of organization, thought process, or plan of action (They have their reasons for acting up, but now's not the time to deal with them). It it will help, invite over an organized supportive friend to help you stay focused.
8. Reward yourself (everyone needs incentives at times)

Your environment must be conducive to YOU organizing. Don't worry that others might laugh that you sort boxes of photographs and kids' school paperwork while you sing at the top of your lungs to the Beach Boys in your pink poodle slippers. Do whatever it takes for YOU to be motivated.

Related items:

[4]

• "Clutter's Last Stand" [5]--Cleaning expert Don Aslett's much-referenced book on dejunking your life.
• Living a Beautiful Life [6]--I've had a copy of this book since the mid-80s when it first came out, and while its advice sometimes assumes you've got gobs of moola, most often it reminds you simply to slow down, take a deep breath, and make something beautiful out of what surrounds you. I always get inspired and motivated to tackle hideous tasks when I browse this book.
• The Organized Home [7]--This is a great companion site to TNH, with detailed info on decluttering, cleaning, kitchen management and more.
• listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu [8] with the words "info DECLUTTR" in the body of the message, or by going here [9].

[10]	Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It [11]Amazon price: $10.85

[12]	The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play [13]Amazon price: $10.17

[14]	Self-Discipline in 10 Days: How to Go from Thinking to Doing [15]Amazon price: $28.45

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