RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
"Your goal is not a goal, unless you write it down."
"place your goal somewhere visible :) "
Posted on 09/01/2008 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
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By Lonette Johnson (Guest Post)
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When I was 18, my room was the same way so to clean it one thing I would do is make up my bed, take everything off the bed and put it on the floor. Next I would pick up one type of item at a time, For example, I would pick up all the shoes and put them away. Next, all my pants, next all my blouses and so forth. Little by little, I would see the mess disappear.
And then to keep it clean, I would ask myself "How did my room get so dirty?" What i noticed was little habits like throwing wrappers on the floor so I would try to make a habit of throwing all wrappers away. I also made the decision to stop eating in my room and that made a real difference.
So you might want take a minute and examine some of your bad habits and make an effort to change them. You will see your room stay cleaner for longer.
Posted on 12/15/2006 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
im actually in middle school but my room is a mess. What i do to clean my room is i pick up two items from my floor and put them where ever they need to go. Its makes it seem alot quicker.
Posted on 11/03/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
I have exactly the same problem...I just can't get motivated! My room is disgusting, can't even see the floor, dirty clothes & kitchenware everwhere then I have to spend the whole day finally getting it cleaned out but a few weeks later it gets back to the way it was. I doubt i'll ever keep my room clean for long, but how I do tackle the huge mess is by setting myself a time limit usually about 5 hours (lol!) and before i start i look at my room and see what the mess consistists of, then i write a step by step instruction guide to tidy it up. It works really well and the 5 hours usually gets down to about 3!
As for motivation; just think how lovely it will be to come into your nice clean room, light a few sented candles and do what you usually do. Or how relaxing it is to be able to just go to your wardrobe and pick out a nice clean outfit or if your like me, think of how you wont have to search your floor for ages for something you need that day!
I'm busy doing mine now and the tips on here have already motivated me to finsh it...
Posted on 07/23/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
Most of the people here are suggesting flylady, but I find that http://www.simplymoms.com/frenzy.html works much better for me, I like using it as a base for a system that I can make myself that suits my needs better, and in that we find it's very useful as a motivater...
(and sorry if there are spelling mistakes..)
Posted on 04/21/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
try flylady!
Posted on 04/05/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
Remember how much you loved charts of accomplishments as a kid? Post one on the fridge listing EXTRA TASKS TO BE DONE.Everyday devote as much as an hour to doing one thing on your list.MARK IT OFF!!! Feels great to see that list getting whittled down. Before long all the little extras are done. Also if you'll make it a real effort to do 1-2 loads of clothes before bedtime you can pretty well keep up with laundry. Dollar Trees sell those little 4 sided mesh folding hampers FINALLY i got my kids to keep their dirty clothes in one spot. I carry them in it to be washed and loaded with clean socks,underwear etc to take to the rooms to be put up.Ain't it amazing what happiness $1 can bring?
Sharon
Posted on 04/03/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
Another thing is this- if you are 18 yrs old, how much longer will you be living with your parents? Probably not much. Either you will be going to college or into the workforce, and wanting your own place. (or Lord forbid, wanting to get married, oh please wait at least 7 more years for THAT!)
All of which means there is probably a ton of stuff in your room that you have outgrown or will soon.
Now is the perfect time to start going thru all your things and deciding if they really serve you anymore, have they outlived their usefulness, have your tastes matured, have you undergone alot of changes resulting in things that no longer fit your body or your soul. Put away the stuff of your childhood, except for a FEW treasures, to make room for the future. You have the whole world to explore and enjoy, you can't do it if you are bogged down with so much of the past.
Once you purge, what remains will be very easy to organize and cleaning will be a snap!
Posted on 04/01/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
my friend introduced me to www.Flylady.com Her website is awesome and her routines won't overwhelm you!
Posted on 03/31/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
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By Fran Marie (Guest Post)
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1 Make your bed. It gives you a quick sense of having accomplished something and a place to put other things in the meantime.
2 Have three large cardboard boxes ready. A-Trash B-Donate C Keep. Handle everything ONCE.
3 Now 'cut' your room into quarters visually. Start with the quarter your bed is in. (If you get overwhelmed at least your sleeping area is clean!)
4 Clean only ONE quarter area at a time. Thoroughly clean that area. If something needs to go into another area place it there and DON'T touch it again til you get to that area to clean.
5 After the room is clean, tackle your closet. It's difficult to clean a closet when all you will be doing is adding to the chaos of an already-dirty room. If it's not an item you ADORE, get rid of it! If it doesn't fit properly, get rid of it! Be Brutal!!! If you have a consignment shop in yout area, take your stuff there and sell it. Use the money to treat yourself for a job well done!
Hang clothes in like sections (i.e. pants, blouses, skirts, etc) and shoes the same way. I find that having a couple hangers ready with a full outfit is a great time saver!
Don't buy any organizers until you know for sure what you have left. Sometimes you won't even need one. A couple of nice wicker baskets can be pre-bought for the top shelf of your closet or desk.
Good Luck!!
Posted on 03/30/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
1.Always start with the biggest items you are dealing with, this applies to any situation,(cleaning a room, picking up the yard, doing dishes, etc...)This helps you make progress real fast.Then keep going with the next largest items till you get down to the really small stuff. Before you know it YOU'RE DONE!
2. Separate all your stuff into categories, 'like-with-like' (all clothes together, all jewelry, all cd's, all books etc....)It's easier to sort thru them & get them arranged.
3. None of us live forever; stand at your doorway & look at your room thru the eyes of others. Ask yourself, if I died suddenly, is this the way I want to be remembered? Would I feel comfortable with people going thru my things as they are now? Someone will have to sort thru & deal with your stuff, is there anything lying around that would really embarass you.
Look around & think what you'd do in case of a fire, flood or other tragedy. Clutter is a safety hazard.
Are your treasures organized in such a way you could just grab & go?
4. If you can't get & keep just your room clean & organized, just imagine what it will be like when you have your own HOME & family to take care of! (if you AND your future husband are slobs, WHO's going to clean up after you both?)
5. After you're organized, label everything (use very colorful, neon bright labels). You may never actually LOOK at the labels again, but with them just being there it will be a gentle reminder of where to put away things. This may sound juvenilish but it really works! You can use removable labels & put them discreetly in places where they won't be noticeable to visitors.
6.Watch the home decorating shows on t.v., they are loaded with inspiration.
7. During commercials, go in your room & do "baby steps" of cleaning, Just pick up anything & put it away, it actually becomes fun after awhile & you'll keep going. Turn up your favorite dance music and dance with your stuff as you put it away.
8. Maybe you have some ADD going on, check out websites devoted to this, they have some wonderful help whether you have ADD or not.
9.Routines really help. Develop your own according to your schedule & lifestyle. Pick a certain 'Day-of-the- Week' and a 'Time' to do things like - changing your bed linens ( for example=Wed at 3:30 p.m. for 20 minutes), vacuuming, or your laundry(Thursday after supper for one & a half hours), wiping all glass (10 minutes while on the phone) dusting. Time yourself doing these things and use that to help you plan when to do them on a regular basis. You'll be very surprised how quickly these things get done instead of being a long ordeal you've been dreading. The day before trash-pickup is an excellent day to declutter & clean your room (and the fridge).
10.Keep a large plastic trashcan in your closet or a corner with a black trashcan liner in it (black because you can't see what's in it & decide to pull something back out of it), preferably with a lid. Use this to drop things into that you no longer want, then when it gets full, don't look inside, just pull the bag out, tie it up and take it & donate it to the local Salvation Army.
11. Learn to enjoy the feeling of being clean, organized, IN CONTROL, self-respecting, confident. it will grow on you. You can do it!!!
Posted on 03/29/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
I went to a local pharmacy (Walgreen's) - got collapsible laundry hampers 2/$5 and went at it. They are great for sorting, storing, and hauling to other rooms. I also picked up a bunch of photo storage boxes at $ store and used them for smaller items like makeup and hair supplies, jewelry, whatever I want. They stack beautifully on bookshelves and are pretty to boot. I covered boxes paper comes in (10 ream-size) with fabric and use them to store bigger items. Used an old door (curb) for a tabletop in the bedroom, and 2 (2-drawer) file cabinets I found on the curb to hold it up. Voila, computer work center with storage underneath. Oh, bought a tablecloth for $2.49 on sale at Linens n' Things (online) and got the best computer chair through Freecycle (freecycle.org - check it out). It was a fun challenge to do it inexpensively. Good luck.
Posted on 03/29/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
Have you tried Flylady? Website www.flylady.net She is very motivating and will teach you routines to not only get the place tidy but keep it that way.
Regards
Jo
Posted on 03/29/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
If you're like me you just have too much stuff in there. DeClutter in a big way, but do it a little at a time. Start w/ 15 minutes a day & work your way through it. Try to do it too long at one time & you will probably get overwhelmed or burn out! Easiest is probably to get the clothes off the floor, chair, etc. & into a container or better --washed, dryed & put away. Then you can do something w/ the rest. Best of Luck to you.
Posted on 03/29/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
I have the same problem...getting motivated....
I usually do one of two things.....
I invite a friend over and use thier ideas for organization, along with my own...I am fortunate as my best friend loves to clean...but she also likes to throw things out....which is sometimes good for me as I hang on to EVERYTHING.....it helps just to have someone to talk to and bounce ideas off of to keep the motivation flowing...
The other thing I do is make myself dedicate 1/2 to 1 hour to get it done.....and many times once I commit to a time slot I may work longer but it's the initial time slot that gets me moving...but if after a 1/2 hour, if I'm tired of doing it I just stop as long as the basics are done and no BIG mess is left then I reward myself with time spent how I really want to spend it...but I never let myself give in before the original time allotted is used up.........and remember it's amazing what 1/2 hour of cleaning can accomplish....just tell yourself....."Just do it, it's only a 1/2 hour....and before you know it you have used a small portion of time that will make you feel good about yourself and your room.....keep it fun, but don't give in, keep busy until your 1/2 hour is up....
Good luck....
Posted on 03/29/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
When I start to clean any room in my house, including basement or garage, I turn on either the tv, my police scanner or put on a cd. Then I pick one area to start in. I have wicker baskets or cute containers to hold small items, underbed storage containers for clothing, containers in the closets for more clothing. Then I limit myself to a time limit to get it done. It helps.
LI Roe
Posted on 03/29/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
When I have to clean the spare bedroom or the basement, I just watch a few shows of, "Clean Sweep" and that seems to get me motivated.
Posted on 03/29/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
(1) Every time you walk into the room, put away five things. It takes a little while to make this a habit, but it's a very easy thing to do (should take about 60 seconds or less) and in a few days you'll be surprised that such small acts have started to make a big dent in the clutter.
(2) Make sure you have places for all your stuff! You can't put things away if they don't have a home to go to.
Posted on 03/29/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
RE: Motivating Myself To Clean and Organize
Invite someone over whom you want to impress and tell them you would like them to see your room.
http://www.teapotcottage.com
Posted on 03/29/2005 | Report Spam or Abuse
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