Right - I need advice...

[swirlyarts]

Right - I'm biting the bullet. I need to get myself organised. I have too many things to do - craft stuff, girl stuff, house stuff, family stuff etc etc etc etc. I don't want to give anything up so I need to get myself organised. My house is a mess so I need to sort that out first - does anyone have any great tips on organising, cleaning etc. I'm not noted as a great housewife and I don't particularly care that I have an ironing pile bigger than Anya but I really should sort it all out. It's going to be my priority to get the house sorted.
So any advice taken
Lynsey

[goldy1]

Tip no.1 walk away from the pc and don't come back till you've done at least an hour of something else. I treat myself to pc time when I have done a chore.

[Seahorse]

Write a list-I find that if I keep things in my mind they seem big, then when I write them down there isnt as much as I thought.

Designate husband certain chores.

Work out which items really need to be ironed,burn the rest.

Dont forget, when people lie on there death beds their last words are NEVER 'oh I wish Id had the chance to do more ironing'.

[Seahorse]

Tip no.1 walk away from the pc and don't come back till you've done at least an hour of something else. I treat myself to pc time when I have done a chore.

Ooh, good idea, do some chores/work then give yourself a treat.

[swirlyarts]

Good idea - thats one of my downfalls - 'I'll just check email nd then an hour later I am still there!' It doesn't help that we have wireless network in the house and a laptop!! I've just sorted bits of my dressing table out so thats why I'm able to reply to the thread!

I also like the idea of setting fire to the ironing!!

[zebra]

Yeah, set fire to the ironing
Buy paper plates - dishes sorted!
Just concentrate on crafts things - wont notice mess then
Keep pc area tidy - you will think everywhere else is too
Tell everyone you have flu n sniff alot - then they will polish n tidy n cook for you.

All else fails - close your eyes

[JBJB]

Is there a crunching noise underfoot? No? Well you don't need to hoover then.

Ironing is a thankless task, so just hang it up and hope the creases magically drop out. If they don't and it looks really bad when you put it on, then iron it when you need to wear it.

Spray polish into the air, so your house at least smells like you've done the dusting.

Invest in a lot of those big blue Ikea bags, can't tell you how many of those I've got stuffed with things for sorting out "later"

We're going on holiday on Tuesday, and I seriously don't know when I'm going to have time to pack!

[Seahorse]

If the house is untidy.....move house.

[0103media]

If the house is untidy.....move house.

Your on form today

[Seahorse]

Your on form today

hehehe, thanks.

Have to admit I nicked it.
Its a classic line form Apollo 13.
Tom Hanks character and his wife at the end of a party, the wife says something like 'the house is a mess...lets move'.

[colourart]

Tip no.1 walk away from the pc and don't come back till you've done at least an hour of something else. I treat myself to pc time when I have done a chore.

Not only do I have to walk away from it, I have to turn it off. I can then get a chore done without interruption.

[Potter Doodle Doo]

Right - I'm biting the bullet. I need to get myself organised. I have too many things to do - craft stuff, girl stuff, house stuff, family stuff etc etc etc etc. It's going to be my priority to get the house sorted.
So any advice taken
Lynsey

I'm in the same position Lynsey. I suffer with anxiety attacks and find it extremely difficult to break things down. I'll see that something needs doing in the lounge, and the kitchen needs cleaning ... and then the bathrooms need a good once over, not to mention the Mount Everest sized pile of laundry and I start to panic. I've tried making lists, but the same thing happens, I panic when I see how many things I have to do. I have serious problems focussing on one job at a time, I see everything as a whole picture rather than small tasks.

What I try and do rather than think about all of the jobs I need to get through, I give myself time slots and then a treat. For instance, I may decide that I will do 3 hours pouring, then I'll sit outside on the farm for an hour (if it's not raining) watching the horses. If I'm at home, I'll do maybe 2 hours housework and then either catch up on the pc or watch TV for half an hour before trying to do some more. It doesn't always work for me, but it's the only way that I seem to be able to get anything done.

[Peter]

Ho hum.............women.........eh?...........always thinking about housework...................

[JBJB]

Ho hum.............women.........eh?...........always thinking about housework...................

Always thinking about it - not necessarily doing it - that's what men are for!

[Apple Tree Crafts]

Right....

....Get a cleaner!

Or, if you are really soothed by crease-free clothes, try an ironing service.

We iron stuff only a) if we are desperate or, b) we're going somewhere posh ..(not likely...)

I don't have a cleaner, I have a Himself, who is cheaper (I think?).

But don't do what my Ma did - hire a cleaner then frantically cleaned the house before she arrives so as not to appear to be slatternly.

This is great advice coming from some one who has deserted her own chores/kids/house and run away to Mum's for 5 days.....

Jules