Do I move or improve?

the_cat

toocleverbyhalf wrote: »

I would appreciate any thoughts anyone has as I don't really have anyone to help. Thanks.

What about your now adult children? Surely you could get some help from them

Step away from the computer now. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Pick one drawer or set of drawers and clear it out. Bin the junk and only put back what should be there. Other stuff that you need but want to store elsewhere can go in a pile for later. Repeat a few times and you should have restored order to at least one small corner. Repeat and repeat until its clear. It may take longer than you want it to but little and often will get you there. Remember it took you 20+ years to get it to the state it is now. It will take a fair time to get it sorted, so don't expect miracles overnight

Hermia

toocleverbyhalf wrote: »

It's all really getting me down and I just can't motivate myself. I'm just wondering if making a new start somewhere else will do the trick.

You can't run away from your problems or your personality traits. If you wanted to move you'd either have to declutter before moving or would end up in the same mess in your new house.

I love decluttering! You need to start small. Just choose one bag/box/drawer at at a time. Write a decluttering timetable with just one or two small tasks a day on it. You can even do some tasks whilst watching TV. Just promise yourself that you will finish whatever task you choose. So if you clear out a drawer make sure each item only passes through your hands once. Make a decision straight away. I would make sure you are prepared with plenty of bin bags etc. Before you start have a bag ready for rubbish, one for selling and one for the charity shop. Don't just leave these bags lying around your house. Take them to the dump/charity shop a.s.a.p. Once you start decluttering you may find you feel to much better you want to continue. And once some of the clutter is out of the way the redecorating won't seem such an impossible tast. You just have to get on with it.

Oldernotwiser

pozalina wrote: »

I agree with comments about tackling one area at a time. My house needed everything doing when we moved in and still isn't finished 6 years laer. I made a list of all the jobs/rooms and what needed doing, then I prioritised in order of a) what I wanted doing first, then b) in order of what we could afford, then again c) in order of safety, i.e. getting very old gas fire removed. This meant that at least I knew where I had to start and could focus on one thing at a time. The house still isn't finished but I'm not flapping as much as I was :rotfl:

Good luck with it all.

That's rather a strange priority!

pozalina

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

That's rather a strange priority!

Sorry, that wasn't order of priority, didn't put that right did I? :rotfl:
I wrote the list out in that order, but then put safety top in terms of my actions!

*Louise*

You need to sort your house out before you even think of moving. Who do you think will look at your place and agree to exchange if you can't stand the look of it yourself?

As others have said - start with one room, once you have cleaned and painted one it will motivate you to move on to the next (get those kids in to help paint!). Start with some cupboards or drawers and be ruthless about binning things. If it's neither use nor ornament - get rid!

toocleverbyhalf

Thanks everyone for your replies. I really appreciate it. Motivation is my problem; every night when I'm in bed I write a list for the next day but never really do anything on the list. I just about manage to sort my son for school and cook an evening meal, but that's about it. I like the suggestion of offering some students some money to help. As for my older children, 2 live abroad & my daughter has just had a baby so she already has her hands full. The bottom line is that I need someone to help me and motivate me. Maybe the student is the answer. Being realistic about my own personality, I won't do it on my own.

Ames

Wow, that could have been written by me! I was expecting to move soon and now I can't, so I'm looking around thinking where the heck do I start.

I think I'll be looking through the suggestions you've had! It just seems that when I get one room sorted, I move onto the next but can't keep up to the first one...

I've got to sort it though, because I'm overdue an inspection (council house) and the last thing I need right now is to be kicked out and made homeless.

BitterAndTwisted

You might not be able to sort the whole of the house out on your own but you most certainly could do a drawer. And another drawer and another until you at least have got one room sorted out. Make that either the kitchen or the living-room. Set the timer and do it in 15 minute chunks with a cup of tea in between as a reward.

Emmzi

if you do have money for a declutterer here is somewhere to find one!

http://www.apdo-uk.co.uk/

[Deleted User]

I often find those 15 mins time slots get extended as i "get into it" and i don't want to stop. Next thing i know i've moved on to something else. I think the hardest thing is getting started and not getting distracted so you have several things on the go at the same time unfinished. I am so guilty of both.

Having said that i love decluttering, hate mess and drive my husband nuts with my tidying tendancies, but i so often start something then move onto something else and then have lots of things to finish off before i can stop - that is NOT so good.