What a Mess!!

[Downandout123]

Is anyone living by themselves with pets in a very small area, and can't seem to get organized, or have any room to get organized? Is anyone embarrassed to let anyone else see their home? What are you supposed to do if you start dating someone, and then even after a period of time, will not let them inside your home?? 😳😳😳HELP!!!!!

[hypercat54]

Yes I do. Living in a small space means you have to be minimalistic and very tidy and I am neither! I don't have any answers I'm afraid but would be interested to hear what others say. x

[Downandout123 in reply to hypercat54]

I'm interested to hear from others too!! Minimalistic? No way. I don't even know what the word means! When i had a much larger living space, everything basically had a "home", ( well, except for a large room that i used to store stuff). but now-it's terrible. I was forced to move in here, after having a very large space, and have a very large storage untit now which has a lot of my furniture in it, but I took the pieces that could fit. Also, I run a day care business upstairs, so there is a thousand papers all over. My small dinette table is my "desk". Oh it's just a MESS!!! Funny story-I have to make sure that when I come into or go out of my apartment, none of the teachers or parents are standing right there that can see in!! Lol I do have 3 dogs, so it's always the excuse of having to keep the door locked and go in and out quickly because of the dogs!

[1OshunDreamer]

I got divorced last year and had to move into a small apartment. I adopted a cat in October because I felt alone. Yes, my apartment is a hot mess sometimes. In my case, sometimes it's my sadness of moving out of my beautiful home and just don't care about the temporary apartment. Other times it's because my depression is kicking my butt. When I finally can't take it anymore, I spend an entire day off cleaning and scrubbing. I'll be good for a while then it will be bad again.

[Downandout123 in reply to 1OshunDreamer]

I'm sorry to hear about your divorce, and about your new living arrangement. ☹ My problem isn't really "dirt", well, aside from dog hair from one dog who sheds terribly, but I have to keep on top of that. It's just having WAYYYY TOO MUCH stuff and no where to put it. One thing I do is craft a lot, so I have tons of craft items. Plus stuff from the day care is just always seeping in here-papers, toys I have to replace batteries in, etc. etc.

[1OshunDreamer in reply to Downandout123]

Yup, that's what I mean. I come in and just throw stuff down. The cat has toys everywhere. I just don't feel like hanging clean clothes so I lay them nicely over a chair. Right now I'm looking at my watering can by the slider. It just goes on the deck outside of the door. LOL

[Downandout123 in reply to 1OshunDreamer]

Let's not even talk about clean clothes! I have zero clothes closets in my apartment, so everything has to be hung upstairs. I just can't seem to keep on top of everything. And then do ever find that you leave stuff out, just so you will remember it? Like if it's stored somewhere, you will forget about it? I'm really in a desperate situation here. 😣

[1OshunDreamer in reply to Downandout123]

OMG! We need to move in together! I went from doing laundry daily to when I'm desperate. The worst is when I realize I have nothing to wear. I quickly was it with hand soap in the sink then throw it in the dryer!

[Downandout123 in reply to 1OshunDreamer]

But how do you wash it in the sink with all the dirty dishes in there?? 😂😂 Just kidding. I'm actually good with dishes. It's just the LACK OF SPACE!

[1OshunDreamer in reply to Downandout123]

clothes and dishes that's multi tasking!

[1OshunDreamer in reply to Downandout123]

I just thought of something else. There are no storage units here so no place to go with plant pots or holiday decorations. My sister lets me put some stuff there

[Downandout123 in reply to 1OshunDreamer]

Well thank goodness for that.! I do have a basement and an outdoor shed also, but you should see them. 😱😱😳😳

[hypercat54 in reply to 1OshunDreamer]

That's what I used to do. When it got to a certain stage I would have a blitz and go mad with it. Now though I have a bad back and am not physically very fit it all goes to hell and now I'm walking on stuff on the floor. x

[marheart]

I suggest what I call the Rule of 5. Organize 5 things per day. Write the successes in a journal so that you can go back to praise yourself for doing some good for yourself.

Disorder in the environment causes disorder in the brain, causing stress.

[Downandout123 in reply to marheart]

Thank you, and I believe your last sentence is SO true!

[1OshunDreamer in reply to marheart]

Can it be the rule of 1. I can handle that!

[Downandout123 in reply to 1OshunDreamer]

To 10shunDreamer,

Today I was thinking about us talking about laundry and clothes last night, and I actually made an effort to get them sorted and hung. Not everything, but it's a start!! 😊

[marheart in reply to Downandout123]

Congratulations. Every step forward is helpful.

[Downandout123 in reply to marheart]

Thank you! But it's still not ever going to be perfect. TOO MUCH STUFF. TOO LITTLE SPACE.

[marheart in reply to Downandout123]

Let go of the concept of perfect. It doesn't exist. Once the perfect moment is over, life moves us forward to more insights and that so called perfect doesn't exsist anymore.

What baggage we do carry with us!

[1OshunDreamer in reply to Downandout123]

LOL! But you made a great start. I was looking at my bath towels to see how many more days before I have to do laundry!

[Downandout123 in reply to 1OshunDreamer]

You check bath towels. I check under garments! Lol

[1OshunDreamer in reply to Downandout123]

Undergarments can be washed quickly in the sink.

[Downandout123 in reply to 1OshunDreamer]

Ummmmm.....no-not in this place! Lol

[1OshunDreamer in reply to Downandout123]

Why not? My cat drinks out of the toilet bowel, can't be any worse than that.

[Downandout123 in reply to 1OshunDreamer]

I don't know. I just don't feel like they will come out clean. And I don't have a washer/dryer in my home so I have to wait for the laundromat.

[marheart in reply to 1OshunDreamer]

Baby steps. Doing one thing is better than doing nothing. Go for it! Express gratitude that you could do each thing.

[JLoInCali12]

I have a book - Clean Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston. It's less about feng shui and more about letting go of things. Having too much stuff in one place can drain your energy, cause confusion and stop you from living your life - you spend too much time thinking about all your stuff and figuring out what to do with it.

The general guidelines are: if you don't love it, or use it (within one year), it goes. Anything unused or broken goes.

As for sentimental stuff, "keep items you really love, which have wonderful fond associations. Let go of any that you are keeping out of guilt or obligation, have any ambivalent feelings about, or just have too many of."

I'm cleaning out my place and have many sentimental items. My plan is to put everything given to me by a particular person on a table and choose one or two items to keep and get rid of the rest. For example, my grandmother gave me a statue of St. Francis that she loved, so I'm keeping that and I display it in my home and whenever I see it I think of her. As for dishes I haven't used and knick-knacks, I can't keep them all, so I'll get rid of them.

I hope this helps. If you can, read the book - it's short and helped motivate me to let go of things!

[hypercat54 in reply to JLoInCali12]

Very good advice, but the problem with that is I have pared everything down to essentials but still lack space to put stuff I use regularly. I have no cupboards for example, or no space to put any, so have to leave the broom, my ironing board, and my squeegy mop in the bathroom along with the cats litter tray. The vacuum cleaner lives in the bedroom. x

[Downandout123 in reply to hypercat54]

Yes-my ironing board and craft table have become a permanent fixture in the living room. 😣 I need a separate room just for all of my crafting supplies!

[Downandout123 in reply to JLoInCali12]

Thank you! I do have a lot of books on getting organized, and I have all the tools I need. Plastic storage bins of all sizes, pretty baskets, etc. And when i moved into here, I did get rid of a lot of things, including tons of books and clothes. But there is just SO much stuff. I do plan to move out of here when I retire, so I will have more room then. But for now, I've got to find some peace. The space is very small. That's what makes it so much harder. 😑

[Mommabear15]

I live in a small apartment with a baby, 2 cats me and my fiancé and it’s a hassle they literally are no space for anything everything just lays out everywhere plus I got two cat trees the litter boxes and everything and they just ain’t no space so sometimes clothes are still in a pile or just in a bag and they just ain’t enough space for anything and I hate it. It literally drives me insane because it’s right in front me I go crazy being crowded or hoarded up. People would be ashamed of this place if they seen it. It’s terrifying to look at it even live in it

[Downandout123 in reply to Mommabear15]

I totally understand. Plus, having a baby-must be loads of baby toys all over the place, and lots of those toys are big in themself. 😣 Is there any chance you can get a bigger place sometime soon, or are you stuck there for a while?

[Mommabear15 in reply to Downandout123]

Yes sometimes I just want to throw everything out and have some space but I need it all and we’re stuck here awhile since we’re having financial issues

[Downandout123 in reply to Mommabear15]

I totally understand. I wish I had some good advice, but I'm in the same situation, except I live alone with 3 dogs.