Fellow Shit-Tippers - Anyone want to join my thread for sorting your house out?

[RefereezaWanka]

I have tried Fly but can't stick to it. I need a plan! And I need support

Well don't just SIT there.Get tidying for them Bossy

I'd start with that

Well I've had a & a , sewed on a nametape that was falling off a blazer (brownie points galore!) & washed up the dishes from tea that were left as they dashed out.

Now I'm having a rest on the sofa to reover.

Can't overdo these things y'know!!

You know,I think you sound lovely Bossy what with all your hard work at the weekend and then babysitting for friends.

Hope you enjoy your .

I'm enjoying mine .Been painting etc etc today,after work and been very productive all week,so I fully intend to sit on my big fat bum till bedtime.

'Tis entirely mercenary Countess! Usually my DD does it & they pay her. She is away this w/e so I said I'd do it, but for

Fair play Bossy!

Morning all.

Being a real lazy mare today, have fed the animals, stuck on some washing, & now I'm snuggled back up under the duvet with a nice & catching up on " The Jury" on ITV player!!!

Off to have lunch later with a friend after helping disperse the crap leftovers from the school jumble sale.
One neighbour is organising it & another is having the remnants for HER jumble sale in January so it's all going in her garage.

Recycling see?! 2 charities benefit from one load of tat unwanted goodies!

Hi everyone I can't believe how much good this thread is doing me. I am actually getting most of what I write down done.

I was talking to a parent of one of my students this morning about having to sort through my Dad's bank statements for info. She suggested I phone the bank and ask them to supply the info as that is what executors of wills do!

I phoned them. They looked stuff up and gave me the info. It took 10 minutes!!

So today, I have worked for 4 hours teaching, had lunch and phoned the bank. Now I am going take out the paper recycling and then have a snooze.

I may do some tidying/cleaning and cook a Spag Bol this evening...or I may not!!

Bossy
A friend of mine went to a church Christmas fair this morning. There was a teenager on the bric-a-brac stall who cheerfully told her that the stall should be re named bric-a-crap!

So - how have people been getting on? I have been shopping this morning (spending Birthday money ) but now I am finding it hard to get down to work!

Today I am aiming to:
prepare 2 lessons and teach 3.
write up my lessons from Saturday
change the sheets on the bed
put a load of washing on
update my accounts
eat more healthily than I did last week

allo!
I've been pretty good recently - well, on top of the laundry and washing up anyway, which makes the house feel quite organised. Starting to worry that this is all just a peculiar cocktail of hormones making me feel all nesty and organised though and that it will all collapse into the usual chaos soon enough (18 weeks pregnant...)

Now we're only 10 days away from moving so all focus shifts to getting stuff ready to move - this is the best opportunity to get stuff in good systems and storage and so on and start off on the right foot, rather than wait years to get round to e.g sorting out the under stair cupboard... So, I need a strategy. That's my big task for today! (and laundry, and tidy the living room...)

hope you're all going well and having productive mondays!

Mackrel - wow you have got a lot on your plate. I moved nearly 2 years ago but was fortunate enough to get the removal company to do my packing for me! this was great and necessary as I was moving my business as well as my home, but it did mean I didn't do any sorting before the move. I did do loads as I unpacked afterwards though!!

My advice would be. Sort ruthlessly before the move (if you have time) and then ruthlessly again afterwards. Leave unpacked boxes in the middle of the spare room floor so they are not totally in your way but you don't forget about them!

I've got so much to do today:
Write up 3 lessons
Prepare 3 lessons
Teach 2 lessons
Sort out the accounts and the washing that I didn't manage to do yesterday

Extras if I can manage them (ha ha) cleaning workroom and/or bedroom, tidying kitchen, taking out recycling.

Hello everyone! We're all still doing well by the sounds!

Good Luck on the forthcoming move Mackrel and remember to get enough rest!

I've been very dedicated and have moved on massively with the declutter as well as tackling quite a few jobs I'd been putting off for ages like sewing on name labels,sewing repairs,and finishing what I needed to do in the garden before Winter.I'm even up to date with washing and ironing!!

sarah it's amazing how much it helps to put it all down here,doesn't it? It's like you're committing to doing it, in a way.

How's it going Bossy?

Right, I need a kick up the bum to get motivated. The house is looking particularly bad this week. I have 3 hours to make it look a bit better. Main rooms that need attention are kitchen, bathroom and my bedroom but can't be bothered with any of them .

One small glimmer of hope is my junk room - not really a room, a space you walk through to get to the front bedroom. It has huge cupboards that are so crammed with crap that I have to pile more crap outside the cupboard doors a) because I can't fit anything else inside and b) to keep the doors rammed shut due to there being too much inside already . Anyway, a lot of the stuff in there is waiting to be ebayed and I can now open 2 of the 6 cupboard doors as I have ebayed quite a few things recently.

I have 5 half-filled bags for the charity shop scattered around the place so must get them fully-filled and in the boot of the car asap.

I need to be more ruthless and more focused. As soon as I make a bit of progress and I completely fall off the wagon and end up in even more of a mess .

Well I didn't manage to tidy the kitchen or clean the bedroom, but I did my "work" stuff and also started to clean the workroom. I still need to get the vacuum on a fair few dust-bunnies though!

Countess- I agree, it is a kind of commitment. Sounds like you are doing really well.

Mackrel - I hope everything is going well!

Mogs - why don't you post some specific tasks on here and we'll kick you up the bum ask you if you've done them.
Can you re-jig the charity shop stuff so that you have 3 or 4 full bags and get them into the car boot straight away? You can always add more bags if you have more stuff to give to them. It sounds like you have done well with ebay. I've still got a box of stuff waiting!

OK today I have taught a lesson, been to the bank and supermarket ( bits and pieces only shop) and prepared another lesson - oh and got some sheets etc from the washer to the line outside.

I am still hoping to:
teach 2 lessons and prepare another one;
sort washing to finally dry indoors on airer (once students and parents have gone);
update finances (again)
vacuum some dust-bunnies

Hmmm - we shall see!

Hi All!

Sorry been AWOL, had a bad week last week & this -everything got on top of me & then I get down at the mess we live in.

Just never enough time between work & college & life in general to do anything properly. Washing is taking FOREVER to dry every day, because it's muddy outside (we're proper country folk oo-ar) even though we're all careful about taking of shoes & wellies in the back there's a constant layer of dust/mud on the floors unlesss I hoover & mop every day.

Going down to see my Sister who is on a flying visit from the US this w/e, all staying at my mums. Will be lovely to see her & the DC's but I know NOTHING will get done & I'm working from now till then AND I still haven't planned my session for Monday (energy /metabolism anyone?)AND I'm trying to finish the village magazine I edit to send to the printers........

.......and breathe......... g'nite!

Hello Bossy.

It can be really hard juggling can't it?I also have a continual mud problem,but I put blinkers on and don't hoover and mop floors every day! I figure that if I continually spend my spare time doing routine stuff,none of the sorting and organizing will ever get done.Obviously some stuff,like washing, needs doing but I am refusing to acknowledge the presence of dust,dirty mirrors etc. at present till some of the other stuff gets done!

I seem to bounce back and forth between being chuffed with what I've got done and overwhelmed with what needs doing.

There's only 24 hours in a day and you can only fit in so much.

Don't worry,be happy and relax and enjoy seeing your sister and rest of family!!!!

Hi countess

Yes I try & ignore most of the time but it offends my sense of pride!! Believe me I'm no Domestic Goddess but I just like the place to be relatively clean, free of Eau De Wet Dawg, & have a space on the sofa clear for the occasional visitor to plonk themselves down if they pop in!!

Agree with the routine stuff taking over the one off de-clutters, maybe I need to ring fence a bit of time for both & not get side tracked on MN for hours by one or other.

Wow take it easy mackrel didn't realise you were pg , congrats, & good luck for the move. Don't forget DELEGATE!!!

Hello all! Not doing very well I'm afraid as I seem to keep getting sidetracked with going out for runs,sitting on Mumsnet,and reading

Sadly my washing pile has grown to a fantastical size yet again - this laundry lark seems so futile...

I must try and work out a few slots in my day so I do get round to the promised half hour (or something) of doing real meaningful stuff once a day.For example I have been part way through painting front room for months and would love to see it finished,and I know it wouldn't be a big deal to sort the bedroom shelves if I get on with it.

It'd be bloody handy to be granted a day extension in the lead up to Christmas - a kind of lock in for shit tippers...

I would like to allocate 1 hour a day to exercise and half hour a day,each,to decluttering/painting/paperwork sorting,and housework.Doesn't seem a lot but around work,quality time and homework with kids,and spending hours on Mumsnet,it's tricky.

Anyone care to join me to committing to setting the egg timer for 20/30 minutes a day to devote purely to shit tipping?????Come on Bossy, sarah, Mackrel, and all!!!

hello.

thanks bossy!

countess - the laundry is ridiculous isn't it. I realised the other day that every time I did some, I felt like I'd completed a task, and then felt all tricked and affronted that there was more to do - I am trying to adjust my brain to see it as something daily and never-ending, like eating, rather than a task to be ticked off.

hmmm, 20mins a day. So on work days I'm home at 6 - then DD dinner bath and bed takes me to 7.15, then dinner prep and dinner takes me to probably 8.30, and by 9.30 I'm thinking about bed. I really want to put aside 20mins a day for relaxation and lying on the floor - my back is killing as a result of DD being ill and wanting to be carried everywhere (and the pregnancy I guess).
I guess if I had easier dinners on those days I could squeeze my 20mins in before dinner, then I still get half an hour afterwards to veg on the sofa with book or TV (enjoying Pan Am at the moment!)

Ok - sorry for the convoluted monologue - I reckon it is doable then so count me in! I shall start this evening, with 20mins in the lounge, which includes the dreaded Pile Of Stuff To File!

Yes, I'll join the 20 minute timer club - except I might have to do it x3 per day as I'm in a really big mess and have lots of people coming to stay over the next few weekends so nowhere to hide stuff!

I had a massively manic weekend away. Drove 200 miles yesterday, got home at 6pm and listed 10 items on eBay! I was very surprised at myself but pleased it will go a little way to clearing more stuff and adding to the Christmas fund.

This week is going to be crazy busy with work but I will have small windows of opportunity to get some tidying/decluttering done.

I have 2 hours free this afternoon and in this time I need to clear the kitchen surfaces, mop bathroom floor, put clothes away and clear the pile of crap on the nest of tables in the lounge! I'm off to make a start!

I've been avoiding this thread because I am really not coping with the house. I've just typed out a long post about it all but deleted it because I just couldn't put it into words. I am really struggling. I have been cleaning all day but it is just cleaning, not decluttering. I am in the middle of washing the carpets now. I want to get it done before I go to bed.

You've inspired me to give this decluttering lark a go!

My plan for tomorrow is:

To put the camping gear and old car seat in the loft
To put the travel system on ebay
To load and unload the dishwasher at least once!

Then if i'm still feeling virtuous I'll do some ironing.

Yikes lampli - cleaning the carpets at 9 in the evening! That is dedication. If you have been cleaning all day it must be looking better - you'll notice perhaps more when you get up in the morning. Can you rope in any help for a big blitz so that you have a fresh start to work from?

I feel like a terrible lightweight now as I wouldn't even have a clue where to start with washing carpets. We have a cleaner so I don't really do any of the hard stuff. And I still struggle to feel on top of things!

Anyway I did my 20mins this eve - although was a bit of a cheat. I shuffled some papers from pile to pile, filed about half of it then got bored and folded some clothes off the clothes horse for the last 5mi s and convinced myself that counted. Tomorrow will move on to kitchen cupboards...

Evening all!

lampli we're all in it together.If you don't believe me,come and see whats lurking behind my settee....

Welcome Tonks, and hope you got your bits done mogsO!

I think tomorrows session may be the one for the start - at least- on the bedroom shelves.

Happy Shit tipping everyone!

Well I've done my session.Anyone else?

I did my "normal" stuff (laundry,bit of hoovering etc) earlier as today is one of my Not-Quite-So-Manic-Days.(Trust me,"normal" stuff doesn't always get done every day!)

Then I did 30 mins tonight on bedroom shelves.I've done one set and still got the bigger set to go.I realised I hadn't dusted them since DH put them up.Then I realised DH had put them up 2 years ago .Oh Deary me - I'm more slovenly than I previously thought....I also found some little bits of my late Dad's,which I had kept,which was lovely.Hopefully I find all the bits and put them somewhere nice and deserving together.

It's amazing how you set out in your head what you're going to do in a set time,but never ever manage it in that time.I suppose thats what makes us avoid things,as we think we haven't got the time.I'm hoping it'll work as a bit of psychological foolery to proceed in time intervals rather than task by task.

Mackrel how close is your move now?
lampli sounds like your place is a sight cleaner than mine,now!
Tonks and mogsO hows it going?

Bugger, I forgot . I'm not quite sure what happened to me yesterday but I managed to achieve absolutely nothing and have been the same today. My excuse is still that I have a busy working week but it's a crap excuse as I still have a couple of hours free in the middle of the day when I could be doing useful things.

Tomorrow, I have work off and on until 2pm then ds has a friend coming after school so there should be a few 20min slots for me to do a bit of sorting.

My sisters are coming to stay next weekend so I need to make upstairs a bit more presentable...might even change the duvet covers .

Countess - I'm impressed with your 30mins aswell as your normal routine! it's lovely when you come across things that hold happy memories.

Right, I'm going to sort out the junk piled on the little table in front of me...