Ipanemagirl DONT PANIC!
If you feel you have too much to do all at once, DON"T DO IT!
Simply break it into chunks and do 1 bit at a time. Very soon it all comes together. My MIL's maxim is 'A job a day and it goes away.
The clutter clearing is a good starting point. Job 1, Take a bin liner and go round the house (OK, break it down to floors if easier) and put anything that needs throwing away in it.
Finished? Right, put the bag in the bin and forget about it...JOB 1 DONE
Next step, find stuff you can give to charity shops/pass on/sell on eBay. Do the bin liner bit again, then get rid JOB 2 DONE
2 jobs down, feeling better?
Easiest bit to start on is the bathroom cos you use it all the time. Plus it's probably your smallest room. Give it a good clean, stand back and admire! JOB 3 DONE
Do you feel like you've achieved? Now every morning it is so easy just to scrub round the loo and wipe the sink out when you've finished (like a sink on a plane). Now you can shut the door and forget about it.
Now just pick and choose what you need to tackle next (bedroom, DKs' rooms, Kitchen etc etc) compartmentalise big rooms (The kitchen in my house is broken down to worktops, cooker, table, fridge, cupboards, floor) and tackle 1 bit at a time.
And be sure to let the FLYladies know. And if you haven't managed anything, let us know and we'll give you a hug.
Before you know it everything simply comes together and becomes 2nd nature, Like when you go downstairs always take the laundry with you and bung it in the washer. Before entering the FLY zone, my house was an unfathomable, unsurmountable dump. Now I'm rather house proud and never need to apologise for it's appearance. I don't spend anymore time on it, I just work smarter rather than harder.
Careful of FLY lady, as good as she is she's a touch manic and prescriptive. She's good for ideas but FLY threads are good for realistic motavation!
All the best with it and see you on FLY soon
xx