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In 2004 I moved to a house less than half the size of my previous one. I loved it and was proud of it until, in 2005, clutter took over while I traveled to the hospital daily to visit my sick and dying father.

Now I don't answer the doorbell because I have so much STUFF: stuff on my end tables, stuff on my couch, stuff everywhere! The problem is mostly paper and things that have no place to call home. If I work on one area, it seems that other areas get worse.

I'd like my grandson to be able to bring his friends over, but I'm so embarrassed! I love to spend my time on the patio because I don't have to look at STUFF.

My daughter tells me I'm so old (ha!) that there isn't enough time left for me to change. Say it isn't so!!! :-)

katwalkers,
Welcome!!!! You are never too old or too young to change! You can do whatever you set your mind to.

May I suggest that you take a garbage bag and walk around the house and see if you can fill it up? Old newspapers, magazines, things that are obviously trash. Once you've accomplished that you can move on to other Baby Steps as we like to call it.

It's important to remember that the house didn't get like that in a week and thus it will take longer than a week or so to get it cleaned up again.

You mention all of your STUFF. It's time to ask yourself the most important question...WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT WILL HAPPEN IF I DON'T HAVE THIS STUFF?

Well, just a quick hello...look forward to your success~!

Hello and welcome Katwalkers. You can do it! I like ChefSam's idea with starting with the easy things, actual real garbage and then moving on to some harder items. You need to find a starting point, and take it one step at a time. Feel free to join in on the forum, maybe the Room of the Month thread or the Productivity thread!

Hello! I joined this forum years ago, then disappeared, then rejoined early this year, then disappeared again, LOL. But lately I have been thinking about coming back and looking around the forums, and I finally did it! Here I am! Yay! Now, if I'll just APPLY all of the words of wisdom found in these wonderful forums to MY clutter situation, I know I can dig my way out of it! But it is SOOOOOOOO overwhelming! Nothing I can say about my clutter would be anything new to any of you, I am sure, as we all have a common thread linking us together or we wouldn't be here, right? ;-) Anyway, I'm going to go look around the forums and try to get myself motivated.

Happy New Year to you all!

Welcome back to the forum, Beadlady. Just remember to take it one step at a time, cause sometimes the big picture is overwhelming and scary. So take it 15 minutes at a time or one room at a time.

Happy New Year too!

ChefSam: I do use the search feature....but don't know how to narrow it down well...I often get WAY too many posts to be able to adequately read each one.

Any suggestions?

Hi Beadlady and Katwalkers
I have only been here for about a week now, but the kindness and information shared by all of the ladies on this site is amazing. I have accomplished so much that I had been putting off for years. It seems that the more I get done the more I want to do. Just imagine the difference one bag of garbage a week or a day makes.

One thing that I found helpful (though there have been many) is to take a picture of a room before you start and then when you are finish. It is truly inspirational. Such a sense of accomplishment.

As ChefSam said, it didn’t get that way in a week, so don’t frustrate yourself that it can’t be fixed in a week. Fifteen minutes a day makes a huge difference.

Another gem is, what is the worse than could happen if I threw this out?

I wish you both all the best. You certainly have come to the right place for help and inspiration.

I'm sure no one is on right now as you are all probably busy "organizing" either at home or someone elses! I have been struggling with my sales management postion for the last year and feel I need a new career. Of course I am no spring chicken....54 in another month. I think I have inherited my mothers ability to get 10 pounds of sugar to fit nicely in a 5 pound sack and I keep thinking I could do this for a living. Perhaps not??? You would not know it if you looked at my garage, even though we can get two cars and two motorcycles in it easily, so it must not be that bad.
Anyway, would love to talk to anyone who is just starting out. I need advice on what to do, look for, proper licensing, etc.
Thanks,
Greg Ludlow
Mulberry, IN

Greg,
Welcome!

I'd start here with Maria's info on Starting an Organizing Biz...

http://www.getorganizednow.com/po.html

and here is a link to her Ultimate Guide for Professional Organizers...

http://www.getorganizednow.com/ultimateguide.html

I'd also suggest you pop over to the Professional Organizers section of this board and pose your specific questions there.

http://www.getorganizednow.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=8&page=1