Juli Blogs

How do you deal with a “clutterer” who is reluctant to change? My mom has a serious problem with junk everywhere. I don’t understand how she can live like this and when her adult children try to help her she pushes us away. What is this all about? – Mark S.

In response to a question that I addressed last week on cluttering, I gave reasons why we clutter. This week I have listed several ways to actually deal with it.

I am living a nightmare. I have boxes full of merchandise from a closed store, as well as boxes (which I've categorized) full of family pictures, school programs, etc. (I'm talking about 20-30 bins full of very special items).

I know that there are people who seem to have time to get things done, but that isn't me. Any ideas you can offer to get even an extra hour a day would be wonderful. – Losing Time Daily

I have a teenager who is starting college. He is disorganized and doesn’t know what he can or should take with him for his dorm room, and how to manage his schedule, and do things like laundry and homework without help. What can you suggest? – Worried Mom

I am a college student and I am repeatedly late with getting papers done and turning in homework. I should have plenty of time, but I really do procrastinate. I spend a lot of my time on YouTube and Facebook doing nothing in particular. I don't know if you have any ideas about how I can deal with this. - Wasting Time in College

I am rather disorganized but my biggest problem seems to be in making decisions. I get completely overwhelmed and stuck. I cannot decide what to do first, if I should attend an event, whether I should purchase an item. Do you have any good advice to help me make choices more easily? - Decision-challenged

What do I do with all my books? They are everywhere. I love to read, but cannot possibly hold onto all the books I now have. I really don't like to get rid of my books. What do you suggest for this problem? - Bookworm

I read somewhere that one of the biggest time-wasters is procrastination, but I think it is disorganization. Which is it?

Signed, Disorganized Procrastinator

I have previously written about the benefits of becoming organized, so here I am going to specifically discuss how keeping a disorganized household is a huge time-waster. It robs you of time: time to work on important and worthwhile projects, time with family or friends, time to regroup and decompress, and time to play.