I totally needed this. Thank you!

That sounds like a pretty awesome friend to me. :)
Personally, I use chocolate and a special playlist on my ipod for overwhelming days....Spending a few minutes with my pets helps me calm down as well....And a long hug from hubby....and wine.

A tidy house definitely gives me peace. I ignore dirt much longer than I can clutter, which stresses me out. Even when I was a kid, I would clean my room before I would play in it! I've recently started making the bed most days, and it makes me happy to have at least one room neat, regardless of what disaster is happening in the kitchen.

so true. most of the times, when i'm mad, i clean. it's like therapy :D

I'm totally having one of those days today too. I needed this SO bad!

I agree- make the bed and get one thing done in every room. You've made a good start and won't feel as overwhelmed. However, the best way to keep the house from eating you alive is to declutter - get rid of everything you don't use/love. Don't bring a new something in unless an old something goes! And of course - clean as you go. Not glamorous, but it works.

i loveee the call in 15 min!!!! it makes it kinnnnda fun!

I read an article a while back that having a made bed reduces stress at home. I totally agree with that.

i have a friend that went through a spell where she tried to make records of how much she could do in the time she had something in the microwave. instead of standing, waiting for it to be done, it was almost a game to see what she could do. once she put away 12 pairs of shoes and hung up 6 shirts... similar mind set! instead of watching tv while your pot of coffee is brewing, DO something! (hmm... this gives me some inspiration too! because i can fall into that groggy trap of staring at the pot of coffee drip until it's done too)

You need to pay that friend because she is an awesome life coach.

Fifteen minutes! Accountability! Tough love!

I'm a professional in a fast-paced environment and I'm living proof that you can get an inordinate amount of work done in 15 minutes if you get off your ass with your checklist in hand and go engage people. A hallway conversation is faster than an email and much more satisfying. Update, delegate, and move to the next thing by getting out from behind the computer (or under the bedclothes).

I kind of race through home cleaning, too, and yes, it's amazing how much can get done in 15 minutes. I HATE doing dishes but I timed myself doing them and I'm surprised how little time it takes. Just feels like forever.

In order to get myself motivated to get the apartment in order, I start with the dishes. Everything else seems less unpleasant by comparison.

I love the "do something in each room" idea! Little tips like this always help.

A clean house definitely makes you feel better. I cleaned this weekend and felt so amazing! Like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Thank you for qualifying something I have done my whole life! My wife thinks I'm crazy, but it has always worked for me. If I feel overwhelmed with option overload for the upcoming day, knowing the bed is made first thing helps me think clearer.

I just had a discussion about this last night! We're in the middle of a crazy remodel, and are trying to get as much done as possible before family comes in from overseas in ONE WEEK (dun dun DUNNNNN).

I just read about the 15 minute de-clutter thing, which I feel like makes cleaning so much more manageable. Still, we have to install a sink, get a hold of our cabinet hardware, and finish as much of this kitchen before I pull my head off.

Your friend is totally right.

I try not to let myself fuss over cleaning house during the weekdays (unless companies are coming for dinner). After a long day of work, I want to be able to just relax. Therefore, Saturdays and Sundays are my "cleaning days". I tackle one area at the time. The keyword is "calm", don't let the mess overwhelm you. Give yourself the mental space to allow imagination, like how you'd want the room to look like and go from there.

I agree with feasby05, you don't even have to give up TV. I usually watch my favorite shows after I get back from work and get up and do actual housework during the commercial breaks. Did you know that you can wash at least 3 plates and 2 cups during a commercial break, or hang your coats and put away shoes. I even cleaned the bathroom once. The only downside of this plan is, it doesn't work with the HBO shows ;)

i do this every sunday. wake up and make the bed. then walk to the farthest room from the bedroom (the kitchen), brew some coffee and sweep. the second i think of leaving that room, i do a quick sweep of anything that doesn't belong in their, and teeter it to the next room (living room). bust out the vacuum, wipe down surfaces and put away clutter. same thing there, grab all the junk that doesn't belong and so on.
it's really efficient (for me), to get all those things at LEAST back into the room they belong, then i can go thru that room's pile and determine where it goes.

My youngest daughter gets totally overwhelmed with cleaning up her stuff. Once I offered to time her once on picking up her laundry, it took her about 20 seconds. Drove home to her that it really doesn't take forever.

Now I have to go home tonight and just clean the tub I've been looking at....

oh, and we don't have a dishwasher either. i've found that if i make a call to a close friend or family member (put it on speaker), it gets done so much faster and i get to spend some otherwise wasted time talking to people i love.

Love it, great friend and great motivation. And now look, the workday is almost over! ;)

The first thing I do every time I have to clean is make the bed. Then I clear off the bathroom counter. It doesn't seem nearly so bad when those two things are done.

As a messy sort of person, I think that a tidy and clean home is like a breath of fresh air on a sunny spring day -- so life giving and invigorating.

I'm so tidy that this is a regular, ongoing process for me. I actually cannot function in a messy space so if I didn't do this every day, I'd never get any work done.

So true. My favourite decluttering guru is Marla Dee. Decluttering to bring back your life force. It really does work.

This reminds me of the post, about a year ago, how to clean in 5-,10- or 15-minute chunks of time every day. I have to get back to you.
And I have to start NOW, a friend is coming for a glass of wine and a gab on Friday after work.

There is a movie which I always like to play in the background whenever I need to get in a "cleaning mood". Because I said So by Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore.

odd.. I know.. but there is a scene where Diane and Mandy were trying to rearrange the living room kinda boosts me cleaning. haha I know, odd!

Sounds like an awesome friend!

I totally have a clearer head when my place is clean.

And I ALSO try to get as much done while the microwave or coffee pot is going, it makes the waiting bearable and my place seems to stay cleaner :)

when I was in university I had to clean my room/apartment before I could sit down to study for exams or write papers. Seriously. I felt so much calmer, so much more organized and IN CONTROL. I very strongly believe that a clean house is the 1st thing on the road to sanity for me. ok, maybe not the whole house, but at least the kitchen. I try to do my best to have my kitchen in order. That keeps me grounded and ready to take on the world (or my toddler).

Your friend is a gem and her advice describes my decluttering method to a T. Nothing like a house in order to make me feel centered and in control.

when I'm befuddled and walking in circles all I have to do is Remember (!) to turn the radio on-in any room I'm in, and that seems to ground me and help me focus on the task at hand-no matter how big or small it is!

Oh my! That horse picture in the main image! Please please please tell me where it is from? It is amazing!

Um, could I have your friend's phone number?

An uncluttered space does wonders for the mind and body.

The flow of energy around your living space will greatly affect your psyche so make sure to always keep things tidy and don't put it off even for a minute as it'll nibble away at you.

Sounds like your friend does for you what my big sisters do for me, give great advice. Three cheers for all of them, and for their excellent suggestions.

for me....clean and tidy house = calm and peaceful mind.

As a former professional organizer, I'd give my clients this advise when they's face overwhelm:
-Pick 1 task, and ONLY 1 task.
-Set your kitchen timer for 15 minutes
-ONLY work on that task for 15 minutes
-stop working on the task and get on with your life

This takes the pressure off of "getting it all done" and "having to spend hours and hours on something."

Most time consuming is putting things where they belong. I'm lazy when it comes to cleaning. This helps: say I carry some things from living room to bedroom, I put them in their place first then look around for anything that needs to go from bedroom to another room. I go from room to room in the same manner and pretty soon, I have covered the whole house. It is like taking a walk and browsing. I clean after the house is in order. Cleaning is easy. My mother once said to me, If you don't have time to clean before visitors arrive, just put everything in its place. This will suggest the place is clean because a clean house is rarely messy whereas a messy house is rarely clean. If you want to clean before guests arrive, do the bathroom first, because that is where they will want to go when they arrive. Then do the bed they'll use with clean sheets. They won't mind a bit of dust.

A clean house gives me peace of mind, contentment and control. It also helps me to cope with adversities. You can't put a price on what an orderly environment does for the mind especially when you're dealing with issues. Chaotic environment = chaotice mental state. Orderly environment = calmness and thinking ability.

My little brother once observed that, when I feel out of control, I clean. My mother does the same thing. A clear house definitely equals a clear head. There's nothing like getting rid of something for making you feel "lighter," too.

I agree with cinderellen, and enjoy housework more when decluttering reduces it to dealing just with possessions that are valued and useful. A person's home is an expression of her state of mind, like dreams except outward. It's exciting that her home and her mind can benefit each other in an upward spiral feedback loop. The price is right, it's simple, unexpected additional benefits are likely, and there is little risk of adverse side effects, unlike some other cures for a rainy day. Moderate houswork is so great like that that it's similar to hatha yoga.

I want to put in a plug for "clean as you go".

If I get a cup of coffee, when I finish it I put the cup in the dishwasher. Never the sink or the counter. (In my no-dishwasher days, I'd wash or rinse and put in the dish drainer.) When the dishwasher cycle ends, I put the dishes away ASAP so it's empty to start the process again. When I open the mail, I put it where it goes: recycling (mostly), my desk for further action, whatever. If I get something out to use, I put it back immediately after (especially including tools from the tool box in the garage...) When I change clothes, the dirty ones go into the laundry basket in the closet -- if good for another wearing, on the shelf or hanger in the closet instead. Even when I have company for dinner, I put everything into the dishwasher immediately after eating, usually with volunteer help from my guests -- it takes only a few moments and the place is all cleaned up with no lingering work to do. At the end of the week, I usually only have laundry, vacuuming, and dusting to do even though I have a partner and three furry pets!

The exception to this plan is crafting. If I'm working on longer term projects, I either take over the dining room (since we mostly eat out anyhow) or the guest room (since it's the only rarely used space that has a door) but I try hard to minimize the mess in either space, and only leave things out when I have to poke at projects over a number of days.

It doesn't feel like "housework" if you just include the cleanup for everything you do as part of the "doing"... Life is easier, the house feels calmer, and it's always minutes away from being ready to entertain. Plus I can always find things, since I always put them away!

Who's going to call me in 15 minutes?