What to do when you can't organise and clean your home?

For one reason or another, things have got out of hand: constant illness, a challenging work situation, a change in life circumstances, the amount of care work - something broke the routine and now the home is an annoying mess and the residents are powerless in the face of it. What to do when you can't organise and clean your home, but the clutter is overwhelming?

In this article, I list a few tips that trade union organisers have found useful in the midst of momentary chaos. It's worth managing years' worth of accumulations in a slightly different way, with planning and possibly with the help of professional helpers.

The system stalls due to a momentary shortage of rerus

We've been sick all autumn and winter, and since the autumn holidays I don't think there have been many weeks when someone hasn't been sick or half sick. I tend to spend a few minutes every day clearing away things left on the floor or clearing the kitchen surfaces. When I'm sick or busy, I don't have the time to do this, so piles and piles of clutter quickly start to build up. Sometimes there's so much to do that everything gets overwhelmed (baby years have been a whole chapter in our lives).

Even the system starts to cough when you deviate from the routine: things start piling up on the floors and levels. It's at the "bad times" when things and the to-do list start to pile up. When the backlog starts to build up.

I find that I can manage the backlog in our home these days, even during the sickness, because I know I can get back on track relatively quickly after all the pruning. It's still annoying, though, and the piles of stuff take a toll on my brain as the situation drags on (read about the health effects of chaos in a previous article).

I'm going to list a few quick organizing techniques that I find comforting when I'm annoyed by clutter but can't or don't have the energy to organize my entire home.

Pile all the items on the level in one place

This technique is a complete eye-sore with the addition of order, but our brain interprets that single mound as a single register, while scattered items cause the visual stimulation and stress of multiple objects.

So group your items in a pile or basket, which you will set out later. You can confine the chaos on the floor to a pile in one corner, or all the homeless items in one room to await a better sorting day. The important thing is to create at least one serene space to rest (mark your calendar with when you'll actually set out the piles).

Optimize with the Pareto principle

When you're short of time or energy, think about which single task would make the biggest difference? The Pareto principle of 20% effort yields 80% results. If you can clear out the kitchen to make next week easier, do it. Or make one phone call and ask someone to help you, so you can split the workload.

Personally, I too easily fall into solitary drudgery, or I get overwhelmed when I have to choose the most important task. In this case, the choice can be made through impact - which action will really make the biggest difference to your home and well-being?

Remember to prioritise one thing at a time

If your to-do list starts to look threateningly long, and stress levels rise: just list the most urgent task for today. What you absolutely have to do, along the lines of "food". Write the rest down and come back to them when you can. If you can't even do the prioritised one yourself, delegate the work to others. If you can't delegate, ask yourself if the task is really today's task? Can you flex somewhere else or get help elsewhere to save your energy?

For example, caring for a sick child may be almost impossible when you are sick yourself, but you cannot outsource it. Could you at least get help with the cooking or the washing up? Often there is some relief if we just ask for help and get creative. Sometimes the situation is really difficult and the only solution is to try to get long-term support. In this case, a single message or request for help can be the priority of the day.

Uncover the feeling: what kind of everyday life would you like?

When you are physically unable to work on your home for a long period of time, you can often still work on your relationship with your goods. Think about what are the most important values in life for you? What do you enjoy and what would you not want to live without? Without which, on the other hand, could you be freer? Would you gain something by shortening your to-do list?

I wrote the other day from the silent to-do list. In short, it is that every good and every task is a commitment, often a series of commitments. We choose them consciously or unconsciously, but they end up on our to-do list.

By reflecting on core values and activities, you can identify the things that are worth investing the little effort or energy you have. Personally, I have chosen family as one of my core values, and I try to choose doing things together as a family rather than doing more work or buying new stuff (commitments). It's not always easy, but I also find myself doing things that go against my values.

Take advantage of the timed moment

If you're up for it, but can't get started and are procrastinating, use a timer. Set it to ring five minutes ahead and clear that time. Extend the time as the new habit starts to feel routine. The key is to do so little that it doesn't overwhelm you, but instead you'll be buoyed by progress and a looser home. Start each day and do what you can.

Clear out annoying ones when you're well enough

If you can, grab a bag and be around the house in 15 minutes. Put all those annoying things you've been staring at for weeks or months, thinking "that's there too" and "shoulda, shoulda". If you haven't had time to find a home for it or finish a project, chances are you're not going to. So could you give it up?

If you can, give up now: take the bag away from your home, recycle and sort any out-of-date items into waste. Take a thinking cap if you have one. It will help you move things out of sight, out of mind, and return to them in, say, six months' time. If you haven't missed anything from your bag by the deadline, recycle it without hesitation.

Get help from a close friend or a trained organiser

Challenging life circumstances and illness are difficult times, even when the home is working. The burden can even be excessive if the home is not working, but is full of stuff or unfinished business. I would like to remind you that the fault is not with the residents, but with the situation.

If you feel you can't cope on your own and need help, ask for it. For many, shame and a coping culture is a barrier, but I have witnessed so many times how relieving it is to clear out your home after years of struggling. One in two people experience homesickness, so it's likely that a loved one understands the situation well and wants to help. For more tips on home happiness, see my article here. Many problematic situations are easier to tackle with helping hands.

If you need professional support for working with mountains of goods, contact us henna@ruuhkaton.fi! I act myself Pirkanmaa, but you can find all Finnish trained professional organisers The Finnish trade unions' website .

Don't be left alone in a difficult situation!