h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I noticed my room was a bit cluttered yesterday, so I straightened it.

WHAT THE %$#@^&#@% IS WRONG WITH ME?!

I have no idea what is wrong with you, but if you think it is contagious, would you please infect my daughters?

And my kids too?

It happens to all occasionally

For the record, my room's still a nightmare, but it's more of a Steven King Spook than a Lovecraftian Abomination. Not sure if it's as effective as you think.

I'm relieved you still have a little mess, Affy. The first thing I thought of was the Stepford Wives.

Did you take any notes on how you accomplished it, while you were doing the cleaning? Even a Cliff Notes version of your methodology might help my middle daughter grasp the concept.

Affy, I'm sure the 'mess' was all just part of your 'filing system'. I bet that--no matter what the object you might look for--you could have reached into a pile/stack/heap and pulled out just the thing you sought.

B4isingaShellSilversteinsongaboutSarahCynthiaSylviaStout

Cliff Notes? Okay. It's actually a method I developed years back, but no one else in my family puts much stock in it. I let the results speak for themselves, however.

I call it "The Garbage Bag Method."

Cleaning takes so long, in my opinion, because you always interrupt your cleaning with sorting. If you pick up a sock, sort it in with the laundry. If you pick up a toy, sort it into the toy bin. If you pick up some papers, sort the papers into sub-sortable categories such as Trash, Scratch paper, missing letters, bills, bills that can be trashed upon review, letters that can be trashed upon review, receipts you want to save, receipts you can throw away, etc. Sorting is a large part of cleaning.

My "Garbage Bag Method" sorts the sorting right out of cleaning, and makes it a second category at the end of the process.

Simply take a large container (it doesn't have to be a Garbage Bag, that's just what I used when I invented the system. I've also used boxes and laundry baskets), and toss everything into it.

Don't you DARE stop to check to see if that's the phone bill that you've been looking for or the book that's been missing for seven months that the library needs. If you pause to sort, you lose momentum.

You may fill up the container. At this point, if work remains to be done, get another container. It doesn't have to be the same type of container as before.

Keep filling containers until you're done.

NOW you can go back and sort. This is a crucial, and easily forgotten, step. If you forget it, then the cointainer object just becomes its own new mess as objects gradually work their way out and back into their previous messy places. Also, if you actually used a garbage bag instead of a box, then someone might come through, assume that the bag consists of garbage (which may or may not be true) and will throw it out without sorting.

Aside from those two dangers, I've found the Garbage Bag Method to be very effective. As long as you're willing to put a little extra effort at the end for sorting purposes, then it'll work.

There you have it, B4. The Cliff Notes version of "The Garbage Bag Method". May the knowledge be used wisely.

That is actually quite sensible. I am assuming you have an actual trash bag/box as well.

Cleaning up for fifteen minutes at a time is good, too. It should prevent you from getting too overwhelmed: Clean for fifteen minutes, enjoy something else for an hour, clean for another fifteen minutes, do something else for an hour, clean another fifteen minutes ...

Also, try OHIO: Only Handle It Once. Have a place to put bills that will eventually be able to be thrown out, same with all other categories of mail, books, fliers, papers, whatever you handle.