Expert: Jan Hayner - 6/7/2011

Question
I am so unorganized, I lose keys, shoes, important papers. My boyfriend, son and I live in a trailer and are saving up for a home someday. The problem is I can't see a way out. I am forty years old, recovered meth addict, working at a minimum wage job. My office is boxes and piles of papers. My boyfriend makes good money ($15/hr) but we spend all of our money without saving a penny. Our shared vehicle is paid for, so is the trailer. We end up spending a lot of money on food (take out variety!) which I know is expensive. I know I should meal plan in advance. I work many night shifts so often I'm not eating dinner until late at night and it's pizza or subs or taco bell. I want to succeed in life. I haven't filed my income taxes for 5 years and now the IRS is saying I need to contact them within 10 days. Because of my drug problem I lost my good job of 18 years, my home that I owned myself, and now my two youngest children are with my mother (foster care). I've been clean for 15 months. I thought I would have everything I lost back or replaced by now. But I have no plan. Which goes back to my paper problem, I'm paralyzed, overwhelmed by all that I need to do. I need a life mentor!  Is it too late at 40 now for me to regain a decent life?  Please say something!  Sincerely,  Cynthia

Answer
Hi Cynthis;
You sure have had your share of downs! I think it is about time we work on something positive to make your life easier. :)

First of all, be proud of what you have accomplished, shaking a drug addiction isn't an easy feat! Slap yourself on the back from me; Job well-done! Keep it up girl, you proved you have the drive and determination, the rest of the garbage in the world will be easy, you have already been through the hard part!

Your right, you need a plan- a matter of fact, you need more than one, but don't panic, this will be easy.
1. Make a plan of what you 'wished' your home would be like. Make it for each room in your house.
2. Now, take the plan you made for 'one' room (usually the room that drives you nuts the most) and now make a plan of how you are going to change each piece in that room.

Start on one wall and plan by working yourself around the room. SUCH AS: Bedroom/dresser-each drawer cleaned out, closet- make my close fit and not be wrinkled all of the time or falling out of the closet when I open it. Get the idea?

What you are doing is making a big project small enough to handle instead of looking at a huge picture and getting overwhelmed. It is easier to take baby steps than to make one leap and miss half of the room :)

Rather than to drive you nuts making lists for you, I am going to send you to my website (please don't panic, I am in the process of redoing some of the pages) Take your time and look through the site, everything on there is free. So print it out to your hearts content. It will work you through everything, step by step.

When you are through reading it and if you want a little more help feel free to contact me and we can work on a few individual problems just to get you started.

It only takes a small amount of time to clean out one drawer and if you do one a day at the end of a month you have 30 drawers done. Slow process, but I bet it is farther than you have gotten in the last 30 days.

See? it can be easy. Open the drawer, in one pile put everything you are keeping, in another put everything that belongs someplace else and in another put the junk. Now only put back in the drawer what belongs there. Now shut the drawer---see that drawer is done! Easy!

Go to http://www.organizingandcleaning.com and have yourself a ball! Then let me know how you are doing. Don't panic, this is easy..
Jan Hayner