The Clutter Fairy Weekly Survey #289/301 Results
The Relationship Between Organizing and Productivity
Below are the results of our survey released in preparation for episode #289 and republished in advance of episode #301 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly. If you haven’t already done so, please take the survey.
Responses
To view the complete, detailed survey response from any respondent, click on their name (or “Anonymous user”) in the table below. You may also find it easier to read long responses in the detailed view.
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | Describe a day on which you were busy, but you still felt as if you didn’t accomplish what mattered most. | What challenges keep you from getting things done? | Describe a project on which you struggled to start—or to finish. | What tools for managing your activities (calendar, task manager, etc.) are the most or least helpful to you? | Please complete the following statement: “I never seem to have enough time for _____.” | What question would you like us to ask our guest, productivity consultant Karen Baker, during the live webcast? |
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| Gabriella | A friend once said that if you wanted to get an unloved chore or project done, you should put an even more unpleasant chore on your agenda. Structured procrastination can make me quite productive at times. I get a lot of things done, even though I procrastinate on what matters most in that moment. Depending on the urgency of the principal project this may be a consolation. | My tendency to procrastinate - until at some point, after having nagged and coaxed myself long enough, I get a little angry which then gives me the energy to just do it. | I dye my hair with organic products. Although I've assembled a kit with all the equipment I need and go about the procedure in a very organized manner, I still dread the preparation .... and having to keep the dye on for 3 hours. The day before going on a trip I finally did it though, because I didn't want to meet my friends with white patches showing in my hair. | Most helpful: As a virtual tool I occasionally stage a "power hour". I begin by listing a number of smaller chores that I keep procrastinating on. Then I set a timer for an hour and get a number of them done. If I don't accomplish everything on the list, so what! After 60 minutes I pat myself on the back for every tedious bullit point that I can now cross off my to-do-list. | If I'm honest with myself, I have enough time for almost everything. It's my tendency to procrastinate that I waste my time with. If time gets tight, I make decisions on what I can leave out in order to still meet deadlines. | |
| Rosalyn | I always have things that a pressing to do but by the time that is done, I am too tired to do what I really wanted to do. | clear out the boxes in a storage unit in my building. It contains boxes of my school work and other old papers, especially my research for my thesis. | My problem is to give myself the permission to work on this while there is plenty pressing things to get done. | Work on crafts that I want to do. I have the materials already. | How to live while you are decluttering a space | |
| Celina | any such day when I had some unexpected errand to attend to, and in the meantime had several others that meant driving around the city, etc. combine that with procrastination... oh man 🙂 | i am overworked. any time I finally have some free time I just dont hav the energy or I go for the low hanging fruit of entertainment: movies, youtube, etc. Also long walks with my dog consume so much time... there's just not enough in a day | ok so my bf and i were painting together. he finished his thing, I still haven't done mine... and since it was a joint activity I dont seem to be willing to get back to it... but I do want to see it complete and beautiful at the same time... | alarms in my phone for errands, visits etc - things out of the routine schedules activities. sometimes a paper calendar... but usually not even that. marking emails with important reminders as unread. | getting enough sleep and organizing my computer (disc, files etc) | what to do about procrastination over even favourite hobbies? |
| Katherine | I got up with an hour to spare for breakfast (and feeding the cat and getting dressed) before I was scheduled to begin work (telecommute). I sat down at the computer ten minutes behind schedule and spent most of the first hour checking news and emptying my work AND personal email boxes (taking the messages in order and following up all the links that came in them, finishing each in full before moving to the next). Started first official work assignment on the day’s list, which was expected to take 2-3 hours. Was interrupted halfway in by a call from my mother’s nurse, requesting medical clarification. Answered politely while inwardly fuming at the interruption. Returned to work assignment. Was interrupted several more times by the “ding” of new emails and texts, mostly unimportant, some of them group texts that didn’t even have anything to do with me. Grew increasingly resentful and anxious, checking the clock constantly and fretting over the still-in-progress assignment. Cat pestered me for personal attention, getting increasingly in my face (sometimes literally). I chased her out of the room and closed the door, feeling angry and guilty at the same time. Took a break before lunch for my favorite game show. Rebuffed cat’s attempt to sit on my lap because I was running to the work room during every commercial break to get just a little more done. Rushed through lunch with one ear on the phone for additional email alerts. Went back to work, finally finished assignment after another two hours. Mom called midway to ask if I wasn’t picking her up for an appointment this afternoon. I reminded her through gritted teeth that the appointment was TOMORROW. Sent in work assignment, feeling it wasn’t everything it could have been and that, though no one else would know the difference, I hadn’t done a thing in years to further develop my natural skills. Decided I deserved a break to play a computer game “and while I’m at it, I haven’t played THIS game in a while or THIS one… and I’d better add a few more to make it an even 10.” Hurried through them too. It still took another hour. Had another, shorter assignment to complete. The cat was begging for attention again: threw a toy and extra food at her to buy peace and quiet. Felt guilty again because she looked chubby from overfeeding. Finished short assignment an hour after official work time. Turned off work computer and threw dinner together from the refrigerator and cupboards. Watched one more game show, multitasking with a crossword puzzle and feeling bad that I wasn’t doing three puzzles a day anymore. Ran out to “get some exercise” with an evening walk. Hurried through that too, now racing the sunset. Got home, hurried through “tidy up” chores, including emptying the cat’s litter box. Yelled at her for getting in my way and trying to follow me out to the trash can. Showered, shut the cat in the kitchen for the night, remembered I hadn’t touched my reading list today. Hurried through a few pages before collapsing into bed fifteen minutes later than intended. Took over an hour to fall asleep, feeling like a failure as an employee, daughter, pet parent, time manager, and human being. An all-too-typical day in my life now. | Interruptions. Bad habit of getting small things “out of the way” before starting big (read: overwhelming-looking) tasks. Emotional pull of “manageable/controllable/finishable” items, whether or not they’re important or even necessary. | Forming a caretaker team for my mother. Getting back to freelance writing. (I get paralyzed with indecision, especially on projects that require selling others on getting involved.) | Mostly I just use the iOS Calendar app. Though I’d love to find an AI organizer where I can input my work style and priorities, and get a more or less complete recommended schedule. | Pleasure reading (which actually dominated my daily schedule for years). Writing blog posts/poetry. Special events. Professional development. Just BEING with people (or pets or my own self). | How do I avoid relapse into old habits? (If you say “human accountability,” the follow-up question is: How do I find effective accountability when I have zero experience in making persuasive requests, and have lived my whole life going back to the same few people for whatever I need or want?) |
| Cee | Cleaning and gathering old paperwork most of day. Later completed shredding. Had several trash bags. When I looked around there were still two areas I felt I hadn't put a dent in. One random pile and a few bags that found the way in my path beside my bed. | Time to dedicate, thinking to much that I may need again or accidentally toss something of great importance (money or gift cards) | Paperwork sorting and organizing. I try to sort without organizing but feel like when I stop the piles mix again. Too many piles when sorting. | Tote bags least helpful, I forget what's inside when I don't have the visual. Clear bins help if I only fill with items needing second or third pass. Just need to be in right frame of mind when I go back through. | Decluttering and organizing if I complete daily activities such as cooking and cleaning up after. | Any suggestions on keeping piles of paper sorted making it easier to pickup where I left off each time so I can see some progress. I don't have a room or table surface available to dedicate without having to clear at end of each session without exposing to other family members or surprise guests. Have a clear bin available |
| Cathy | Slept later than usual. Rushing around to be somewhere by 9:00. Picking out clothes to wear took extra time. Didn’t have time to clean kitchen or do any other chores before leaving. | Time. Time. Time. The older I get the longer it takes me to get things done. | Cleaning and organizing my walk-in closet | A paper calendar at home works best for me. I do schedule some things on my phone then write it on the calendar when I get home. | Decluttering | |
| Lala | Most days I am not motivated unless it involves food. The things I have to take care of outside of the house motivate me to leave and so I still don't get anything done in the house. Of course I'd rather do what I want to do, rather than what I really should be doing. Then I get hungry again. Lucky for me I don't eat a lot more than what I should so I don't weigh several hundred lbs. | As I said not motivated enough to get past the amount of tiredness I feel all the time. I also get decision fatigue even before I start. | Sorting through stuff to sell keep or toss is hard for me unless I am in just the right mood. | Time and energy constraints or using a timer will stop me from starting any project to do with organizing or sorting through any of my items. | Sorting and organizing. | How do you tackle organizing your own stuff when it is too much in your own house? |
| Fee | If I don't make a list , or plan before I start I often forget something crucial and find the day less satisfying. | Low energy if I have slept badly. Others needs superceding my own. Lack of clarity re prioroties. | Getting rid of /organising stuff hidden in cupboards that have no themes .Have been randomly stuffed! Starting my own blog or youtube channel ! | Hand written lists. An ongoing note book to keep all together, including gratitude journaling whivh helps kerp me on track to stay positive . | A deep clean ! Getting to stuff hidden under the bed !!! | Hi Karen ! How do I stay up to date with my prioroties rather than things slipping off the agenda? For example budgeting is always a priority , but it doesn't always get done ! |
| Anonymous user | I’m working on a project that I need to work on. I clean and pick up some. But I do errands. Meet with family and friends. It’s been hard since a close family member had recently passed away. | I start to organize photos. Then I get interrupted and have to put them away. I get onto another project. Then something else comes up. It’s a recurring cycle. | I keep appts in my phone calendar. But, also I’ve been adding tasks to my phone too. I may otherwise forget | Decluttering | What was the most difficult job decluttering you had and why? | |
| Monica | When this occurs it is often because I have a vision of the day of all the things I want to do. I then get occupied with my kids and instead of achieving my goal my house looks like a mess 😂. Even when I achieve my goal I often forget to celebrate all the things I actually DID do. | Time restrictions. I only have time when the younger kids are at school (we also have adult children) and the now youngest is having her nap. Physical limitations since I am currently 35 weeks pregnant. | The garage is a nightmare. | We use familywall where I can see the activities of all my familymembers, their whereabouts, write down my recipes etc. | Decluttering although I declutter regularly. | |
| Anita | I think this is why I dislike cooking. You’re busy at least for a couple of hours cleaning the kitchen, preparing the food, then cleaning up again… it all feels like a busy endless cycle. Then there is the spare room where you look at everything in a heap and are stuck frozen in decision fatigue ( and you’re only 5 minutes in😳) | Decisions are getting easier but the getting them out of the house is my most challenging part. I’m not a Facebook market place sort of person.. it makes me uncomfortable. I have successfully got rid of some books on a selling platform but they won’t accept some of my books as their barcode is not on their wanted lists. Our local charity shop moved out of the area.. so now it means a drive to take stuff. Plus charity shops have generally become very selective of what they accept. ( which I accept and understand but it does mentally make it harder to let go of some things. The local tip is only open certain times and days due to council cuts… that is where I have still to take the bread maker and printer. So I think overall there is the physical challenge and the mental challenge…. Think if I could just put everything in a big bin outside the house it would be be a lot easier. | I think gardening projects as you start something .. miss a day and suddenly the weeds etc are all overgrown again. Then the room I was going to sort out ; the ceiling / roof leak came back so I’ve had to move everything again. | I really like my calendar and diary but my most helpful is just writing down 3 things I need to do and ticking them off in a notebook .I don’t know why it’s helpful but it’s satisfying seeing that I’ve at least achieved 3 things. I find timers too restrictive. Some days I find even the 5 minute matters too stressful.( that sounds crazy but I like all day to think about doing something) | Sleep!!! I’m up at 4.30am for work and even though I finish at 3. There’s all the work when you get home. So I’m usually exhausted by 7.00pm then because of the early morning I go to bed at 8-8.30. I would say not enough time for family but things are a bit easier now my children are adults in their own homes. | |
| Carol | I took a shower, made breakfast, then washed last night’s and this morning’s dishes. I went to the grocery store then went out to eat lunch. I came home and put up groceries and washed clothes, then dried and folded and hung up laundry. Supper is dealt with eventually, and I save the dishes for the next day (sometimes). My coffee table is stacked up - I have a box in my bedroom where I cleared the last coffee table stack before an unscheduled grandchildren visitation for the weekend. (Which is something I look forward to). The things that matter most to me are God and other people. I feel like I don’t get enough quality time with either. | Turning my back on social media, husband and dog interference, mostly. Imagining how big a chore looks to be and what kind of toll it will put on me as I work my way through it. Arthritis in my crooked fingers and it’s difficult to grip things firm enough. Lack of muscular strength. I can breathe well, but my body has to be reminded from time to time to stop moving for awhile to re-saturate. After the end of a day of mild work and forgetting that I’m old, it dawns on me to wonder if what I did during the day will put me in the hospital that night (and if we have a doctor there or not if I have to go). These are all constant challenges. | I struggle with gathering non-essential things to box up and put into storage. We are getting close to retirement and will have to buy and move into a house and set it up with our belongings. We have a house provided by my husband’s employment and don’t have a home yet. He is not willing to leave this job yet and is getting just over the hump of middle age at 67. (The goal is 120). | I can never locate what I need to get things done except for keys, truck, boxes, and hands. Maybe if I can find my lists and keep them in one uncluttered spot, I can use them. Your programs are inspiring and give me support not to give up entirely. You are not a rigid taskmaster and just doing a tiny space one at a time is ok. It makes the big load less overwhelming for me and it really feels good to look at that spot and realize I was able and finally did that. | Cleaning walls and baseboard. All the other needs are so needful, I never do the walls until the webs take over. | For an easily distracted homemaker, is there a way that is best to accomplish a few neglected duties? Do you have a good idea for hiding embarrassing clutter, such as medical equipment and medication things from visitors, or is it ok to leave those things out in the open? |
| JM | Wake up a little late and groggy but jump into routine hurriedly. (Make bed, make breakfast for husband, race off to exercise class). Come home tired and start cleaning up here and there. Take husband to Dr. appointment. Get home, set up his exercise class. Try to do some paperwork before going to my doctor appointment. Get my husband arranged for his treatment and rest time. Do more paperwork. Do a little more housework and some decluttering. Make dinner & clean up. Watch TV while intending to sort through some stuff. Get husband and self to bed. | Too much to do. Fatigue. Unexpected urgencies that pop up during the day derailing plans. | Spent six years trying to get back to a house remodel that got upended with the start of the pandemic. Finally got it going again but bit off more than I could chew and it quickly got the house so far out of control, my slow but steady approach to recovery just isn't satisfying enough. I can't seem to see my accomplishments because of the amount that still remains to be done. I am exhausted with the whole thing. | Digital: Shared google calendar color coded for different family members and recurring reminders; Shared google list for groceries (connected to google nest so can tell it to add something from anywhere without stopping what I'm doing; TeuxDeux for master to do list. Phone alarms for everything important. Manual: sticky notes & white boards. | Leisure. Hobbies. Finishing projects. Long chats with faraway friends. | Tips for managing and tracking complex medical needs (prescriptions, logs, appointments, treatments, ADLs, insurance, finances, etc.) as a caregiver for husband with Parkinson's. |
| Anonymous user | Just about every day. | Energy levels and distractions | Cleaning and decluttering the kitchen | Paper calendar with large daily spaces from The FlyLady. I'm more and more finding paper lists and calendars are more helpful to me than digital. | I never seem to have enough time for self-care. | What recommendations do you have for elderly people? (I'm age 80, recovering from nearly a year of incapacitation from a broken arm that required reverse shoulder surgery = titanium down my arm instead of across my shoulder. Plus gallbladder surgery 5 months after the shoulder/arm surgery.) |
| C | The wish to do what matters most changes with what others expect of me, more than what I think should be done. I'm always "putting out fires." I used to be very effective at work but at home there is no real structure. Most of the time of a busy day is all the tasks around meals, household and hygiene. | Partner's disability, my own disability, things breaking down, constant interruptions. | Getting all our documents together and ready for when we are too ill to take care of ourselves or die. Going through albums, books, sorting out valuables to disperse, donate or ideally sell. | Helpful:The family calendar which I've designed for our needs, the calender and address books on my phone, the note pad on my phone. Least helpful: when formerly good apps get "improved" beyond being useful. Need to sort out valid emails from spam and the increase of scams. And why is printer ink so damn expensive? | Going out, even for a short walk, My former hobbies, or to read a book finished. By the time I pick it up again, I've forgotten what I read before! | Tricks to squeeze out time for ourselves. |
| Marcia | Friday night: Go to work Eat dinner Grocery TV /popcorn time ..did not do dishes or laundry 🙁 No effort on sorting clutter or downsizing any clutter | Significant others plans for me to join him... important time with loved ones. Physical or mental fatigue/lack of motivation. Distractions/ tv Lack of plans or to do list | All passwords/user names to important online information within easy reach Prepare guest room ... deadline September 2026 | Calendar to remind me and a To do list scratched onto junk mail envelopes are both helpful. | Attacking the mountain of not currently being used items.. "clutter" | Hmmmm.. I will go now and listen to that video..somehow I may have missed that one |
| Lynn | Avoiding the important, harder task by allowing smaller "busy" tasks to monopolize my available time and energy. | Finding the sweet spot between Physical limitations, and having to do something repeatedly because I didn't take time to think through the process to a workable solution, while not allowing that analysis period to paralyze needed actions. | Sorting through family documents and paperwork and actually doing something with those sorted piles to complete the organization for future ease of use | Wish lists, chore lists, and accomplished lists. Doing the brain dump for each of these lists helps me prioritize the items and assign due dates. If I don't assign the date, it sits there forever as a decor item for the list. The accomplishment list keeps me motivated and cures the feeling of overwhelm and discouragement. I gather momentum from reviewing what I've already accomplished, especially the items I thought were major obstacles. | Completing my Will. | |
| Kathy | Spending time with someone dying. | Ambulance pager went off Child forgot to you know ahead of time unexpected need. | Pictures now | Business of life | Motivation. | Looking forward to presentation. |
| Jeanne | I avoid this by doing whatever first thing when I get up, if it will take less than an hour. I. May have to divide task up into different this enables me a sense of accomplishment. | Energy. my age limits my physical ability, now have to pay for outside help in some situations but have limited funds. | Replacing my old bath took several years., with the costs spread out as I could pay for help. | I am a paper and pencil girl, using a big calendar and a small carry with planner | I realistically schedule responsibilities. I can’t gardening all the time! | what method do you use to help your clients with time blindness? |
| Anonymous user | I did a lot of stuff that needed doing but I didn't complete my very explicit list of things to do. | Getting sidetracked with other things that seem equally important. Also the real overwhelm from all of the visible clutter. | My kitchen cabinets and the pantry contents need sorted and much probably needs to be discarded. | Putting on some music and/or a YouTube channel is most helpful. Also help comes from setting a timer is sometimes helpful. A long list of things to do is least helpful | I never seem to have enough time to work on learning and implementing things to get my new business going. | How do you do "everything"? |
| Erin | The distraction of daily tasks (dishes, laundry) can fill my day while I get no big projects (decluttering, organizing) started | I made great progress on my "room of doom" last summer, creating a workspace for sewing as well as an overflow guest bunk. I had help from my family and a deadline to host my daughter's friends. But now I feel unequal to the task of further refining/clearing the space as there are still boxes of decisions waiting. I walk in and feel defeated so am not using my new workspace. | A timer is great for me. I can usually work longer than the initial time set. I think setting it allows me the security of an escape hatch just in case I absolutely hate the activity. The activity is rarely as bad as I have imagined. I find a calendar to be aspirational rather than practical because I may or may not be up to facing the task I planned for myself earlier in the week. I know it's mindset and little bit of "you can't tell me what to do." | myself | What strategies would Karen suggest for housemates with different "expected minimum" productivity levels. | |
| Jules | Those are the days when I've planned everything out but then the phone rings. Everyone wants to talk or ask questions or add to my to-do list that has to be done right away. I usually get calls right when I'm in the midst, especially if I'm cleaning. And then everything stops. It's hard to get your wheels turning when there's always somebody putting on the brakes. Or maybe I'm the one that needs to run through the red light and hold my breath. See that's the problem. I obey the lights and never take a side road to get around the traffic. Hmm | Being retired, everyone thinks you have plenty of time to do what's on their list or can't get to. My newly retired husband expectations was a challenge at first. But we're figuring it out as we go. Our first rule is: never volunteer your spouse. That's kryptonite! | I track appointments on my phone. That manages a lot for me. I used to have a planner and check it every morning. But now I do that on my phone. I just have to make sure I don't get distracted with all the other stuff on my phone. | Getting those last boxes out of the basement. I get so close but then all at once there's things that are nagging me to take care of them. | ||
| Sarah | A day decluttering my papers. Still so much to do. | Having to go through and decide which ones to keep/discard. | Struggling to reach my goal of having all kept papers into one box. | I’m not really using one except for work, where we use Outlook calendar. | Getting to a point where I’m happy with my decluttering progress. | Dealing with sentimental documents like creative work and death notices, |
| Theresa | Wen I have a day with 2 appointments which total 3 hours or more , I expect to get the same amount of work done at home as a day when I am home all day. Time, energy and pain are different on a busy day and I am unable to get as much done. However, I still feel like I should have accomplished more at home. | Physical pain and visual impairment make s me slower than when I was younger and fully sighted. Also, a day when I group all of my errands and appointments out of the house preclude me from getting all of my daily tasks accomplished at home Not being able to drive denies me convenience of running a quick errand or limit appointments to one a day. I'm either hiring a driver or going with a friend where we are getting both of our errands done. (Later is my fave as I enjoy knocking out errands with a friend) | Managing pictures. Visual impairment makes editing my digital pictures and finishing my digital photo and/or physical albums. | I actually just need to put "work on pictures" on my calendar/to do list | managing pictures | |
| Carla | I take care of my disabled husband first, then myself, tidy up after breakfast, maybe run laundry, maybe shopping, start on lunch, tidy up afterwards, read my messages, go for a walk if weather permits or run errands, more household, some reading, start on dinner, tidy up after dinner, watch TV, collapse into bed. | My own weaker self and taking care of a demanding semi- immobile husband. I am so tired all the time. Have been checked by doctors, I take meds also eat well, but at 75 I am tired. | I want to finish many a book I started to read. I want to go out with my remaining friends. It is a struggle to do things just for me. | I have now started using the alarm clock function on my phone. It alerts me to the appointments I made or reminds me to start on meals on time. Least helpful are to do lists. Even if I only write 3 things on it, I fail on them | me and my interests. | I want to know what is the fail safe way to use to-do lists? |
| Sandra | Those days when you have so many unpredictable tasks thrown at you, at home or at work, that you end up doing useful things but nothing meaningful on the long term. | Letting other people's "emergencies" take over. | Decluterring and organizing digital photos. This is a big one that I want to tackle in 2026. | The Reminders app on my phone has been a game changer. | ... things I really enjoy doing for myself. | What would make you turn a potential client away or have you ever failed to help someone? |
| Evelin | I often have the best intentions to clean/cook/eat healthy/work out but then I get nothing done because it takes me so much time to tidy up. | mental health problems/lack of motivation | most cleaning chores 🤦♀️ It takes about 5 minutes to clean the bathroom mirror and the sink but somehow I think it will take forever so I don't start. | I use mostly paper planners and calendars. Whenever I'm out and about and something comes to my mind that I don't want to forget, I use one simple app on my phone for taking notes. | cleaning 🙁 | |
| Brenda | Preparing to sell house and move Sorting what to keep At end of day seems little accomplished Trying to do small sections to see progress | So much to do I get overwhelmed | Still waiting to sell my place But trying to start so I don't leave to last minute | Daily-Weekly to do list | Me I need to put other activities on the to do list to balance the day That is when I feel the best | |
| Gabriella | I'm a master procrastinator. Some years ago I had a job that required actions that I really don't like doing (my strengths and talents lie elsewhere). On some days when I sat at my desk procrastinating, I felt this almost irresistible urge to go through two or three of my already decluttered and organized drawers or shelves. Each time I was able to declutter a few more items - which in itself felt somewhat satisfying. At least I got SOMETHING done. After a few weeks of avoidance facilitated by structured procrastination, I decided to quit the job. | Most often it is my tendecy to procrastinate with respect to a lot of little random things on my to do list that I feel are tedious or annoying (but in reality would'nt take much time). ------------------------- I keep making plans to do the same 3 - 4 specific activities for a limited amount of time every day. It sounds good, but instead I tend to concentrate on one activity for several days,, neglecting the others. This certainly is counter productive for language learning and even more for physical exercise. I scramble to do at least two activities per day. | I want to once more get into doing my workout plan to improve my knees. So far I am still procrastinating. | For more complex projects that require a great diversity of steps and actions, I sit down and list all the things that need to be done, determine the most effective order to do them in and estimate how much time will be needed for every step. I do this with things I need to get done outside of the house, for instance. Once I get the itinerary set up, execution becomes very efficient. For the little things that I am prone to procrastinate, I have begun to set up a "power hour" in which I get as many little to do's done as I can until the timer rings. If I manage do this several days a week, my long list of procrastinated tasks shrinks dramatically. Another way in which I like to reduce my to do list is by looking at the "nice to haves" and deciding to cancel particular ones altogether. | I would like to cross out the words "never seem to". I actually have enough time to get everything done. It's my tendency to procrastinate that wastes my time. | |
| Anonymous user | Felt rushed taking care of household chores to prepare for company. Everything went fine but started my day without morning meditation feels like I failed self care, by putting others first. | I get distracted by watching you tube videos or playing word puzzle game on my phone (procrastinating) | Cleaning out a large collection (16 servings) of pfaltzgraff dinnerware that I dont use anymore. Removed them from the cabinet. Now in the process of packing them. Don't know what to do with them after they are boxed up. My instinct says to donate the entire collection and move it down the river, but my head says I should try to sell them to recoup money. The collection is worth about $2500. | Most helpful is Google calendar and paper weekly planner. Least helpful is apps on phone. I ignore the notifications/ reminders. | Cooking meals for myself. Im a solo senior. The thought of prep and cleanup is demotivating. | |
| Sandy | I mostly feel that way when I make a bigger mess when trying to make forward progress in any individual project. I get visually distracted and can easily go down a "rabbit hole" when trying to get organized and then beat myself up when I don't get done what I was trying to do. | Time is my biggest challenge and managing it properly. | Most any project, happens often. | I love a calender and a to do list. | My family | |
| Bluenose Bren | Running errands with a friend or my husband, but wanting to be home working on artist endeavours. This is a re-occurring day for the last 3 years since the end of Covid Lockdowns. | There are so many decisions to be made for each project or decluttering job that I don't want to start; so instead, I opt for mindless activity. | Sorting through the last and most expensive decorations from my mother's estate. | My art and creative projects | ||
| Kathy | I oversleep and have to jump into the workday without time for morning cleaning routine, juggle work tasks with various due dates, at end of day it's time to get dinner and jump into the evening routine. I'm tired, and I hope I'll be able to catch up on cleaning the next day. | I struggle with oversleeping (being of a certain age, I sometimes wake up at 3:00 a.m. and can't fall back to sleep until 4 or 5 a.m.), but sometimes I struggle with "I just don't feel like it" when I look at my cleaning task list. Or I procrastinate because the task will take too much time and I need to get to work. | Painting the wrought-iron rails on the front door steps. It is a multistep task (assembling products and supplies, sanding, priming, painting, and cleanup). I have to wait for the right weather and enough time to complete the project. I know it's going to be hot as I'll be in the direct sun. I know cleanup will be messy because I have to use an oil-based rust proof paint and primer. I find it easy to put off because the conditions/timing isn't perfect. | Most helpful are a paper checklist that I print out for the week and write down my cleaning zone tasks, reminders, errands. I use an index card system (adapted from Sidetracked Home Executive [S.H.E] system). The index cards are organized in tabs and list chores, cleaning zones (adapted from Fly Lady system), seasonal tasks, reminders, etc. Least helpful are digital apps. I much prefer pen and paper. I've also never been able to maintain a home management binder and keep it up to date. | yardwork. (my least favorite thing to do) | How to you make a new routine stick? For example, I might do an exercise routine consistently for about a month, but then things get busy, I skip a couple of times, and it becomes sporadic. I never seem to be able to get back into a consistent routine. Thanks! |
| Yvonne | Every day! I live with my husband and 2 teenage boys. I’ll come home from a 12 hour shift and have to spend a 1/2 hour tidying the house . By the time I’m done I’m now exhausted with no energy left to exercise which is what I really should be doing instead. | Energy levels, other people’s messes, lack of time . | I tend sometimes to exaggerate the complexity of a project. If I think it will be too complicated or take too long I’ll procrastinate instead of just starting. More often than not, when I do just start it ends up not being as bad as I initially thought . | I make a “ to-do” list and divide the tasks I need to accomplish between my days off. I try to limit the tasks to no more than 3 / day. If I finish I can either relax the rest of the day or try to take on another days’ task. | I never seem to have enough time for exercise. | I can’t relax if my house is a mess. So I clean and organize until I’m too tired to do anything else except watch tv. I would like to exercise at least 30 mins a day but never seem to get there . What tips can you offer that could help me balance my day better between work, cleaning the house and getting in that necessary exercise. |
| Kas | On a working day, I leave home at 7.10am return at 6pm. I intend to come home and declutter a hotspot but in between cooking and sorting out urgent household tasks like changing cat litter or cleaning up the kitchen I simply don't get round to the clutter hotspot before I need to jump back on the laptop to prepare for the next day at work. | As a teacher I do a lot of prep work at home. In the evening So I'm often very tired right at the end of the day when there is a window of time for me to move forward with a clutter clearing. I find I leave everything to the weekend or the holidays then quickly lose steam or miss social engagements in order to get things done. | Starting- decluttering the sideboard, top surfaces which get filled with odds and ends and the drawers which become a dumping ground. Also the long term term paper storage that needs emptying so I can put in the more recent paperwork! Along with with kids arts and crafts box that lives in there.... They barely use it but I don't want them not to have it if they want it. I should really move the stuff into their rooms but haven't.... It's been years! | Paper calendar displayed in the kitchen | Cleaning up the kitchen before I go to bed | How to make the evenings more productive. I probably have 45mins that I can use for housework, decluttering etc... why don't I do it! |
| Kim | Days devoted to a specific task such as organizing paperwork, where I don't even get out of bed that day! | Fatigue, severe (undiagnosed) ADHD, previous long hours at work up to 7 days per week. | Organize paperwork to do taxes, supposed to start in January, ended up in an 11th hour filing frenzy with taxes getting filed online a few minutes before the midnight deadline. | Planner, very helpful; Outlook calendar, very helpful; emails and texts to self with appointment reminders, very helpful. Planning activities weeks/months in advance are not helpful at all, due to inability to predict future energy levels/other commitments. | forcing myself to organize my paperwork. | Does she have any books she can recommend about productivity for ADHD sufferers? |
| Lela | Cleaning house, buying groceries, running errands, but more important to me is bible study & spending time with family and friends. | Sheer laziness! I could blame it on exhaustion, hormones, or health problems, but really it comes down to lack of priorities & laziness. | I need to crawl under the house & shim up the floor & check a few things, but I hate going under there. | Most helpful is writing urgent tasks on the fridge eraser board next to where I write our grocery list. Least helpful is reminding myself before bedtime that I need do do something the next day or week without writing it down on the fridge board or in my phone notes. | (I have time. I just need to utilize it better.) | |
| Anonymous user | Any day around young children! Their needs come first and constantly interrupt the flow of getting anything done. | Procrastination and chronic fatigue are most common reasons | Every thing every day is like climbing Mt Everest | Calendar and bullet journal are the most helpful | Grooming for me, spring cleaning, fun | |
| Susan Marie | Gathering all my tax-related documents, information, receipts together in preparation to handing final numbers over to my Tax Prep guy. I procrastinate starting this almost every year, and several times have had to file for an extension because of this. | Sometimes making priority lists helps, as well as post-it notes I stick on a closet door or kitchen cabinet door. I can rip these off, crumple and trash as I complete tasks. But nothing seems to work all the time for me. | Getting around to cleaning - dishes and kitchen counter, my bathroom off master bedroom, or vacuuming. | Is there a magic word or a wand I could wave to just "get it done?" Seriously, have you found that a particular method works best for most people? | ||
| Dawn | Hmm...Such a day would probably be "putting out fires" and not getting to my list of goals for the day. | Unplanned for interruptions. | The mass of paper projects is always a struggle to finish because there isn't an end to it. Filing, organizing scrapbooking things, writing some books... | All of my tools are physical paper (calendar, steno pads, etc.) vs. electronic. | Organizing one of the closets (I have two) in my office. A variety of projects. | Is there (if so, what is it?) a percentage of time to work on current things and another percentage of time to work on backlog? OR is it all "just" a matter of scheduling...making time for both? |
| Nancy | I emptied the dishwasher, made dinner, got a haircut, used a lint roller on a black jacket, placed orders online, put away new groceries, took a shower, sorted papers on my desk since Christmas, hung up coats and tidied the guest closet, will make dinner/dishes, did a load of laundry, brought clothes upstairs. All these are maintenance chores that get undone in the same day. | Dwindling motivation, low stamina, the futility of chores, interruptions, lack of focus. | The basement was the worst. It's much better. My desk is second after that. | I make a committment on Facebook every day and am accountable at night. My husband and I have a planning session every morning. I use a regular calendar to keep track of appointments, etc. The least helpful is when I "wish" I could accomplish things. | That's not realistic for me. I have plenty of time. I never seem to have enough stamina to get things done all at once. | I've heard many people talk about how to decide on which clothing items to keep and which to donate but I still struggle with it. Any tips on what's enough in the Midwest? And paperwork is the pits. How can I make it more manageable? |
| C | Morning routine, online 1 hr language meeting, start laundry, check emails, WhatsApp / Signal messages, reply where needed, continue on project for volunteer organization, see what's for lunch, hang laundry, check news, sort snail mail, pre prepare dinner, short nap, check messages, continue with volunteer work on line, cook dinner, some TV or YouTube, clean up, put things away, write messages where needed, maybe read, research, do online puzzles, night routine, sleep. No uncluttering done. Haven't been out of the house all day. | I love all the various volunteer jobs I have, they take time out of other things I wanted to take care of, but those things are so mundane. | Get all my paper and Internet information so organized that whatever comes in new will be easily and quickly filed away to be found again if and when needed | Most helpful is mobile calender w additional address infos followed by family paper calendar. Least is same due to distractions, intentional or coincidental. | Exercise. going out to museums, theater, walks in the woods nearby. | What kind of information should we, must we have ready at a moment's notice and how should we organize it. (I think I am never really prepared. I've seen my mother also struggling with that) |
| Ruth | Unexpected items appeared and took my time so I wasn’t able to do what I planned. | Procrastination Feeling time Distractions that are more fun Feeling overwhelmed | Garage | Making lists and numbering them | Finishing decluttering Getting rid of sentimental things | |
| Jane | This happens often, as I tend to overestimate what I can accomplish in a day. I've been working on lowering my expectations. Something is better than nothing is my current mantra. | Unrealistic expectations and competing priorities are my biggest challenges. | My garage is the biggest project that is constantly a work in process. | The Franklin Planner is a tool I've used for years. It's effective in helping me stay focused. This year, I'm putting appointments and trips on my online calendar too. This should reduce double booking. | I never seem to have enough time for the things I don't really want to do. These need to be scheduled for them to ever happen. | What are Karen's best tips to help people get started on the undesirable tasks of life? Once I get started, things usually get done. |
| Celina | Most days during the last semester where I worked on average 60hrs per week + plus some extra office work. So it's was just work work work. Dirty dishes waiting for a week, landry rotting in the washing machine because i fell asleep before I coudl hang it, etc etc. Ridiculous. But I'm doing it only just now to ear a few extra downpayments on my loan. | Being overworked, simply. | some art stuff and reading books. Once I've already got a little free time, I feel just tired and sleepy | i'm a visual & adhd, so off my eyes, off my heart. I used to do reminders on my phone, sticky notes, then a calendar. I've learnt that a regular paper/book calendar does NOT have to be used consistently throughout the year, it's just a tool that has to be helpful and not a means of guilttripping. So when I have some busy weeks with lots of dates I cannot miss (exams, etc.) I keep it. Then I put it aside until I have the next busier week or a couple 🙂 If there's something super important like e.g. a meeting or an appointment, I just put an alarm in my phone. Also, sticky notes work if I have several smaller tasks surrounding one event/day e.g. 'send email/wash hair/take powerbank/print tickets' when going on a trip + concert, etc. WHen I need to take something with me, I put it by the front door. Etc etc. | crafts and sleep | If I hate mess and stuff everywhere, or even open/no-lid boxes as they collect dust, but I also cannot remember most things or where they are unless on sight, then how can I help myself navigate between avoiding visual clutter and remembering to do some stuff? |
| Noreen | Sometimes when I have a large to do list and have ony accomplished the easy things, I do not feel a sense of accomplishment. I need to get the hard things done, to feel success. | I get involved in fun activities and am distracted from getting things done. | Kitchen renovation project started fine, but then holidays got in the way and I struggled to keep moving forward. Finally I used my project manager skills and identified next steps to get it almost completed The final step I still have to do is the backsplash and I am determined to make progress on this in January. | I use an excel spreadsheet to monitor tasks I need to do. | Crafting | |
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | Describe a day on which you were busy, but you still felt as if you didn’t accomplish what mattered most. | What challenges keep you from getting things done? | Describe a project on which you struggled to start—or to finish. | What tools for managing your activities (calendar, task manager, etc.) are the most or least helpful to you? | Please complete the following statement: “I never seem to have enough time for _____.” | What question would you like us to ask our guest, productivity consultant Karen Baker, during the live webcast? |
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