FlyLady, I Need your Help!

Uuugggghhhh . . . the ugly P words are trying to creep back in. You know the ones. Say them with me. Procrastinate and Perfectionist.

I've been doing so well with my decluttering -- setting my timer and going to town. I've done a lot of the "easy" spots, and now the tough jobs are looming before me. Maybe if I write it down here, I'll feel obligated to start tackling them.

1. My kitchen pantry. YUCK! We don't have a lot of room for food storage, so all of our non-perishables are in there. And they multiply. It's to the point now that opening the door is hazardous to your toes. I have a lot of throwing away to do. That part I can handle. The part I dread is putting everything back in. There's just no good way to organize the pantry. The shelves are really deep, so you end up with boxes in front of boxes and having to move the front items to get to the back ones. Any suggestions for me?

2. My spice cabinet. Doesn't it seem silly to put off this one cabinet? I think I'm procrastinating because it's in an awkward spot. I'll have to stand on the countertop to get to the top two shelves, and there's not a lot of room to move around. I'm afraid of heights, so feeling like I'm going to fall won't be a pleasant part of the task. I know I have duplicate spices in there, so I'll have to do a lot of combining. Not a big deal. I just have to get started.

3. My OFFICE. UUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHH! What a mess, what a mess, what a mess! I had started decluttering a little more than a month ago, but I got sidetracked and haven't gone back to it. In here I have my computer, my inventory for my ebay store and my website, lots of paperwork for my business, my looming supplies, and some leftovers from my days as a Henn consultant. I need to start with some five-minute room rescue sessions, but even that seems overwhelming. Where to start? I think what I'll do is break the office into zones and just start in one of them. Baby steps. Fifteen minutes at a time.

As far as hot spots, we're doing really well keeping them cleared off (at least the ones in our visible living area). My kitchen counters are neat, my sink shines, the bathrooms are always company-ready, our bedroom looks better than it has in a long time, my floors are clean. The boys are getting the hang of it too. They put their dirty dishes in the dishwasher after meals and snacks (most of the time, anyway), and they've gotten much better about taking their shoes and other things upstairs instead of plopping them in the foyer.

I have to make myself face those areas that I'm avoiding. I know once I get started it won't be as bad as I'm making it out to be. Sometimes that first step is the toughest, isn't it?

Okay, so I've shared my secret and I've committed to doing something about it. Hold me to it. Don't let me find a way around doing what has to be done. I'll get started right away. Well, not tonight. Maybe tomorrow.