I don't know how it works outside US&Canada, but for us Google "Unclaimed Property" + your state/province and check for your names. If you've ever moved across borders check the other place(s) too.

This month I finally started emptying my late husband's storage unit. And because of some posts here I decided to do at least a quick sort before filling the basement shelves. Figured I'd at least discard some of it, right?

Well, I found a check for $800 that my husband never deposited from Unclaimed Property-- I did that paperwork for him in 1999! I went to my state's website and there are 28 MORE ITEMS. I've started the claim for everything that had my name on it too, and left a message for the probate lawyer about the rest.

I've already decided the $ will be put towards professional organizer help. And hopefully others of you will recover some too.

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this weekend as major progress was made in what used to be my favorite room of the house before I f’ed it up. And there’s a couple pieces of wisdom I would like to share. One I lifted from a podcast I listened to when I was first starting this change. And the other is from my own mind but I get to call it “wisdom” on account of old.

First, on this podcast they referenced a blog or book or another podcast, that part is hazy. But the gist of it was that this gal was complaining to her psych that she couldn’t get started on her kitchen because the dishes were so filthy and disgusting that it would take all day, require major scrubbing etc. And she felt so out of energy due to depression she couldn’t even start. So the doc asked her if she had a dishwasher and she said yes but the dishes were so dirty that she needed to scrub them first. And the doc said “Just run it twice”. And that was a turning point for her. She could run the dishwasher ever how many cycles was needed to get the dishes clean with no extra effort beyond scraping into the garbage first. And she extrapolated from there that she could sit on the floor of the shower if she was just too tired to stand. And she could fold laundry sitting on the couch etc. In other words, we can all make accommodations for ourselves so that we get something done, even if it’s not much. There’s no rules that say we have to exert ourselves beyond our limits, just try. Even if it means breaking unspoken rules. Like me, I cook dinner often sitting on a rolling stool and pull myself around the kitchen because my back and knees hurt so badly.

The thing that came to my mind is related to the old original Star Trek. For the younger folks who may not have seen it, there was an engineer named Scotty who apparently was the only one who knew how to run or repair the ship’s engine. And he would always tell the captain that repairs would take at least a week. Then a few hours later he would come back saying oh I figured out how to rig it so it will run for now, saving the day and looking like a hero. So I keep saying this project should take 1-2 hours so I plan all this stuff. My body simply won’t go like I want it to so 4 hours later I have 1/3 of what I planned completed. And while I feel so happy that 1/3 is done, I feel like a failure because all my energy is gone and I didn’t do what I set out to do. So I’m going to start being more like Scotty. I’m going to multiply all my time estimates by at least 4. That way no matter what I come out looking like a miracle worker and not a loser.

So that’s it. Clean up as lazily as you want to and don’t be shy about it. Take shortcuts and sit on your butt whenever you can, as long as some effort is made. And wildly underestimate yourself so that when you succeed you feel like a super hero. Hope this helps.

as a veteran in the fucked up habitat hobby, i can’t explain how much vacuuming does to motivate me. if you have even a square foot of open space on the floor, vaccum it. every time i do it, i am genuinely left flabbergasted by the difference it makes in both how my area looks (even with otherwise nastiness), my mental clarity, and my motivation to clean. this is especially true if you have carpet.

good luck loves ❤️❤️

This is a post to hold myself accountable. I'm pretty embarrassed but here's the current state of my kitchen. Fingers crossed I stay disciplined and get it in f'ed!

*Audible, not Kindle... It could may or may not be getting removed from Kondle, but it IS being renoved from Audible...

Just started listening to it right now, less than 2 days left to listen to the book.

I just hired pros to help. Now I'm looking at the invoice and it has a tip section. I'm already paying a lot--much more than I earn an hour myself. I can't resent it because I needed that help -- but do I have to tip on top? How much?

They aren't the business owner, if that makes a difference.

I'm the scared guy poster and I thought I'd update everybody. we got our internet back and we're all settled in now. Does that mean the end of the update stuff? No, absolutely not.We're just taking a few days break.Because we're physically exhausted and then after that, we'll be moving on to other rooms and other locations. Within the house

Tips, tricks, advice - how do you get yourself going on tasks?

I had my wisdom teeth out on Tuesday. My son was sick last weekend and my daughter has been sick all week this week, now my husband is sick. I've struggled with keeping house since getting diagnosed with RA, I just don't have the energy I used to. But right now my house is a complete mess and I hate it! Toys everywhere, clothes everywhere, even my room is covered in medicine bottles and tissues. My house is small and there's some stuff that genuinely does not have a home yet. I just wanted to my house tidy so I can enjoy it for the holidays but I feel so overwhelmed with everything and my jaw still hurts from getting my teeth out. I'm not good at speaking kindly to myself and could really use some words of encouragement from others. I'm really struggling today.

Just curious, my habitat is always unmanageable and makes me depressed but my ADHD just goes NAH...Not today! 🙄 drives me mad!! (Have various other mental health issues too which don't help either.)

I'm very impressed by the massive effort I've seen on this page, you've all done amazing and are an inspiration to UFMH!! 💛

Hello kind people. Im not sure if this is the best place to ask but I know there are some smart folks here. I’m looking for some ideas for organising my apartment. I have piles of books that I need to find homes for and not enough shelf space.

I have a bunch of tall shelves that if I had some kind of vertical shelf divider I could fit two rows of books on each shelf by stacking them. But I’m not sure what to even search for to find something like this. I’ve had a look in all the usual places and all of the things that come up are dividing the shelf the wrong way.

Image attached so you can see what I mean - not the best example as these books are on the taller side, but you get the idea.

If you have other ideas I’d be happy to hear them!

Someone recommended Dana K. White to me in this sub and I really liked the concept, but as someone who grew up in a somewhat similar flavour of Christianity and struggled a lot with the religion it was a bit too much about god for my taste, so I quit after around five episodes. My life is also really far away from being a stay-at-home mom in a big house (I'm a 31 yo single in a tiny studio apartment), but I think this part is not as important, because there is always stuff I can adapt to my own situation and I just need some motivation, so feel free to recommend me anything you liked :)

I don't know who needs to read this. But, if it's you, I see you.

Next time you are trying to talk yourself into doing a care task, what would it be like to replace the voice that says, “Ugh, I should really go clean my house right now because it’s a disaster,” with “It would be such a kindness to future me if I were to get up right now and do _______. That task will allow me to experience comfort, convenience, and pleasure later.” It isn’t a hack, really. It’s not a formula guaranteed to make you get up. Sometimes you may not get up even with the change in self-talk. But you know what? You weren’t getting up when you were being mean to yourself either, so at least you can be nice to yourself. No one ever shamed themselves into better mental health. - quote from "How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing" by KC Davis