Thanks, Dave. Making the videos helps me process my own thinking, and I hope they might eventually help others, too.

It's amazing how just the kitchen sink can impact motivation. I feel it actually becoming a habit in me now.

Still have the rest of my house to work on, but one step at a time. Hoping the good habits will spread from my kitchen sink to a bigger & bigger radius ^_^

Nice video, great life coaching.

good for you with the sink. Keeping the sink cleared out and some open counter space sure makes it easier to do simple food prep too. I don't always get the sink clear at night because I get tired of seeing the same dishes or containers coming by for the 3rd or 4th time in a day, but most days I get things mostly cleared out sometime during the day. I think the habit of regularly seeing some clean spots helps with ongoing motivation too.

Hi, leavingthewreckageofthishouse.

I know how hard it can be to try to deal with overwhelming clutter. Just wanted to applaud you for taking action AND for inviting a friend over.

There is so much shame that goes along with compulsive hoarding, and having the courage to share your secret with a friend is a HUGE step.

Over the past 3 years I've shared my secret with about 2 dozen trusted friends. Some are able to handle it better than others, and that's OK.

Not having to fabricate excuses to avoid having these friends come in to my house has been a relief.

I've got a lot of clutter to take on myself, but I've found that cleaning out my kitchen sink nightly helps me get each day started with a more hopeful outlook.

Here's a video I made about it... hoping it might help you in some small way. https://youtu.be/vq5qUybicWY

I don't know you personally, but I am proud of you ^_^

Hi, I'm in kind of a similar situation, though my brother and I still live at home with our parents. Our house has been like this almost as long as i can remember, though when I really young we could still have guests over and use every room. Now is the worst it's ever been, and to be honest it's really all of our faults, but sometimes it feels like I'm the only one with the energy and motivation to stand up and do something about it. I know my mom wants to as well, but she works far too hard to have the energy to do much. And my dad's way of dealing with the problem is buying boxes to 'organize' the clutter, most of which really just needs to be thrown out. I've been wanting to do something about this for years now, but have always lacked motivation, until recently. My best friend asked if he could come over during Christmas break to watch movies, something anyone else would be able to say yes to. So, I decided to say yes; I've been working on cleaning it up since then. I'm slightly terrified that I won't get enough cleaned up and I'll have to cancel or something, but I'm gonna do my best. I also realize that I can't clean everything by then, so I will have to tell him about the situation, and that makes me nervous because I'm afraid of his reaction. I mean, I don't think he'd be the type of person to judge us, but you never know... Anyway, I hope your parents can recognize that you're trying to help them and can start reforming their behavior for the better! :) good luck!

Hi, I'm in kind of a similar situation, though my brother and I still live at home with our parents. Our house has been like this almost as long as i can remember, though when I really young we could still have guests over and use every room. Now is the worst it's ever been, and to be honest it's really all of our faults, but sometimes it feels like I'm the only one with the energy and motivation to stand up and do something about it. I know my mom wants to as well, but she works far too hard to have the energy to do much. And my dad's way of dealing with the problem is buying boxes to 'organize' the clutter, most of which really just needs to be thrown out. I've been wanting to do something about this for years now, but have always lacked motivation, until recently. My best friend asked if he could come over during Christmas break to watch movies, something anyone else would be able to say yes to. So, I decided to say yes; I've been working on cleaning it up since then. I'm slightly terrified that I won't get enough cleaned up and I'll have to cancel or something, but I'm gonna do my best. I also realize that I can't clean everything by then, so I will have to tell him about the situation, and that makes me nervous because I'm afraid of his reaction. I mean, I don't think he'd be the type of person to judge us, but you never know... Anyway, I hope your parents can recognize that you're trying to help them and can start reforming their behavior for the better! :) good luck!

Ever since I was little there has always been things piled up. When your parents have never slept in their master bedroom...you know there's a problem. It's gotten worse over the years. My sister and I have moved out and the once semi-empty spaces have been filled in with junk. Every room of our parent's 2600 square foot home is full. Where do I start? My sister and I have addressed the issue with our parents and they understand it's a problem. They don't keep trash, they collect junk. It's mostly clothes, shoes, kitchen ware, electronics, and anything else you can find at your local thrift store; which is where they buy most of it. We've told them to lay off on purchasing so much stuff THEY DON'T NEED. Most of the time when I call them, they are shopping. It's not only a waste of money; they have no place to put it. I am engaged and have been with my fiancé for 4 years. My sister has been with her boyfriend for 3 years. Neither of them has been over to our parent's house. Not for birthdays, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. We exchanged presents in the car one year. I have since informed my fiancé on the severity of situation. It's time to take action before things get any worse. I'm afraid of something happening to them in the house and how someone would be able to help them or get to them in case of an emergency. I know they think it's embarrassing, but I love them no matter what and just want the best for them. And for our family to have a better close-knit relationship we've always wanted.