I grew up in chaos and thought everyone lived that way--everyone who had six children and two parents in the house. Well, I married a man who his mother said was "born organized" and by his example I finally learned that there was another way to live. He takes care of everything as he uses it, has eveything in its place and has a place for everything. I finally decided that was a much better way to live. I got myself and the household decluttered and organized. It took quite some time but it's much better (for me, anyway) to live in almost stress-free life. I don't have to continually look for things or, as I used to do, go out and buy a duplicate while knowing I had it "someplace." I use two rules for myself--never leave a room looking worse when I leave it than when I entered it and if something takes 30 seconds or less, do it now, not later.