You've been a very naughty boy...

What is more stressful? Is it:

(a) Giving an impromptu speech about something you know little to nothing about in front of a crowd of 10,000 people.
(b) Realizing it is not a nightmare - you actually have shown up to work or school naked.
(c) Tidying up a room that bears a shocking resemblance to an Old Navy store after a one-day-only 99 cent flip-flop sale.

As with all multiple choice tests, the correct answer is always "c."

People hate messes.

The only exception to this rule would be one Ms. Mary Poppins with her whole "In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and - SNAP - the job's a game!" mantra. She might as well be saying, "Could I interest you in some direct marketing?" I mean, come on, who is she kidding? Even a spoon full of sugar can't make that medicine go down!

Straightening out a space that looks more like the aftermath of what the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale would define as a Category 5 Hurricane, or its equivalent, a preteen slumber party, can feel overwhelming, and even a bit like a punishment.

Very well then.

You've been a very naughty boy - not putting your toys away after you were done playing with them - now go sit in the corner and think about what you have done.

But hey, you are a rebel, right? So, while you are in the corner, you might as well get all Billy Idol and stick-it-to-the-man by putting that stuff away.

Here's how you do it.

Pick a corner. Any corner. Pick something up. Put it away. Repeat.

Don't be distracted by the beautiful celebrities, I mean, the other junk in the other corners of the room. Stay on target. Love the corner. The corner is your friend.

If you need to put something from that corner away in a different room, you may do so, but come right back to the corner. If you have to, go ahead and take something else with you that belongs in the "corner room" so that you can find your way back to the corner should you get lost along the way.

When you are done with that corner, move onto another corner, and before you know it that room will be looking supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!