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Post by dayeanu on Mar 11, 2012 13:03:29 GMT -5
I've been thinking (yeah, uh-oh). If I got rid of all my stuff, pared it down to the basics - would it automatically be easier to keep my place clean and orderly?
Flylady says you can't organize clutter, you can only get rid of it.
I am beginning to wonder if that is true?
If I toss out all the extra stuff, is that really the answer?
Are there any people on this forum who consider themselves to have a reasonable amount of stuff, but are still drowning in disorder and unclean conditions?
For those of you at level 0 or 1, was getting rid of stuff the answer?
I, and others here, have wailed and moaned and been totally frustrated and exasperated because we just can't seem to "clean up and get the place in order."
There seems to be some big secret/method/technique that some of us just don't get, because we can never seem to get anywhere for long, with our best efforts.
Is the answer to the secret: "having less stuff?" If I discard enough stuff, will I be able to have the cleanliness and order I long for so desperately?
I am wondering - is it just simply a matter of getting rid of things? If we did, THEN would we be able to organize and keep it (relatively) clean?
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Post by angela on Mar 11, 2012 13:16:10 GMT -5
I think that excess stuff does contribute, for sure. But there will be some stuff and unless the habits are there to tend to the stuff in whatever quantity, then the mess and the squalor will be there anyway.
For me, because my habits are weak, it is very important that I don't have too much stuff that I have to apply the habit to. For example, I have a good habit now of putting clothes in their proper places at night. When I had too many, it didn't happen because my habit could only handle a very easy, no-decision path. This thing goes here, this thing goes here. Any decision-making and it was all over.
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Post by puppybox on Mar 11, 2012 13:18:43 GMT -5
Yes,
I speak from my personal experience, if you have less stuff it is infinitely easier to organise and clean it and it takes a tenth of the time. And it CAN't get as messy and dirty as if you have a lot of stuff. if all your dishes are dirty and piled in the kitchen, and you only have 4 plates and 4 bowls and 4 spoons etc, they don't take up counter space. they fit in the sink. so less of your kitchen is messed up.
That said, there is no need to have a minimalist modern style. you can have stuff. but more stuff is more work.
having less stuff is not the whole answer, you do still have to arrange and organise what you have so that the things you have don't end up in piles or on the floor, and you have to figure out a cleanign routine. if you don't have a routine, you will always have mess. routine is insanely hard for me.
editing to say i jsut saw angela's post, we were posting at same time, and that I so agree, that for ME, becuase i am so bad at cleaning and organising, it is more important to have less stuff. Actually after a few years of less stuff I started allowing myself a little more. it's an added degree of difficulty. and I didn't get to level 0 even with the less stuff becuase y routines aren't ggood. but now that they are better I can have more stuff and the same level of organisation/disorganisation and cleanliness/dirt.
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Post by moggyfan on Mar 11, 2012 13:22:26 GMT -5
Yes x 1000, because one yes is not enough here.
Once I got rid of (not packed away, not rearranged, not organized, but got rid of) about half (or more) of my stuff, a miracle happened. It was SO EASY to put things away and find them again, and so easy to keep order because there wasn't much stuff around. For me, it WAS the solution.
It's been nearly seven years, and I don't miss a single thing I disposed of.
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Post by casper on Mar 11, 2012 13:34:25 GMT -5
For me the answer is yes.
With less stuff cleaning the house is easier and faster. Only 4 hours total work even after 2 weeks of being in bed sick to get it all together again.
I also have a method as to how to clean, like what to use and where to start and just keep moving through scheduled areas until I am finished.
This allows me to lose myself in the music I am playing and not having to actually think about the fact that I am doing chores that I find very unpleasant.
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Post by crazycatlady on Mar 11, 2012 13:44:51 GMT -5
Less stuff means it is so much easier to keep things clean and orderly. Part of it for me is having the space to put stuff away. My linen closet is currently a jumble. 10 years ago it was a mess, with stuff shoved in. I thought that I needed more storage. But once I got rid of excess towels and sheets, then got rid of other stuff in that closet, it became simple to keep neat, and stayed neat for years. Towels stacked in the two towel piles, pillow cases in a bin for pillow cases, etc. Let me tell you that initially it was difficult to get rid of "perfectly good" pillow cases, with fun patterns and memories attached to them. But for so long it was easy to keep it neat. Now we have accumulated excess sheets, have a shelf of pull-ups and wipes, and have added some other excess clutter. It is messy, and I just shove sheets in (when I put them away). So much simpler when the stuff fits the storage, with some room to spare. Repeat this truth with bowls, silverware, games, blankets, jeans, stuffed animals, outgrown baby clothes, etc etc and the whole house becomes more serene and easier to clean once it is decluttered. For some people it may be easier to choose items to let go, and get rid of them. For dd16 it is easier to choose the precious items that she will keep, and let the rest go. Sometimes it is easier for me to choose the "keepers", too. Sounds like a small difference, but sometimes it is a big difference!  |
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Post by bluefrog on Mar 11, 2012 13:51:25 GMT -5
I think our great-grandparents' generation were right when they insisted on "a place for everything, and everything in its place." When I have more stuff than I have places to put it, things get messy, and I have to figure out what I have too much of, and how to cut back. Of course, it's not foolproof---even the most minimalist house will collect dirt if nobody ever dusts, scrubs the kitchen floor, cleans the toilet, or vacuums the rugs.
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Post by Arid on Mar 11, 2012 14:48:46 GMT -5
It certainly applies to grocery shopping!!
When I hoard less food, and I actually have some space on the shelves/in the fridge/in the freezer, putting away the groceries is a breeze!
When everything is jammed, crammed full, I find myself slipping back into the old "shop and drop" mode where bags of non-perishables end up sitting on the floor for days on end.
It makes sense that this would apply to the rest of the house, too . . .
Arid
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Post by howardsgirlfriend on Mar 11, 2012 14:52:45 GMT -5
Less stuff does not automatically lead to the cleanliness and order you seek, but having way too much stuff guarantees you won't be able to have it. Getting rid of the excess gives you the potential.
It's so much easier to keep your place clean when tidying up doesn't feel like working one of those sliding-number puzzles.
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Post by messymimi on Mar 11, 2012 16:41:02 GMT -5
Too much stuff = impossible to clean and organize.
Also, bad habits/no routines to take care of stuff = impossible to keep clean and organized once you get it there.
At least in my experience.
messymimi
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Post by einsteinsdesk on Mar 11, 2012 16:57:25 GMT -5
Not just less stuff, but the right amount of the appropriate stuff. THe stuff you have should work for you and your lifestyle. Quantity and quality count.
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Post by PaperGrace on Mar 11, 2012 17:24:21 GMT -5
Not having a place for everything is the big ticket issue that causes my squalor. I have good cleaning skills, but WAY too much stuff. I used to believe that if I had more time I'd be able to take care of it all, but that just isn't it. Clearly howardsgirlfriend has been peeking in my windows: It's so much easier to keep your place clean when tidying up doesn't feel like working one of those sliding-number puzzles.  |
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Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2012 17:28:52 GMT -5
YES, YES, YES....too much stuff = squalor. This is a definitive, unequivocal YES.
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Post by Rory on Mar 11, 2012 17:42:37 GMT -5
For me less stuff makes it much easier to keep things clean and tidy.
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Post by dayeanu on Mar 11, 2012 17:50:56 GMT -5
Thank you, everyone, for your responses. They are really meaningful to me.
I'm just thinking that while I have no routines to speak of, how much easier it would be to vacuum, for example, if I didn't have to move stuff around like that famous sliding number puzzle. Actully right now, I have too much stuff to even move to vacuum.
Who knows - if I didn't have all the stuff, I might actually be able to have cleaning routines!
I've just been thinking and thinking about this. I've been fighting this "bear" for years. What if the answer is just simply to get rid of (most of) it.
I'm really thinking this has got to be a key issue. And much simpler than trying to organize it all.
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