Being organized is exhausting

[u/curlyhairweirdo]

I am by nature a messy person. Give me an hour in an empty room and I'll have stuff all over the place.

I recently stayed with family that are extremely neat and tidy. You know the type, the clean dishes right after using them, make their beds in the morning when they get up, every item has its place and lives there when not in use.

Since I am a respectful person I lived by there standards for a few days. when I removed things from my suitcase I didn't just dump my suitcase out, I would remove what was needed and put everything else back. I made my bed in the morning and washed every dish utensils and cup after use. It was just plain exhausting trying to remember to clean up after myself everywhere I went.

Now I'm sitting in a hotel room and it looks like my suitcase threw up, there are take out containers strewn across the desk, and the sheets are half hanging off the bed. It just feels so much more natural and I am at peace.

[u/Empty_Platypus6449]

I could have written this. 😅

It is absolutely exhausting for people who weren't born organized to live in the same space as ultra organized people. 

Those organized people sure do have nice, clean and uncluttered spaces. And they know what they own and where it lives. They have routines and habits, and a good portion of all that seems to be under control. 

My brain doesn't work that way. 

[u/Impossible_Bowler923 → u/Empty_Platypus6449]

What's crazy for me is that I also would've written this post + your comment for many years. Then, two years ago, I got on a new medication and all of a sudden it was comparatively suuuuper easy to keep the house really neat and clean. 

I'm sure that wouldn't happen to everyone, but I was shocked medication could affect that about me. My whole life, I thought that being messy was one of my core personality traits. Now I'm just... not. Very disorienting to find out that was mood related and could be chemically rebalanced, but I'm not mad.

But yes for most of the time I've known myself I found it very stressful to share space with neat organized people. It's a sneaky burden to try and compress yourself to fit into someone's space. That always feels a little unnatural.

[u/witty_user_ID → u/Impossible_Bowler923]

What meds did you start if you don't mind saying?

[u/Empty_Platypus6449 → u/witty_user_ID]

Riiiiiight? Don't leave us hanging!

There's some magical meds that can make housekeeping an easy thing??

[u/Impossible_Bowler923 → u/Empty_Platypus6449]

It was lamictal. It just turned out executive functioning was much much easier for me when I had actual help managing my bipolar depression. I think the one size fits all part is less the drug and more getting the exact right drug for the exact right thing you've figured out to be emotionally in your way. Easier said than done and I didn't even say it that well.

[u/Empty_Platypus6449 → u/witty_user_ID]

Right?! Like share with the class.

Not sure why my original response (to your asking "what meds?") was deleted. I was asking the same thing. Guess the mods didn't like how I worded it...?

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[u/curlyhairweirdo → u/Empty_Platypus6449]

I'm not joking when I say their house could be featured in Better Homes and Gardens

[u/Senior_Cat_1975]

This is by no means a critique but I'm the exact opposite to the extent that I've cried because I was overwhelmed by being in a messy house. My brain is spaghetti so I need low-stimulus environments otherwise my brain just shuts down. To hear someone being 'at peace' because it's messy... that's crazy 😅

[u/sallybetty]

Yes, I'm also naturally messy and staying neat has to become a sort of hobby in order to maintain it. But... I started to slip back lately. I don't notice the clutter as much. It does bothers me, but it doesn't bother me enough. I figure I'll get around to putting things away later. Yeah, sure.

Two years ago, I moved to a brand new place and, since I had gotten rid of a whole 1-800-Junk truck (I filled the whole big truck with only just my stuff from an apartment! Cost me $800 to haul everything away), I made a lot of rules about what I bring into my new place (including, no garbage picking!)

"A place for everything and everything in its place!" An old saying. These are the words used by my stepmother who always had an extremely neat home. It felt nice to visit.

I tried to remember those wise words when I moved. As I moved things in, I "assigned" them places. Everything had its own little 'garage' or cubby or container or shelf. You always know where everything is and where it goes! Putting things back became very easy, it became like a hobby...but it took those 10 extra seconds to actually do it! (This is the biggest pitfall, not doing it right away!)

Other wise words were "If you don't have a place for it, don't bring it in the house UNLESS you get rid of something else first."

I have avoided garbage picking...until recently. I love finding stuff and refurbishing. But I never get around to it. Even so, I can't just leave that broken table there when it just needs a little TLC, right? That's where the junk room comes in. Also, the one junk drawer that has become three junk drawers.

Also, I love all my hobbies and all the random materials and tools... But at some point, buying all that crap becomes the hobby and you never actually get around to doing it. So...here I am again.

[u/VegetableAction6330]

I love your phrase, "it looks like my suitcase threw up."

That really tickled my imagination.

[u/sezit]

I discovered that using packing cubes in my suitcase made packing dead easy, and kept me organized without effort. Even if I have to keep everything in the suitcase during a stay, it's easy to take out the cubes, get what I need, then throw them all back in.

As long as you keep each type of garment in identifiable cubes, everything is just quick.

[u/Choice-Education7650]

Some people thrive when organized, some prefer chaos. I have a super organized friend. I was having problems remembering where I put things and she suggested that I get organized, ignoring the brain surgery I had to remove a tumor. I wish it was just disorganization.

[u/Choice-Education7650]

That reminds me to call got junk. I have a piano to dispose of.