Why are we messy? How to be tidy?

[Wayward]

Hi guys,

I've finally got a day off work after 7 days in a row of working, and I really need to tidy my room. AGAIN. The mess is horrible and makes everything much harder for me, but I'm trying to figure out why it is that I'm so messy.

Can anyone shed any light on this? I wonder if understanding the reason would help with fixing it.

Also, if you have any tips for staying tidy at home or at work, that'd be great!

[desertboy]

I also have a problem of untidiness. It has caused friction between my senior relatives and me, even as an adult. I do try to 'keep a lid on it' as far as I can.

I have been trying to work out why other dyspraxics and I have this problem and suspect that dyspraxia is probably the reason. However, as I'm no psychologist, please take what I say with a pinch of salt. Anyway, I think our untidiness might be caused by the following:

1. Our poor short-term memory, slow processing speed and difficulties in movement slow us down, so we can't do things as quickly as 'normal' people can.

2. Because working life is more difficult for us in most ways than it is for 'normal' people, we are generally very tired at the end of the day. Consequently, we may just not have the energy left to tidy our rooms especially since it is not usually an urgent task.

3. We often lack confidence in ourselves, so we are reluctant to commit ourselves to throwing things away.

4. Our poor short-term memory means that we struggle to remember what the correct place for things is.



With respect to steps on how to tidy our flats, I find that breaking tasks down into bite-size chunks and giving myself a cleaning timetable is moderately successful. For example, I give myself the aim of getting the bathroom spick and span on Sunday night, the bedroom tidy on Tuesday night and the kitchen on Thursday night. I have to admit that my place is never immaculate, but I find that the system I have at least keeps it from going into total disarray.

I hope this sheds some light on the matter.

[screengreen]

yes I struggle to be tidy, yet I do know someone who is dyspraxic and obssessively tidy, although I suspect that this is obssessional having a place for everything and everything in its place, my suggestions are poor visual perception, poor sequencing and poor short term memory all contribute to the problem but I do find that having a place for everything helps.... I quite like labelled boxes inside cupboards and draws is a real help and has the benefit of helping you to know where to find said item when you want it...... although I still spend a lot of my life looking for things!

[Wayward]

Thanks guys!

[Slinky Siren]

Its a mystery to me how to be tidy. I have spent the weekend tidying up. Its like one step forward and 99 back for me. I start cleaning one thing and drop something, walk into something, smash something or spill something, so for everyone one thing I need to clean I end up doubling or tripling my efforts. I spent Saturday and Sunday trying to tidy up and by 4pm Sunday had given up. It was too exhausting for me and not to say frustrating. I also have the bruises to prove it! Why is housework so frustrating. People tell me bite size bits are better - I'm sure they are but they will still take me twice or even three times as long as a "normal" person. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[desertboy]

@slinky siren

"takes me three times longer than a 'normal' person."

That sounds like me at everything. Not just house cleaning.

[Slinky Siren]

Yeah, this week has been exceptionally bad. Doe's my head in!

[Gina Trent]

I am so untidy and unorganised. I live with my bf, and we have such a tiny house with no storage space and a lot of stuff (most of it is his, haha) I don't know where to start when tidying our bedroom(mainly) because I dont know where to put it and I am rubbish at trying to tidy stuff away neatly. It will be tidy for about a week then suddnly I've got a pile of stuff at the bottom of the bed and things just accumulate. I just end up procrastinating, and if anything can get shoved in a draw or cupboard then that's where it will go lol. I have a poor short term memory, so I get frustrated when I cant remember where I have put something, so that makes me untidy even more. I am terrible for remembering passwords, I am forever resetting them.

[Tim G]

I really try my best to keep my room as tidy as possible yes at times it just not possible but it all come from the fact that if its a bit untidy then I will start to loose things (more so then ushal). Then things get more messed up and its a disaster - i have learnt from many failures that prevention is better then a cure so to speak.

I just try to keep it tidy and not let it get bad when I can help it

I do know and understand that this is a lot easier said then done and I aplogise if i sound patronizing

[Mopps]

I have been trying for years to keep my bedroom tidy my built in warddropes too as well ias my craft cupboard In the hall way too.hall way. When I manage to get them really tidy You will be the first one to know i think it is just a Dyspraxic thing. I have read about what is called Space. Awaernessa. And not being able to to get things in order. When I find out how to keep a really tidy room I shall get back to You ok

MOPS

[Shadwell]

my tidiness thing goes straight out of the window!! I get the place spotless, and found I lost something I need, then got to turn the place upside down to find it again!! co I know why I am messy!! lol

but at the same time it is a semi organised mess!!

[Tim G]

my tidiness thing goes straight out of the window!! I get the place spotless, and found I lost something I need, then got to turn the place upside down to find it again!! co I know why I am messy!! lol

but at the same time it is a semi organised mess!!

I know too well about having to turn the whole place upside down in attempt to try and find something - it can be a daily thing at times
I do try to tidy up after the who mess making / panic thing

[Tom fod]

This is oh so familiar.

I like things to be well ordered but then I can't find something and suddenly everything is upside down and reorganisation needs to be restarted all over again!

[farwa123]

it took me two years to work where and how i should put things in my room so cleaning my room now is kind of fun for me and i hate it when someone else tries to clean it because then i have no idea where my things go.

[moleyface1991]

Hi,
Oh this sounds just like me!!!. I often go through stages of wanting to clean my room but it can be so difficult to get motivated to do it. My brother is obsessive about cleaning, he has spotless room, but although mine is a bit untidy if I have a system/ place to put my stuff it is a little easier.
I dont know about anyone else but I do have a tendency to leave things open, if I get something from the kitchen drawer for some reason I get something out but I never close it. It may of been some sort of short memory lapse.

Chris