"Churning"

[mschrisgo2]

I've enjoyed that descriptor ever since UA used it the first time here... and I had to chuckle to myself today I did some "churning" of paper- I pulled out all the magazines, because they distract and derail me from dealing with the paper- and separated everything else into piles by content/topic. Then it was really easy to take one pile at a time, trash/shred most of it, and actually file what I wanted/needed to keep. Churning is useful!!

[Ultralight]

Churning is a term used not just by me, but by mental health pros who deal with hoarders.

If you had been churning you would not have shred or trashed. You'd have just kept it all.

And if you were a hoarder you'd probably have a tough time separating things into piles -- this is called "executive function" and requires high-insight. Hoarders lack insight and are at a real loss when it comes to executive function.

But...

Yeah! You tossed some stuff. Excellent. I fully support! :)

[Chicken lady]

Hey, hoarders churn things into piles! The piles just don't make sense to anyone else.

i figure if you churn the stuff long enough, the cream will turn into butter and float to the top... ;-)

[ApatheticNoMore]

I imagined churning was getting rid of still usable old things and buying brand new things, and having pretty much the exact same number of things as before. Well as much as I hate to admit, I've done it sometimes. But I suppose that's not either.

[Chicken lady]

Basically when you "churn" you just end up with the exact same stuff in a new pile or piles in a different order - you are moving each item from one random pile to another without making any decisions.

[Ultralight]

Basically when you "churn" you just end up with the exact same stuff in a new pile or piles in a different order - you are moving each item from one random pile to another without making any decisions.

Yup, and it sounds totally maddening.

[Chicken lady]

Yes, but you always think you're going to purge some of it like mschrisgo2 did (but not *this piece). I usually churn when I'm looking for something.

[Zoe Girl]

That would drive me nuts, I have to actually process things OUT. Sometimes when I am really tired I don't want to throw things out because I know I am not clear. But I have even been donating my leftover yarn from projects to my camp program,

[mschrisgo2]

I figure if you churn the stuff long enough, the cream will turn into butter and float to the top... ;-)

Oh my! See, I was thinking the same as CL, and it worked! I churned, and the things I needed to keep and file floated to the top, and the rest got trashed! LOL

[Chicken lady]

No, in chicken lady's case it goes like this - last night I needed my checkbook and it wasn't in my desk drawer, so I churned the box of "important papers I need to do something with and don't want to lose" until it floated to the top.

i wrote the last check, so now I need to go churn the stuff that is In the desk drawers until I know if I have any more checks.

the areas of my life that do not impact other people directly are last on the list. There is a reason my desk is in the basement.