The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

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OCD

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I have often wondered if the current obsession with minimalism and decluttering isn't just the opposite of hoarding - a compulsive activity at least for some of us. I recall being similarly obsessed with order as a child.
I would spend hours arranging books in alpha order or cleaning out my mother's desk and putting everything in its place. For me, it probably was an attempt to make sense out of a chaotic childhood but hers didn't really sound that way. However, I will still treat my socks cruelly and roll them into balls rather than fold so I guess there is hope.

Yep, I basically followed the KonMari method as a kid: I'd remove every last thing from my 10*12 room, scrub it from top to bottom, rearrange the furniture and then put it all back spic n span. Maybe my impatience is masking nostalgia for a time when "putting my house in order" and getting a sense of organized control over my life was really that easy.

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I have often wondered if the current obsession with minimalism and decluttering isn't just the opposite of hoarding - a compulsive activity at least for some of us. I recall being similarly obsessed with order as a child.

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certainly it's a marketing promise "life changing", just like the stainless steel kitchen with granite countertops is supposed to, just like the house remodel, just like the new car ... back to reality: no, that's absurd, such things don't change anyone's life. But ... but .... if you are a hoarder would it change your life? Um if we are to believe hoarders have underlying issues behind their hoarding and it doesn't address that, then I'm not so sure. I'm not at all OCD on cleaning (ha! :)). I can find my brain occasionally slip into true OCD though (not a severe case) but did I lock the door let me check for the 3rd time, is the stove off, let me check again. What triggers OCD lately? Trying to relax. Oh heavens not that! Remain vigilant! Is the stove off?

Lol. I don't know. I'll check it in passing as I go out to be sure the automatic irrigation system is actually working. I remember a gruesome story of a kid who won a pet rabbit and then just forgot he had it. That's my recurring OCD nightmare, that something tragically important might just slip my mind as I'm so busy remembering ALL the details of EVERYTHING. (ETA, I realize OCD is a specific diagnosis of a psychiatric condition, more a repetition compulsion than I'm using the term here, it's just a lazy shorthand for "obsessive".)

Marie Kondo has a lot to say about the amazing peace of mind and happiness that comes from achieving perfect organization, that once you taste it, you'll never stop wanting it and having it. I feel very conflicted as that sounds like both serious mental illness and naivety ... and heaven. :|(

I had been thinking lately that what I needed is another freestanding shelf to keep stuff on, to ReOrg my house garage, which I have been using as a winter workshop for small projects. I thought I might check the local flea markets, but Friday, when I was out and around in my $200 pickup and stopped at the India Gas Station(gas, beverages, cigs, india groceries), I swung around back to check their dumpster, and right beside it was a display case, used for cigarettes. Well, I went inside to contact the owner & he said "take it!" So, I loaded it, and took it home. It's not super heavy-duty, so you wouldn't want really heavy stuff on it, but it's perfect for my purposes. It fits in the spot I had in mind. I had to spend several hours reassembling it and reworking it, but it's good. My labor is not worth much, or so I'm told. Now, I've got a nice shelf with a low cash investment, plus scrap materials and my work to make it useable. Total shelf space on it is 20 square feet. See, I do not "declutter" by putting everything in a yard sale/dumpster. My stuff is tooo good for that. Instead, I ReOrg. How do you like that? Next: the boyz in da hood.

Yeah, I love trash picking. Marie Kondo would probably say if it sparks joy, then that's great and good for me/you to have found something we're so happy about. Which is why I'm still listening, she's not entirely insane.

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Originally Posted by pinkytoe

I have often wondered if the current obsession with minimalism and decluttering isn't just the opposite of hoarding - a compulsive activity at least for some of us. I recall being similarly obsessed with order as a child.
I would spend hours arranging books in alpha order or cleaning out my mother's desk and putting everything in its place. For me, it probably was an attempt to make sense out of a chaotic childhood but hers didn't really sound that way. However, I will still treat my socks cruelly and roll them into balls rather than fold so I guess there is hope.

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One of these days, I will write an essay presenting case histories about "People Who Mow Too Much".

I haven't read the book but I have been more successful with her idea of looking at your things by category. For example today I cleaned out my hall linen closet, and ended up with a big bag of linens which I promptly donated to Goodwill. I would not have guessed I had that much extra that I didn't need or want, but seeing everything in a pile on the bed made it pretty clear, plus the decision making went pretty fast.

So, maybe the books and magazines will be next..

I don't think I have a lot of clothes, especially compared to the more average woman. But when I make my seasonal clothing switch, I will put everything on the bed. Probably will be shocked. Right now I really do like most of my clothes and do wear almost all of them.

Recently I visited a friend and she showed me the inside of her closet. It made me feel like a minimalist. A lot of her things were "just in case", "couldn't pass it up but have nowhere to wear it", "when I lose some weight", etc. At least I use my things; hers was totally stuffed with things she probably never wears.

The main problem now will be my pants/shorts will be too loose. I lost 10 lbs. and finding size 2s and 0s is difficult. My weight will most likely increase at some point so I'll be keeping the loose bottoms. Now I wish I kept the too-small things I got rid of a few years ago!

Yeah. I've realized that the whole 'get rid of anything you haven't worn in six months' motto isn't really designed for those of us who don't care about style that much and keep changing shape. I've honed down the clothes a lot, but I still have a range of four sizes, with those too big or too small boxed up. If they were my favorite shorts the last time I gained 10 pounds they're probably still my favorites, and by this age my high and low weight is pretty well defined. So spark joy, yes, using at the moment, not necessarily.