this could take more than a back-hoe...

[the_siobhan]

I really really meant to go out last night. Instead, I ate something and immediately fell down. Sorry dagwast.

On the plus side, I actually slept more than three hours in a row. That kinda rawked.

Next on the Big Calendar of Doom: Housework.

So picture this: You have miles and miles of crap piled up in your house. Serious mess. Not food or anything gross, just paper, boxes, clothes - nothing where it should be. There's no place to sit, and you can never find anything.

It's driving you nuts - but you don't have the time when you are home to actually do anything about it.

Do you A) Pick up after yourself as normal during your day to day life, and try to clean up one or two small additional things while you are at it -- figuring that eventually that has got to result in the place getting cleaner over time.

Or do you B) Figure fuck it, the place is such a mess there isn't any point in worrying about it, and figure you will save it all up for one massive cleaning blow-out one day when you actually have the time.

I'm working on a theory here...

Comments

[redcountess]

Lately I've been doing A) and been a lot happier.

[50-ft-queenie.livejournal.com]

I tend to go with option A. Breaking things down into several small tasks is easier for me cause it seems less overwheleming.

Option B just depresses me, which makes me want to ignore the mess altogether.

[the_axel]

B) because unless things have reached semblance of order to begin with A) is never going to get anywhere especially when 2 people are trying to impose their own sense of order onto one space.

[50-ft-queenie.livejournal.com]

But maybe things wouldn't get to B if A was practiced regularly.

(How did housework turn into an algebra equation?)

As for 2 people's semblance of order, that's ya gotta collaborate.

"i'll do the computer room and living room if you do the kitchen and bathroom" is how it tends to work in our house.

[the_axel]

My point is that because we've never had the placed organised A can't work 'cos most things don't have a predetermined home.

So if Sio or I tidy up somewhat we'll most likely put something that the other one needs somewhere they can't find it and then the process of looking for it will put the place into as much of a messm if not more, than it is right now.

The only way to make real headway is for the two of us to blitz the house together & decide where we want to put stuff.

yabbut

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

That argument would be more convincing if it were solely things that had no "place" that were causing all the clutter.

Re: yabbut

[kest]

So B, once, and then A. With a place set aside during B phase for 'things that have no place.'

[lil-m-moses.livejournal.com]

A is good in theory, but I can never make it work for any length of time. If things are truly that bad, I'll not even endeavor for A after a point, knowing that at some point soon I'll just get sick of it, break, and have to just do B in a marathon session (plus I'm a lot more inclined to throw shit out then, which is always a good thing for a recovering packrat). The less time I spend on A is both more time for other stuff in the meantime and forces the sooner incidence of B.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

The problem is having the time to do a marathon session. I don't expect to see a weekend off for a good couple of months. (And this will take a whole weekend.)

If I have to wait that long, I'll just burn the place down and have done with it.

[the-other-j.livejournal.com]

or C) move.

I suffer from housework procrastination myself, big time, and I'm paying for it now, big time.

[Aside: I have found a lab coat that I once borrowed from you for a costume. Want it back?]

I do, however, put some effort into tidying up when I'm expecting guests. Living out in the west end as I have been, and therefore not having folks over very often, has facilitated all my bad habits for years. One of the good things about living close to friends again will be that, since folks will be able and likely to drop by at any time, I'll be more likely to keep the new place presentable.

That's the theory, at any rate.

Speaking of which, two more boxes and I'm done with the packing for tonight. Back to work (Hi ho, hi ho, hi ho).

[theonetrinity.livejournal.com]

option D) break out the moonshine?

[heresiarch.livejournal.com]

E) have a party! That always motivates me to clean. Our place goes to hell in between, but we usually manage to tidy up when we're having a bunch of people over.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Motivation isn't really the problem. It's driving me nuts.

[sola.livejournal.com]

option A only works for me in small areas. i keep the kitchen from imploding this way, and my desk, but the kitchen is only a little bigger than the desk.

i stronly prefer option B, if only because having to do the same task in a series over days or weeks drives me raving bugfuck. besides, i get a hell of a lot more satisfaction out of getting one big job done than eightthousand smaller ones. it takes longer to block out the time for, but is worth it to me in the long run.


the nice thing about being too busy to really clean is that once you finally do get things in order, one's too busy to make a mess.

[disastrid.livejournal.com]

i propose F) ignore everything and let get to a point where it's driving you fucking crazy, then go all 0bs3ss0r on its ass and spend a day scrubbing everything including the ceiling (this is my usual approach ... unless things are rotting or dirty i can live with clutter up to a point)

or G) invite me over and let me have at it because i'm weird and kindov dig that stuff. you still have my coveralls, i'll put em to good use. :)

[shnells.livejournal.com]

hahah :) yep i would say i prescribe to option F too :) and actually my room is currently in such a state.

[ex-unagothae16.livejournal.com]

B)FUCK IT!

This place will be clean the day I move out and not a minute sooner. The few times I've had it spotless drove me bonkers and I had it nicely cluttered within a day.

It's beyond nicely cluttered and I'm beyond caring now. I figure if I leave it alone long enough, moving day will be here and I can just throw everything out and start over.

But it is driving me NUTS. *sigh*

[melete.livejournal.com]

I go with B as well until I can get it down to a level where A is practical. I have this problem a lot, probably not to the event of what you are describing, while I have been in school and working full time. I would end up taking one day over my weekend about ever month and going crazy 'cause I couldn't stand it any further.

[artifx.livejournal.com]

a) is a good theory but i've never been able to make it work for me. i tend to stick with b) massive cleaning blowout when i can't stand it anymore/finally have the time.

more about my psychology than you probably need

[kest]

Personally, I prescribe to what I call number theory. It aids me in many areas of my life in which I would otherwise procrastinate, actually. Because it's the getting started that's the problem. You might *think* A is a good idea, but saying fuck it is far more likely when it comes down to it. And when are you realistically going to 'have the time' for a big blow out, either. So I set myself a number for things. My room is ten objects a day, either right after I wake up, or right before I go to bed. House chores are one a week (works out about right with the roommates right now.) Writing is two lines, once a week. The trick is to keep the numbers tiny, so I don't have any excuse to weasel out. And then once I get started, usually I keep going. But if I don't, I don't have to feel guilty, because I did *something*.

Re: more about my psychology than you probably need

[50-ft-queenie.livejournal.com]

Wow. That makes a hell of a lot of sense to me.

Re: more about my psychology than you probably need

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

That's kind of neat. Somebody on my friends list divides work on his house into "units" and keeps track of how many units he can do in a week.

You might *think* A is a good idea, but saying fuck it is far more likely when it comes down to it.

That's not really a problem for me. "Fuck it" is a sentiment I generally reserve for things I can't do anything about.

Re: more about my psychology than you probably need

[lilactime.livejournal.com]

A lot of people I know swear by FlyLady: http://www.flylady.net/

Personally, I find her a bit annoying and preachy (not to mention cutsey and hokey), and my own systems are far more efficient, but there might be some tips there you can use. It requires making the time every day to do 15 minutes of decluttering, but if you're facing a mountain, that just might be the trick.

Re: more about my psychology than you probably need

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

!!

You weren't kidding about the cutsey and hokey. I didn't make it past the first page.

[hobbitbabe.livejournal.com]

B or F or whatever. I just let it get worse and worse until I have to climb over shit every day to get to my desk to use the little corner of it with the computer on. And then I tell myself that I'm going to do all of it at once. [x] And then I do.

The X marks where I am right now.