Are You a "Messie" Like Me?

[Barbara L]

First off, you do not have to answer that! "Messie" is a term created by author Sandra Felton for people like me who have a very cluttered house. I found a great book (by, of course, Sandra Felton) for people like me. It is called Organizing for Life: Declutter your mind to declutter your world. It isn't a book about how to organize and declutter. I know how to organize and decutter. It is about why we (Messies) have cluttered houses. She also has a site, Messies Anonymous and a Yahoo group (you can find out about it at the website I just mentioned). The Yahoo group is not one where members can post (there is a place you can do that though), so you only get a couple emails a day. So far I love it. She has also started "Messies Anonymous." (edit: LOL I didn't know the link was going to translate to Messies Anonymous--it looks redundant!).

Reading this book is such a revelation for me, and I'm only up to page 47! One of the first things she said is that we can't just sit back and assume that since there are reasons for us to be like we are, we don't have to do anything about it. The purpose of her book is to show us why we are the way we are, and what to do to get out of that way of life.

One example from the book is that most people are able to organize things pretty easily by putting things away by category. Many Messies have trouble organizing because they have smaller, more specific categories. I have always loved cute tins and boxes, and I have always had things that needed to be put away in containers. However, way too many of my tins and boxes sat around empty, and stuff sat around loose, because I couldn't find the "perfect" thing to go in them.

I just wanted to share about this book and website (she has other books related to this also) in case there is anyone else out there like me.

Barbara

 

[texasgirl]

I have a problem with "messie"!!LOL
I have a room that noone uses, so, that is where anything I don't really have a place for, goes. LOL I have a drawer in the kitchen that is nothing but junk, screwdrivers, cell phone chargers, screws, etc.....

I don't know if I could ever declutter my mind!!!

 

[Saphellae]

I'm not sure if I'm a messie or not yet. I don't have alot of space in this apartment right now so we've minimized our possessions. I always love working in a newly cleaned and decluttered kitchen (its so small too though). Sometimes I don't mind if my computer desk is messy (it's massive) but I clean the odd recipes and papers off it every couple of days. The only thing I think I am a "messie" about is my clothes. I hate putting clothes away and would rather live out of the laundry basket than put them away!! lol

Not enough room to put my clothes...

 

[kadesma]

I'm not a messie, In fact I drive my kids nuts, they set down a glass and I right now grab it and put it in the dish washer, I hang my cloths the minute I step out of them. I drive DH to distraction, because I hate clutter on my kitchen counter, it is not the resting place of wallets,mail,keys, and his umpteen pairs of reading and sun glasses,socks worn that day, jackets...Hamper anyone????? The man must have 50 pair of glasses and thinks they should all come to rest on the counters..You can follow the trail and find him at any time.. During the winter, he cleans the pellet stove every morning and gets very upset with me because he has to go outside to get his cleaning things from the shelf we put up for them..He likes to leave them right where he drops them til someone knocks at the door, then we are all supposed to rush into action to clean them up..Yea right!! I'm the neat nick, he's the messie..

kadesma

 

[luvs]

i'm a messie. jake's a cleaner. it balances out. maybe we'll order that book!

 

[ronjohn55]

I hate clutter, my wife thrives on it. It's an issue we wrestle with.

 

[meshoo96]

I am a messie.... so is DH... we have that one room that catches everything that we don't have a place for. DH used the excuse because we had a bed in there that was taking up space, but now that we got rid of the bed, everything is just on the floor.... I hate that room. Our kitchen is tiny, so no matter what, it always looks cluttered. Our bedroom, well, let's just say that the door closes to hide the unmade bed and the overflowing laundry basket. Now, the living room and dining rooms are not so bad...as long as it is not a baking day or a craft week...then the dining room table is swamped with cooling racks, extra tables, or craft stuff.... BUT we are getting better at getting it straight and keeping it that way. He says I need to stop being a pack rat. I think he needs to shush....

 

[SixSix210]

A pack rat??? noooo.... doesn't everyone keep everything they touch? and stack it in a junk room??? lol. it's not as bd as all that, but occasionally I do find somthing we could take a snapshot of and put up in the "what's this a picture of thread" because neither of us knows...of course that means it could be important, so it stays

 

[meshoo96]

you are so lucky i am too tired to debate this one with you....

 

[SixSix210]

Good girl. you know when to say "no" to a losing battle

 

[meshoo96]

oh really?...pardon the interruption folks...he's about to get a beat down live on DC

 

[SixSix210]

Do I have to take the digital camera into that room and post the pics in here while you're at work?

Packrat doesn't begin to describe it... Ever seen the intro the Beverly Hillbillies? That's her Purse they've got on the back of that truck

 

[meshoo96]

you post pics of that room, i will post the "dancing fool" video on myspace, you tube, and here.....

 

[Barbara L]

One thing I think is interesting is how many people say they hate clutter. That's the thing--"Messies" do too! I am learning a lot about myself from this book (and it's not always pretty!).

Barbara

 

[sattie]

I don't care for clutter and a bit more organized. I like things to be clean, somewhat neat. I don't keep or store many things. Once I'm done with it, it gets donated or recycled. I have lightened up over the years and things do not have to be "so so" anymore. I use to really stress about it.

 

[babetoo]

people say i am to neat. i am just well organized.

however something has exploded in my walk-in closet. really do need to find out what exploded and clean it up.

i bet we all have a clutter trap somewhere in our homes.

then of course there is my grandson and his wife. i wouldn't even go into their house to take a picture of how bad it is. it is scary in there.

lol,
babe

 

[suziquzie]

I'm a neatnik being overpowered by the messies.
I hate stuff all over, toys on the floor, stuff on my counter. All of it and more.
I have 4 other people here that it doesn't bother one bit. I can have the house spotless and witihin 2 hours it looks like I've done nothing all day. Most days I try to keep up with it, but I get so tired of NAGGING!!!!
That's when I go outside (in summer) or clean the room I'm going to hang out in for awhile, and do something to take my mind off the rest of the house and just what may be happening to it at that point in time.
Then I clean it the next day.

 

[GrillingFool]

Hi, my name is GrillingFool Larry, and I am a MESSIE.

Who gets occasional bouts of NEATIE, but not often.

 

[middie]

Messie ? Who me ??
Guilty !!!

 

[Barbara]

I am a neatnik, always working on it. Cannot sit in a messy room - sometimes it's a curse. The older I get the more picky.