Staying organized and clearing life of clutter and chaos is a near impossible task. We've all tried and failed. And tried again and failed. It's the cycle of life. Some of us are gifted when it comes to making life seamless and calm and we need help from those people. Marie Kondo... please show me how to spark the joy! How can life be a little easier and more in order? I know there is a way.
Redditor u/badqualityhuman wanted those who are blessed with the organization skill to help the rest of us by asking.... Organized people of reddit, what is the best tip you can give to someone chaotic, who does not have their life under control?
NOW!
GiphyIf it's something that will take you less than a minute to do, do it now. insighttrip
To add to that. Do a little bit.
Can't clean your room?
Just take that one sock on your bed and put it in the clothes bin.
It's not a lot by itself, but over time it will add up. Rednex141
DO IT ALL
Write it down.
Write to-do lists, write a schedule, write your feelings, write goals. squadparty
I make my lists thinking of time optimization, so I would have something like:
- Load washing machine (Unless you're doing hand washing (?) )
- Brew coffee
- Take garbage out (While washing machine is on it, and the coffee is done/water heats up)
- Enjoy coffee
- Take care of laundry.
- Proft.
Keep moving, but still managing to get that cup of coffee while still making progress on the rest of the items on your list. Also, don't be too harsh if you don't DO IT ALL in a single day, just don't let it accumulate to a point where everything becomes a must do. (Like you're out of clean clothes AND the garbage collection is coming today, etc). Fanelian
DO NOT sit down....
Try not sitting down/lying down until you get something done. Just get in from work/school? Set your things down but DO NOT sit down at your couch/computer until you get X Y and Z finished. Little things can really add up, but you have to have the self discipline to do it. GonnaMakeAList
Rewards Program.
I reward myself for completing a task. Let's say I'm craving a coffee before work. I take my vitamins and get my lunch for the day prepared before I can make myself the coffee.
I stick to a loose schedule and not everything is rewarded, but I find that larger chores (any type of bathroom cleaning), usually requires a little more incentive. I kinda keep this ongoing conversation going in my head: "Wanna continue binging that awesome new show? Clean the sink and floors, then you can go back to watching." cousin_geri
Push...
GiphyIf you wait until you feel like doing it then it will never get done. Get up and push yourself. sassfire
Quick 15....
I prescribe to I-can-do-anything-for-15-minutes philosophy to get over the idea that I need to be super into doing something for me to do it. My bathroom needs to be cleaned but it seems like a huge feat, I can spend 15 minutes working on it. Usually by the time the 15 minutes are up I'm invested in the job and want to finish it. But on the days that I'm counting every minute, I get to be done and walk away. NoCureForCuriosity
Make it happen....
Do what's in front of you everyday! See something out of place? Put it away. See something dirty, clean it. Teeth hurt? Go to the dentist. Works even on people! Parents/SO trying to love you, be a part of it. Make it happen, don't step over life. hiways
Storage.
The biggest thing I'm focusing on right now is the idea of "containers." Your dresser? It's a container for your clothing. If your dresser is overflowing you have to get rid of some of your stuff until it all fits in the container. Repeat as needed for all the other areas of your life where you have too much stuff. BoringMcWindbag
Hey Marie....
GiphyI personally put on a tv show like Hoarders or Marie Kondo for motivation when I need to clean. It makes me clean like there is no tomorrow looking at gross stuff. I got all of the clothes in my house organized and folded properly yesterday. Thanks Marie! pip1022
One episode of "Hoarders" and I'm up and running with a trash bag and vacuum. There have been a couple of episodes of that show that made me viscerally ill. And I fought against the Marie Kondo method but finally succumbed. She knows what's she's doing. I like what she says about not feeling guilty about getting rid of things you don't wear --just thank them and let them go. Flahdagal
So Good....
GiphyMake a list of crap you need to do and if something costs less than ten minutes do it immediately and when you do something on the list cross that mess off because that feels so good. diatomicsoda
Redditor Tight_Anywhere6794 wanted to hear about the things parents have said in the past that haunts everyone still, so they asked:
"What insult have your parents said, that is stuck in your head as an adult?"
I've been blessed with the mother I had.
So I can't speak from experience.
But I've heard parenting horror stories.
Bad Expressions
Sad Kid GIF by 1tvGiphy“'You’re so annoying.' Said to me as a young kid while I was expressing enthusiasm over some new interest. Later my father complains I never tell him anything."
foppishyyy
Mean Spirited
"What did I do to deserve a fat kid?"
Silosolo
"My parents also mocked me for being fat, and outright physically abused me as in forcefully grabbed my fat child manboobs or slapped me while calling me fat-related names."
"A lot of people at school did it too, so obviously I have a lot of self-image issues like I never let anyone see me without clothes these days. The worst part is that I legitimately internalized a lot of hate, I could never care for myself enough to actually get fit."
FoeWithBenefits
What's My Name?
"My parents divorced when I was young and they hate each other. My mom would call me my dad's name when she was really upset. What makes it worse is that I confided in her that I never wanted to be like my dad. She used that ammunition against me."
Discarded_Pariah
"That's awful. You are your own person. You aren't your father."
blksmnr
Unfunny
"'You can't even laugh right.'"
"My mom in a weird moment I thought we were bonding. There's something inherently extra evil when someone tells you your joy is wrong. Told her I'm engaged and hoped she could at least be happy I'm happy and she ghosted everyone to the point the family thought died. She's a mess."
BlindEditor
"I'll never understand parents that are so hard on their own children that they can't even be happy for them. So their sole function is to bring misery to their offspring?"
macabre_irony
Evil
Oh My God Wow GIF by The Roku ChannelGiphy"My little brother was drowning, I tried to save him but also almost drowned, we got rescued by a neighbor. My mom told me that they should've left me in the pond. I haven't spoken to her in many years."
Ilookbetterthanyou
Good Lord. How do people like this exist?
Tragic.
HIM
"She told me I was acting just like my father when I would get upset. I would just get kinda pissy and sulk. He would go on rampages and scream and hit and throw things. He pushed her down the stairs once. I would never lay a finger on my current partner. The worst part is I look just like him. I was wondering if my mother always expected me to turn into my dad. I prove her wrong every day."
rot_grl
10 Years Old
"When I was ~10 years old, my mum once said 'If I could go back in time and make sure I never gave birth to you, I would in a heartbeat.'"
"Never forgot it. Talked to her about it a couple of times years later and her responses ranged from 'That never happened' to 'Oh yeah and I suppose I’m just the worst mother ever' and finally 'Yeah but I didn’t mean it, you know that.'"
"Messed me up tho tbh. Another one was '[older sibling] was the only child we actually planned for, the rest of you were accidents.' I don’t think it was intended as an insult, but being told your entire existence was an accident as a child kinda stung."
SpiderP*bes
Failures
“'You’re the biggest mistake I ever made.' - my mother when I was 5. I’m 32 now and it’s been the undercurrent for our relationship ever since, constantly wondering if anything I’ve achieved or struggled for is something she’s genuinely proud of or just relieved to say I wasn’t a total failure on her part."
thefaehost
Generational Issues
"Not a parent but a grandparent, I was adopted when I was 12 years old (my parents were both drug addicts so I was in and out of foster care most of my life) my adopted mother's father turned to me on Christmas Eve when no one else was around and said 'My daughter should have never adopted you, she should have let you stay on the streets where you belong'… he got nicer as he got older and sicker but I couldn’t find it in myself to forget what he said even almost 10 years later. Went to the funeral for moral support but was indifferent about his passing."
samweather227
Just Me
Sad Kids GIF by Cian DucrotGiphy"I was an only child and lonely. When I asked for a sibling, the response was 'If you want to know why we don't have more kids, go look in the mirror.'"
Responsible_Fly_3565
Some people should never have children.
Awful.
"What is something you no longer have patience for?"
Off The Clock Means OFF THE CLOCK!
"Working outside of work hours."
"I used to go above and beyond, now I only put in what is required."
"Life is too short to live only to work."- Chesterfieldcat
"The working world."
"My life doesn’t revolve around working here and it never will."
"It will never be a part of my identity."
"I come in, do the job, make money, go home."
"Don’t expect me to come to all the work happy hours so I can pretend how much I love working here."- nuclearsalt
Some Things Just Don't Get A Free Pass
"Sh*tty people getting a pass 'because they're family'."- cgulash
angry homer simpson GIFGiphySay What You Mean, Not What You Feel
"Having to guess what people REALLY mean by something they said."
"I take everything people say at face value now and don't replay conversations in my head to find out the real meaning anymore."
"Be passive-aggressive if you want to but talk to me like an adult if you really have a problem."- WateredDownSalt
EYES ON THE ROAD!
"People who text and drive."
"You're driving a giant piece of metal propelled by explosive liquid."
"Pay attention."- MasterfulNothasie
The Only Life That Should Concern You Is Your Own
"People and groups of people that only talk about other people."- Turf98
"People who can’t mind their fucking business and are always worried about what other people are doing."
"If it doesn’t effect you, f*ck off."
"It’s literally free."- wackwackwackjpg
GIF by WWEGiphySome People Didn't Mind Social Distancing
"People invading my personal space."- Mighty-Foreskin
Influence Can Be Dangerous
"Anything that has “influencer” in it."- chemistcarpenter
Indoor Voices People...
"Streamers screaming, losing their sh*t, breaking things, and having tantrums."
"I used to think this was so funny now I just can't stand it; I can't even watch a streamer if I notice they're not using their normal talking voice." - Reddit
Fail Oh No GIF by G2 EsportsGiphyTaking Responsibility Is A Sign Of Maturity
"People who constantly blame others for the situation they are in."- SuvenPan
Time Is Precious And Shouldn't Be Wasted
"Waiting on people who are constantly late to plans."
"I will wait 15 minutes then excuse myself."- Dabbles-In-Irony
There's Multi-Tasking, And Then There's Just Being Rude...
"People being on their phone while in a conversation with you."
"Seriously."
"Put your phone away!"- rosieblinkstime
Phone GIF by Poehlmann FitnessGiphyIt Takes So Much More Effort To Be Nasty...
"Bad manners, unkindness and general rudeness."
"It costs nothing to be a nice person and from someone who works in a customer-facing industry, attitudes, sadly, appear to be getting worse."
"It really makes me cross."- Bellamiles85
At Least They're Being Transparent
"Medicine commercials with worse side-effects than the thing being cured."- mrbbrj
Wasting our time and thoughts about things that we know can only bring us down is simply no way to get through life.
It's essential to live our lives by taking the present moment for what it is: a present.