How do I stop being so messy??

Fizelwink

Fizelwink

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INFJ here. New to the forum. Glad to be here. I have a question for all the INFJ's out there....

I have read that many INFJ's are consistently messy. This is certainly true for me.

I am curious if anybody out there has also struggled with this issue and if so, how have you gone about overcoming it? How successful have you been?
 
Messy? hmm. Probably dependent more on the person, rather than type. But I think those who are seen as messy may be caught up in our heads, not as as observant or pay as much attention to our physical environment as much as we should. I think we just have a different way of prioritizing our lives and world. :D
 
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You pay attention to what you're doing and pick up after yourself.


There's no real secret art to being neat.
 
Res said:
Messy? hmm. Probably dependent more on the person, rather than type. But I think those who are seen as messy may be caught up in our heads, not as as observant or pay as much attention to our physical environment as much as we should. I think we just have a different way of prioritizing our lives and world. :D
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Well put, regardless I would like to improve this area of my life and was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on how to do that? Especially those who have dealt with it themselves and have tried and true tested methods.
 
Bird said:
You pay attention to what you're doing and pick up after yourself.


There's no real secret art to being neat.
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Obviously it's never been that easy for me. I'd wager there are others that it's not that easy for as well.
 
Messiness in a lot of cases has something to do with inability to throw things away, to just let them go. And a lot of messy people are those who are not willing to throw things away, so they stock pile them until there is no room for them.

If you see yourself in this description then the solution is clear albeit no so simple to perform, and that's deal with the reasons why you won't let things go. When you get past that part you are free from desire to collect things, and you'll be a lot better at keeping things in order.
 
What Bird said: get in the habit of putting things away.

Or you could be like me and not care about what other people consider "messy". To me, there is sanitary and unsanitary, aesthetically pleasing and aesthetically unpleasing, functional and dysfunctional, and "messy" is something with which lesser mortals concern themselves.

After the all, the definition of messy is "in a disorderly state; chaotic; confusing", which is all very subjective. If I don't find it disorderly, then why should I worry whether or not others do? I do have standards.


Also, welcome to the forum!
 
Make it a habit.

After you finish with an activity, make a point to clean up after yourself. Do the dishes and clean up after dinner. As soon as you roll out of bed, make the bed. After you're done paying your bills, or sorting through any sort of paper-work, file it away to its proper spot. Or, every night, before you go to bed (or before you go home for the day), take ten or fifteen minutes to put things back into their designated place.

Pick a time and a day of the week to do your weekly chores and stick to it religiously. Vacuum, dust, mop, clean the bathtubs/toilets, empty the trash, etc. If you get distracted or bored easily, put on your favourite music while you do this or do the job in a funky way (use your left hand instead of your right, if you're right-handed, for example, or talk yourself through it as if you were hosting your own Home Ec. show. For best results, use a ridiculous accent).

Messiness or neatness has nothing to do with one's type (although type can dictate a predisposition towards behaviours that line up to one's habits). It's a habit and habits can be made or broken.

Good luck!
 
I can be incredibly messy, I have to keep it in check because I live with a very neat and tidy person :-) So...having someone who gets upset with your mess can be a great motivator.

A couple other tips..

Its best to clean or put something away as soon as you think of it...don't wait even 5 minutes. You'll forget or just procrastinate and it won't get done. Always do it right away.

I've also noticed its easier to maintain a really well organized space. So try to have a home for everything. It's really easy to put things away when you know exactly where they belong.

Also, try throwing things away, that way the mess can't come back.
 
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Adjust things so it is easier to be clean. Set a clear, and simple set of rules, and stick to them. Create a simple, efficient organization scheme for your room/house. Most importantly, it involves saying "I will take care of that now" rather than "I will take care of that later."
 
Thanks Siamese, Hat Trick, Kita and NeverAMI. Kita, it's good to know I'm not alone in this problem. I appreciate the practical ideas for solutions and will try some of them out soon. I'm also open to further suggestions from anyone else if they have any.
 
Bird said:
You pay attention to what you're doing and pick up after yourself.


There's no real secret art to being neat.
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Yup. There isn't a lot too it. People who fail to be neat, just don't put in the effort.
 
I just came home to a very messy house yesterday. I feel you. I looooove throwing stuff away. It's so much fun. Let's go throw some stuff away.
 
IndigoSensor said:
Yup. There isn't a lot too it. People who fail to be neat, just don't put in the effort.
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Incorrect. That is not always the case. I do try. I just don't know how. It's just never come naturally to me to be neat and tidy even though I want to be. Don't assume that because something is easy for you, it is automatically easy for everyone else. If I weren't trying and didn't care I wouldn't have started this thread.
 
Fizelwink said:
INFJ here. New to the forum. Glad to be here. I have a question for all the INFJ's out there....

I have read that many INFJ's are consistently messy. This is certainly true for me.

I am curious if anybody out there has also struggled with this issue and if so, how have you gone about overcoming it? How successful have you been?
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I used to be messy due to laziness but i consciously make an effort to go through mundane chores to be organized and clean up. now im a habitual cleaner because I found that I am less agitated and angry when my house is clean and organized. Im a big believer that your surroundings mirror whats going on inside your head.
 
solongotgon said:
I used to be messy due to laziness but i consciously make an effort to go through mundane chores to be organized and clean up. now im a habitual cleaner because I found that I am less agitated and angry when my house is clean and organized. Im a big believer that your surroundings mirror whats going on inside your head.
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Sounds like words of wisdom to me!
 
You have to make being neat a habit. It's hard. I slip in and out of neatness. I know how to clean, but if I neglect cleaning for a week, the house is a mess. What neat people do is always pick up after themselves when they're done doing something, I'm just too absent-minded for that.
 
Razare said:
You have to make being neat a habit. It's hard. I slip in and out of neatness. I know how to clean, but if I neglect cleaning for a week, the house is a mess. What neat people do is always pick up after themselves when they're done doing something, I'm just too absent-minded for that.
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Yes. That's exactly how I feel.
 
IndigoSensor said:
Yup. There isn't a lot too it. People who fail to be neat, just don't put in the effort.
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Objection! Some people are easily destractable and prone to procrastination! Then when they actually try to clean up, it's overwhelming!

Damn... I'm being overly sensitive right now. I'm going to go do somthing mindless... like cleaning.
 
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