I heard today of someone I know who has always been 'famous' for being in a mess. She had, until she retired, a very responsible job which she did very well and her daughter is now training as a doctor - so she certainly didn't fail either as a Mother or in her job. But at home it was always a different matter as she lived in what fanatically tidy people like me would call 'chaos'. She is now retired and from what I hear there is a transformation in her life as she has used Lockdown to completely turn out her rooms, clean, re-organise and make ship shape. Now, having done that she is taking long cycle rides and enjoying the freedom and fresh air.
So the question I am asking you today on this bright and breezy Monday morning is - are you a creature of habit or do you just 'go with the flow'?
Do you have a policy of 'a place for everything and everything in its place' or do you just relax and take things as they come?
Maybe sadly I fall into the first category. Because I had a full time, responsible job which needed a lot of preparation I always kept the whole place neat and tidy, I always knew where things were (apart from my car keys, always my bete noir), I always washed and ironed on the same day each week, meals were planned and shopped for. It had to be like that because life was too rushed to be otherwise. And then after losing my first husband and marrying the farmer then I automatically fell into the life of having to have meals on the table at a certain time to fit in with milking or whatever farm job was being done.
Now I live alone and there is absolutely no need to follow a pattern as day follows day. But I do. I like everywhere to be neat and tidy. I like the sink to be clear of dishes. I like the washing and ironing to be done, the fridge to be neat and tidy, the garden to be as weed free as it can be within the bounds of my lack of mobility (and my gardener knows this). My habits of a life term just can't be changed
Not sure whether this is a good thing or a bad thing - it is just me and I make no excuses for it. What category do you fit into?
And, changing the subject entirely, did you see the wonderful lady of 104 on Breakfast television this morning who has raised eleven thousand pounds for the British Heart Foundation by walking up and down the hill outside her Care Home four times each day. Hearing her speak and listening to her philosophy of life was an inspiration.
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29 comments:
One does not automatically follow the other. I am a creature of habit in terms of meal times and bed times etc. but I am not a tidy person and would be considered by you to no doubt be in chaos. However, I never lose things and always know where everything is including my car keys. They fall into the habit part of life - they are always put in the same place when I return home.
Growing up in a house that was always chaotic (my mother was never a fan of housework), I now try to be clean and tidy. My house is generally tidy enough for any unannounced visitors but don't look too closely!
I tend to lurch from pillar to post. In most ways I am very tidy and a creature of habit, but as I have gotten older this has really relaxed and I don't stress if things are not done. Although I do like all pots to be at least washed before I go to bed but don't mind dishes in the sink throughout the day or the clean pots on the drainer overnight.
I think I'm a bit like this as I have spent the majority of my career managing charity shops and in between running my own shops, and you find that each delivery brings chaos which is then brought under control briefly before it all starts again. So to sum me up I could be Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde's slightly less scary sister :-)
Probably because like Jaycee, my early years were unpleasant, I like order. I’m anything but an obsessive housekeeper, but I also need to know where things are When I worked,, a messy desk actually threw off my thought process.
I am very organized and tidy - it makes me feel calmer and it saves me time - I'm never searching for my glasses or my keys, I know there is food in the pantry and fridge and I know that I have clean & ironed clothes. I grew up in a home with 7 of us and my mother was very clean but not the most organized person. I could never understand why she would start 3 different cleaning jobs at once and flit from one to another - I like to work in a pattern - dust - mop - vacuum or simply concentrate on one big job at a time.
I am always punctual and if planning is required I'm your gal. But - I can still do things on the spur of the moment and since i'm on my own, meals, bedtime, housework etc. can be done on my own time. Even my office hours are flexible but being neat and organized means that I can take advantage of spur of the moment fun since I won't have to do laundry first or search for that one thing needed.
Each to their own - and I do have some friends who seem to thrive in chaos so I have learned to just close my eyes to it and say nothing.
My mother ran a clean home but chaos reigned. I saw how much it stressed her and I felt very stressed as a child. So I am super organised and now very relaxed because of it. When I had a small stroke I was given OT appointments as part of my rehab. She went through organising every day living stuff and said I could teach her a thing or two!
I like to think i 'am a happy medium Pat.. My house is almost always 'picked up'... not alot of chaos around but perhaps not necessarily spotless.. Life happens.. If i know company is coming i make an extra effort to have the house nice.. I do not like people to 'drop by' without calling first to say they are coming.. I think thats rude but a lot of people do that.. Oh when i hubs and i were working and daughter in school i ran a much more tight ship.. had to in order to get everything done in a timely manner.. Now hubby and i fend for ourselves for breakfast and usually lunch then one of us will put a supper together that we will sit and eat together.. Interesting question today Pat.. Hugs! deb
Around 40% of me is a creature of habit, things that I do pretty much the same time every day,but the rest of me goes with the flow. Depending on my mood each day, sometimes I'll hoover and dust, other days (and sometimes weeks) I just can't be bothered to do any of it and I certainly don't iron anything, ever. My place is always reasonably tidy but it isn't always sparkling clean. I bet every tin and jar in your cupboards has the labels facing outwards.
I was much tidier when I was working. (I had quite a shock one day when a friend told me that my house looked as though nobody lived in it!) Over twenty years ago my life changed totally due to disability. Some days I'm not up to much at all, and I've had to get used to ignoring dust. My house is clean enough, tidy enough. I know where everything is - and my kitchen and bathroom are always clean. Everything else has to wait.
I'm a creature of habit and like things to be tidy and organised. Except when I'm being creative and then, strangely, I like to be surrounded by disorder and chaos.
I'd say I am a mix of both - I have my firmly ingrained habits but also enjoy to break the pattern every now and then. Having a clean and tidy flat does not require any particular effort; it is second nature and means I have more time to do what I enjoy, and can welcome anyone any time (Corona-related restricions aside, of course). If other people wish to fill their homes with clutter and have a messy desk at work, I don't mind, but if I had to live like that I'd go nuts.
I am a combination of both, I think. I like meals at the same time each day and always clean the kitchen after but I don't have a housekeeping schedule. Now that I am retired, I am having trouble feeling productive each day but that doesn't make me BE more productive each day! My home is neat enough as long as people don't look too closely. I could get rid of a lot of stuff, tho, and think about it all the time but haven't the motivation to get on with it!
Interesting subject, Weaver. We all live on a spectrum. I can live with organized chaos (visit my study) but, on the whole, not least in what I call "public" rooms (lounge, kitchen, bathroom, etc), I'd keep so as never to be embarrassed when someone knocks at my door unexpected. Also, as befits my nationality, I am a sucker for cleanliness and hygiene, not least when it comes to the kitchen, the dining room table, anything to do with food generally.
Habit? Not sure. I'd say there are certain Routines in place. So, for instance, as soon as I return home my keys go on a particular hook. That way I never have to look for them. When I leave the house I actually, yes really, put the keys on the outside of the door before closing it. That way I can't lock myself out. Nifty, don't you think? One thing I have noticed about routines that you are basically on autopilot. You don't even know you are doing them.
On the whole I am pretty much free flow. I don't sweat the small stuff. Which is why I am a little surprised at my parents. The older they get (and they aren't THAT old yet) the more set they are. Woe betides me should I phone at the wrong time. I don't get it. I really don't. That way, and it amuses me, I have learnt that the cake my mother bakes is more important to get into the oven than her daughter calling her. Happy Rhubarb, Apple, or whatever the flavour of the day, is all I can say.
U
PS Thanks for your recent advice. Wish it were that simple. Some trains leave the station without a goodbye.
That 104 year old lady makes me feel ashamed. I am twenty years younger but couldn't do that.
I always wanted to be organised and tidy but with four young children I soon discovered it was not possible, so just coped with the most pressing things first and the rest got done 'as and when'. I always felt I was living in organised chaos.
Now I find I am tidy and organised because I have only myself to worry about and much as I loved those early days, it is so nice.
I lean towards being tidy but when I feel overwhelmed or just frustrated with some chaos I stop & say 'people over things'. I've said this since I was a young woman to remind myself that life is sometimes messy & chaotic. And though I would love for things to stay orderly, life can be messy.
It's easier to stay organized the older I get. I'm in the empty nest now. But I still live with my husband who is organized but alive so he creates messes as much as I do. And I watch m y 2 yr old grandson 5 days a week....he's pretty much a mess in motion.
What an interesting subject for a post. I am definitely a creature of habit. I buy groceries on the same day each week and I would never go without a well thought out list. I tend to follow a very casual schedule each day and I don't often go out without planning first. I try to be tidy around the house but I am only partially successful at that. I am always amazed at how tidy you are especially at doing a wide variety of household chores on a regular basis!
Organization? I'm random chaotic. I am an unorganized person. I don't get upset about things.
Every day I go out to check on our horses in the morning, except Sundaay. We travel about 15 mins each way and stay long enough to either ride or turn them out. I take a nap everyday at about 1pm. So my day revolves around That. I check blogs everyday also about the same time. My husband does his own laundry. We live in the USA so we always use a washer and dryer which eliminates ironing if you take the clothes out of the dryer right away. We are on a Keto diet ( it is high in fat and has no sugar or carbs) so we eat lunch and have a snack in the evening. So not many dishes. We have a dishwasher, my husband empties the dishwasher and cooks lunch and I fill the dishwasher about every other day, and I clean up in the kitchen. I like everything to be clean and tidy as much as possible. We have a roomba which vacuums for me once a week. I do touch up once in a while around the edges with a regular vacuum. We have a one level house as is common here. I dust occasionally and pick up clutter as needed. We shop about once every two weeks because here fridges are quite big and there is a freezer below which stores quite a lot. We have a fairly large garden and I am the sole caretaker of that. I mow the lawns and grow vegetables as well as a lot of flowers etc.
I'm neat and tidy, just like you. And unlike you, I do not walk. I cannot get my wheeled friend down and up seven steps, easily. Shame on me. Really though, no regret.
I'm afraid that we live in dreadful mess. I blame Lady Magnon, and she blames me. Two artists in the same house is NOT a good idea. However, I know exactly where everything is.
It is a bit like owning up whether you are a saint or slut ;) I fall in the middle, fairly tidy but hate housework, I do it with ill grace. Guilt is the driving force.....
I am habitual and have turned lazy. Sometimes I cannot locate the largest of objects in my workshop, it is in such a mess. At home I am kept in check by H.I.
I'm not one for commenting on blogs but making an exception today. What a shame your blog has been infiltrated by the dreadful Ursula. It has always been a pleasure reading the comments to your posts until now. Do be aware that however nice and polite she seems now she will turn into the nasty person well known to other bloggers. Banned from many blogs for good reason. Her own blog "Bitch on the blog" was well named. You would do well to ban her before she causes you upset too. Take a leaf from John's blog.
I just read Ursula's comment and see nothing that is offensive or unpleasant Am I missing something here ?
I lead an untidy and cluttered life but it doesn't bother me. I would like to declutter but never get around to doing so. I positively dislike a tidy garden, much preferring it to be teetering on the wild. The house is clean and I know where things are. I may intend to do something on a given day and then end up doing something entirely different. When I was working I had to work to tight deadlines so I am capable of discipline! I note Cro's comment above about two artists in a house and, yes, we are pretty much the same!
Thank you very much for this question today! I sat down at the computer to read blogs after running errands and when I read your statement about doing laundry on the same day every week I remembered My Laundry! So I jumped up and moved it forward. On Tuesdays, you see, I clean the bathrooms (2) and do the laundry. So I'm pretty organized. Can't stand to cook in a dirty kitchen, and the kitchen stays clean while I cook. My son-in-law was impressed by that when I visited their home last year.
What we have here I suspect is a cross secrion of everyone in the country - very interesting reading and it would seem to me that the moral is that we are all different and the trick is to be happy with what we are. Thanks everyone.
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