Inspiration awaits. But first, I have to do the dishes.
To open up my creative side, I need a clean space.
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Photo by Scott Umstaddt, Upsplash
Approx. 1000 words; five minutes read time
The simpler my life is, the better I feel. In my world this means cleanliness. For me, undue complexity and mess create stress. And stress brings a host of ills for the mind and body. Removing complications – tidying up – helps relieve this pressure.
I’m apt to engage in healthy habits like exercise when my life is less impeded. And socializing comes more naturally when I have the mental room to invest in others. Best of all, I have space to think when there is freedom to move.
Cleanliness, it would seem, is good for me. Maybe it is for you too.
Twenty-four-seven connectedness is driving a wedge between us and our simpler selves. We live in a busy world full of distractions and mess. It’s thus no surprise that simplification advocates have stepped in, leading a wellspring of change. One organized closet at a time, they provide products and services to help us clean up our act.
Cleanliness and its twin endeavor, "decluttering," are big business. There is no shortage of products, large and small, all designed to help us simplify. Closet and drawer organizes, bins of all sizes - it's profitable. You can fill a house full of stuff meant to help you organize it.
As is always the case with trends, the inevitable backlash to simplicity has begun. Social media users are busy denouncing tidy ways, showing pic after pic of cluttered living spaces. These "messy and proud" say they are sticking up for all those who prefer to not clean up. People are people, they profess, not perfectly presented morsels in an organized bento-box-world.
The argument is not without merit. All the cleaning for cleaning’s sake might be a colossal waste of time. Couldn’t that energy be better spent on other, more engaging, and social endeavors?
But there are those like me who’ve kept things organized long before the simplicity craze. We aren't following a trend. Compelled to keep our lives tidy, we run a tight ship to maintain not only cleanliness, but our sanity.
Simplicity and cleanliness for us are as vital as food and water.
I am always working to simplify. Messes that others easily ignore tend to drive me crazy. An unmade bed stabs at my soul each morning until I make it. And dirty dishes never stay in the sink long at my house. If I am helping you in your kitchen, you will undoubtedly be pleased. I'll do your dishes too.
For me, clutter is even worse than mess. A mess is the state of something in disarray, like those dirty dishes or unmade bed. Clutter, instead, is the collection of items within the living space that are too large, too random, or too many. They take up space and inhibit us from enjoying why we have things in the first place.
In my quest for simplicity, both mess and clutter are my foes.
Take, for example, a collection of any kind. I collect some things, but only a few, and usually, these are well-curated (I’m really into drill bits right now, but that’s another story). Any collection neglected, be it dolls, books or a bunch of nuts and bolts - gathers dust.
Dust is the archenemy of simplicity. With dust, we are less likely to dig into our things and use them. Soon, items buried beneath it become obscured, even in plain sight.
We are powerless to see our stuff once the dust has settled in.
By the sound of my lamenting, one might think I am a very organized person. And by some accounts, I am. My house and shop are in excellent order. And my car, files, and computer are all well maintained. Even my junk drawer at home has a degree of order imparted to it. But this order hides the source for my need to simplify – my very cluttered mind.
In my head, the world is anything but organized. A dizzying array of ideas, notions, and fears come at me from all directions. Thoughts not only race but seem to do laps. Most often, I am powerless to stop them. What I can control are a few external factors that exacerbate the helpless feelings.
I don’t want to stifle my thoughts - they make me, me. Good ideas come from all that’s bouncing about in my skull. I need only give it space to work. And that means I must clean.
While making, my mind circles around first a nebulous notion. It then zeros in on a concept and finally settles on a tangible outcome. This honing in on ideas is how I create - a swirling vortex from which I pluck the good and discard the rest. But clutter trips me up, and instead of inspiration, I’m pulled into the vortex myself.
It’s as if my ideas need room to run - without falling over all the mess.
With clutter out of the way, I am more productive. An open workbench is inviting. I want to create when my shop is ready to go. And in the kitchen, it's the same - a clean counter is the best recipe for making something delicious.
Even in relaxing, I do better when I am in a clean setting. Oftentimes before watching a movie or doing some reading, I tidy my house. Knowing that all is ready for whatever comes next puts me at ease. I can then enjoy a show or book without the nagging feeling of things left undone.
Truthfully, I am a little envious of people who can handle mess better than me. It seems like a superpower for them to ignore it. My ex is like this - she seems impervious to clutter and can go about her life as if it wasn't there. And my son generates mess like young boys do; unfazed, he moves on to the next clean space. But for me, mess stalls me in my tracks. I must address it if I am to do anything next.
I’ve tried to change. But over the years I’ve learned that this is me. It’s my reality, and I remind myself that the good I bring goes hand-in-hand with the quirks of being me. My quirk (one of many) happens to be that I can't handle messes. It’s noise that interferes with thinking. Accepting this helps me buckle down and tidy up.
I believe cleaning is time well spent. On the other side of a mess is a good idea waiting to be had. Yes, inspiration is beneath a pile of dishes or under that sawdust in my shop. And I want to find it.
So I roll up my sleeves and clean.
Until next time. Science. Fiction. Create.
JRC
It is very true but I did not know it for years! I would walk into the wood shop with a feeling that it needed to be cleansed so would start putting tools back on hanger where they needed to be, putting scraps of wood iin the fire box or storage Ben then I would come across a block or slab of wood that wood stick in my mine. All the time getting every Speck of dust from the shop, all the time think about afucture project with that pice of wood. A tray or bowl or box. Not for to fill a need but just to make heck I was in a clean work space. And that could never be. So the mess began. But I was happy once again working on some thing to give or use
John my friend, when I was young on those few occasions when I would get sick my Mom would organize my room and do some superficial cleaning as I lay there in bed. I swear it made me feel better and to this day when I don't feel well I do my best to pick up the clutter before I go down. All the best, Nicky