Learning To Be More Oganized - Ruth

I've learned several things since having this website and chatroom about cleaning and exercising and I'd like to share them with you. Right now this essay is a work in progress, and you can see how I've progessed on it, (or how I haven't).

Consistency and Commitment are the key
First of all, the overall is that you have to have a really strong commitment to getting out of squalor or clutter. You have to want to be out of it, and want to commit to it. You have to almost hyperfocus on being out of clutter. For people who work, it has to be something you switch gears to before and after work. Working people need to commit to possibly 30 mins before work cleaning up and an hour or 2 after work (or more) daily, and on your days off, about 2 hours in the morning. This has to be daily and a routine, daily. It will kill you at first, and you'll hate it, but stick with it as it will be less mentally challenging for you the more you do it.

Routines
You have to make all your chores and lists into routines. This will be excruciatingly hard at first, but then, after consistently doing the same things day after day after day, at the same times daily, it will be routine. Flylady says it takes just 30 days to make something into a routine. I'd say it takes over a year doing things daily to get you to the point of not despising / hating / grossing you out / overwhelming you. It will probably even take more than year. However, it took you longer than a year to get this messy, it will take you a long time to undo the routine of messiness that you've done to yourself. But it will be worth it. Everything is a habit, even bad habits.

Perfectionism
Perfectionism is something that trips us up, on a daily basis. Flylady says she's constantly battling Perfectionism every single day. It doesn't just mean you want things to be perfect, although that's one definition. According to wikipedia:

perfectionism can be very damaging. It can take the form of procrastination when it is used to postpone tasks ("I can't start my project until I know the 'right' way to do it."), and self-deprecation when it is used to excuse poor performance or to seek sympathy and affirmation from other people ("I can't believe I don't know how to reach my own goals. I must be stupid; how else could I not be able to do this?").

In the workplace, perfectionism is often marked by low productivity as individuals lose time and energy on small irrelevant details of larger projects or mundane daily activities. This can lead to depression, alienated colleagues, and a greater risk of accidents.[8] Adderholt-Elliot (1989) describes five characteristics of perfectionist students and teachers which contribute to underachievement: procrastination, fear of failure, the all-or-nothing mindset, paralysed perfectionism, and workaholism.[9] In intimate relationships, unrealistic expectations can cause significant dissatisfaction for both partners.[10] Perfectionists may sacrifice family and social activities in the quest for their goals.

Perfectionists can suffer anxiety and low self-esteem. Perfectionism is a risk factor for obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and clinical depression.

Therapists attempt to tackle the negative thinking that surrounds perfectionism, in particular the "all-or-nothing" thinking where the client believes that an achievement is either perfect or useless. They encourage clients to set realistic goals and to face their fear of failure.

Neatness delayed is neatness denied.