5 Unexpected Benefits of Being Neat

 I am what you would call subconsciously sloppy. It’s not that dishes in the sink, last weeks Sunday Times spread sloppily cross the coffee table, or a weeks worth of outfits laid over the bedroom chair, doesn’t bother me, it’s that it just doesn’t occur to me. I can walk past a discarded stiletto in the hallway for weeks; that the shoe is out of place in the middle of the floor instead of happily home with it’s mate and fellow stilleto-y friends simply does not register in my brain. Somewhere along my windy road, I developed neatness blinders that efficiently blocked from view what most would consider, quite simply, a mess.

While for many people, the act of hanging your clothes up after changing, moving the coffee cup from the desk to the sink, rinsing, drying and re-shelving it would be pretty much subconscious, for me they are quite intense exertions of conscious effort. So, as I am rinsing and shelving, I am thinking quite hard about benefit I am reaping. Neatness for many, after all, equals peace of mind, the ability to be productive and, general sanity.

After practicing neatness long enough that I now find myself picking up and putting away as I chat on the phone, a subconscious pattern that when noticed by my conscious self subconsciously brought my jaw to the floor, I’ve come to realize the importance of being neat.

1. The Calmness Effect.
   
   1. True story. Cleaning calms. Just like your mom always told you, or maybe it was just mine, doing the dishes, sweeping the floor, cleaning out the cluttered drawer, shuts up an ever loud mouthed mind for like ten minutes and gives you an almost Zen like experience. Like the dish, floor or drawer, your mind comes away feeling cleansed.
2. The Control Effect.
   1.  Walking away from an ordered room will most likely provide one with a Napoleonic sense of control. You know where your stuff is located; have a better sense of what you do and don’t need (cleaning out the dresser/closet is bound to remind you of how many really great outfits you do have) and a clean room leaves one with a sense of empowerment. 

The Ambition Effect.

1.  Ever notice how you can be totally lethargic, go to the gym or for a run and suddenly are blessed with the energy to tick off the most procrastinated tasks on your to-do list? Cleaning seems to have this same re-energizing effect. There something about how a clean, organized desk inspires ones work effort. Likewise, scrubbing clean a stove war torn by last night’s spaghetti efforts seems to channel productivity vibes to the brain, blessing one with fuel to clean out their email box and pay the nagging parking ticket.

The Happy Effect.  

1. A happy a home, a happy you. When you have space, cleansed and organized to your liking, of course you want to spend time enjoying it. There is something refreshing about being in a room, newly cleaned by yours truly (and I mean you, not me).

The Mutation Effect.

1.  Somehow when I clean out, say my study, I not only want to get things (the ambition effect) but the cleaning bug mutates to other spaces of my life. Suddenly, I find myself wanting to de-clutter other areas of my life. For example, listen to and then return old voicemails from my parents or friends I’ve been genuinely meaning to do, for like a week, again. Or, finish the last of those god damn thank you notes that I procastinate, but still think about every single day. Or take some time spiffying my resume. Or, instead spending the day schelping around in my yoga pants, get dressed and put myself together, which always causes me to feel confident. Or, go to the gym, or,… you get the idea.

My question… What is it about cleaning that cleanses not just the space, but, you?

Comments

[85878992@magpie]

Cleaning. . .an almost Zen like experience. Picking up and putting away while you chat on the phone. . .careful, you'll end up like your mom. Wait until you try gardening. Once a friend told me about "barn-time" - the mental space of peace one achieves taking care of one's horse, mucking out the stall that makes you loose track of time. Gardening is like that; you forget folks, the other tasks of life and just enjoy the moment, the fresh air, plants, dirt and the "cleaning" you are accomplishing in the garden. You feel free of the burdens and cares of life, and you are accomplishing something at the same time.

[Isaac]

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