Putting Things Back...or Not
Brace yourself: this is going to be another productivity rant!
Welcome to All the Tasks Fit to Print, my weekly newsletter on all issues productivity-related for authors (and other solopreneurs)!
Okay, maybe this isn't a full on rant, since I'm not really mad, but it annoys me when same tired advice gets recommended to people over and over again as some kind of brilliant productivity breakthrough that has not worked and will not work for many, many people anytime soon.
I'm speaking, of course of that golden nugget of wisdom that all personal house organizers instruct you to do: when you're done using something, put it back where it belongs.
This advice touted as the solution to all your clutter problems. As solutions go, it's an effective one…if you can do it.
To be honest, most people I know can't. I do not mean they won't, because I believe most of us would prefer to have habits that lead to clean and organized houses. They would if they could! This is not about intransigence, or being childishly stubborn.
It's about the fact that real life doesn't work that way, and neither do real human brains. Admittedly, I have not studied brain science (I'm a librarian, Jim, not a doctor!) but there is something deeply ingrained in humans that I think goes back to our nomadic origins as a species: we are hardwired to put something down when we're done using it and then walk away. If we don't wander away to go foraging in the next mountain range, well, we're gonna end up with a lot clutter!
So, when someone asks me "well, what do you think of this piece of advice? Is it something I should start practicing?" my response is often (and longtime readers will recognize it by now) that you can't use personal habits to solve structural and/or systemic problems.
A lot of people say the reason why others aren't doing what they should be doing is that they're lazy. That's only true in a very small percentage of situations, so I tend to put that aside pretty quickly. Certainly no one who's asking me for advice fits under the banner of lazy!
As with any other aspect of personal behavior and habits, you have to start with understanding with the what the actual problem is outside of the obvious. If your roof leaks, then using a umbrella inside to keep the water off of you is effective, but also kind of a pain in the ass while also severely limiting your ability to get other things done.
The best solution, of course, is to fix the damn roof. The question then becomes, why aren't they fixing the damn roof? Because they are lazy? Or maybe (more likely) because they do not have the money, resources, or help they need to fix it? Are they living with umbrellas because that is simply the only solution available to them at the time?
Likewise, the problem with someone not cleaning up their clutter or dirty house might be something as straightforward as ADHD and lack of object permanence, or it can be as complicated as a trauma based response due to abuse you suffered as a child.
It's not about simply "putting things back," it's all about the energy you have to spend, both mentally and physically.
I watch DearModern on YouTube, who is actually Cliff Tan, a feng shui expert. I'm not much of an interior design aficionado, but I love his explanations about room layout and interior design, because they are just so practical and down to earth. He talks about energies flowing through the room, but he demonstrates very clearly how this affects our perceptions of a space and how we use it.
To that extent, I think everybody could use a little feng shui perspective in their lives regarding how they use their own energy in their environments.
You might discover that your space is just hard to get round because of how things are laid out, which makes it a hassle to put things back where they belong. Or you might realize that everything is easy to navigate, but you're suffering from depression and even getting something out to use it, such as a blender, feels like a Herculean task. Cleaning it? Putting it back? That's too overwhelming to contemplate. Those two different issues results in the same outcome, yet they need very different approaches to resolve.
It might be that all you really need is a clutter zone, a type of waystation for your clutter. Instead of putting things back up right away, you put them there so you can get to them later.
Perhaps you have inner resistance to the task, so you need to call on friends and family to help you overcome the hurdle of doing something that your executive function just can't seem to handle.
This is why I decided I need an accountant. Not because I'm stupid and don't understand how money works or because I'm lazy. It's because of the trauma I have around money management is so extreme that it causes me to make very stupid decisions, like paying my taxes late. Even if I'm getting money back, the emotional trauma of trying to fill out the paperwork makes me physically ill. The reaction is such a burden that for years it has prohibited me from actually doing the thing I need to do, but eventually I realized that trying to force myself to do it was self destructive, so my solution these days is to outsource it.
Obviously, the best solution would be for me to go back to therapy and resolve those issues for good. I assure you that's on the agenda, but for now, it's all about the umbrella: I need to hire an accountant to do the simple thing that I cannot bring myself to do.
Similarly, someone who's suffering from depression might benefit from having a cleaning service come into their house once a week to wash the dishes, sweep, and put things away.
Maybe a person with ADHD can manage their executive dysfunction by finding the most effective medicine to treat it, but it often takes a while to figure out what the best med combos are, and in the meantime things spiral out of control. In that situation, it's best to simply acknowledge the situation and look for temporary workarounds that will help keep things running until a more permanent solution can be implemented.
Honestly, this is one of the reasons I started my life-balance coaching business, not just so that I could write polemics about productivity (which is fun in and of itself!) but so I can dig into the trite advice that people are given and which often only leads to shame, insecurity, and self-hatred.
I can't tell you how many university students' lives were derailed because they were told to just make a to do list or keep track of things using a calendar when the real factor was that they suffered from time blindness. A calendar won't fix that problem.
Putting things back where they belong is great advice, don't get me wrong. It is in the same category as going for a walk to get some fresh air and sunshine in order to offset low moods. That is absolutely 100% true, and doesn't make one fucking bit of difference if your mood is being affected by issues like depression, bipolar disorder, or complex PTSD.
If your house/office/space (or your schedule!) is cluttered, I invite you to try this simple exercise: step back and stop thinking about it as a problem, or as something you have done wrong that needs to be fixed.
Take the personal flaws, laziness, distraction, ADHD, and everything else you feel guilty about out of the equation and look at it objectively. Question the premise: do you really need to declutter? Is it interfering with what you need to do? Or is it just something you feel you "should" do? Think about the energy you have to devote to the task, and ask yourself if you are able to do it, or if you need to call in back up troops?
Will putting everything back where it belongs help fight clutter and distraction? Sure. Of course it will. That's why it's such good generic advice!
But!
Will it solve the actual problem? Is there even an actual problem to solve? Your energy and time is precious, so don't throw it away on trite "one size fits all" productivity solutions!