Joined: Feb 24, 2010 Posts: 8258 Location: Great Britain
Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 3:37 pm Post subject: Putting things away
Does anyone else here have trouble putting things away? I do like things to be put away and stored neatly and out of the way, but at the same time, once I get something out, it seems to get left there and I can't always be bothered to put it away. Just doing a task as simple as putting something away is actually harder than doing a task that involves more effort, like getting up early and getting on the bus and doing voluntary work all day. (Funny, eh?)
Back in October or November, I had a stomachache, and I got out my hot water bottle. But ever since that evening, it's been sitting there in the living-room, and it is now March, so it's been left there for weeks, getting in the way, being touched or fiddled with by other people who come, and being moved from one place to another when someone does the housework. But putting it back in my room involves very little effort but I just can't do it. I say, ''oh next time I go to my room I will take the hot water bottle with me and put it in a safe place'', but I still don't do it.
Also, I panic with my laptop, because I keep it on a table but the table is right in the middle of the room because I haven't got no room to put it neatly against the wall because I have a clutterer, so I have lots of shelves and cupboards for my clutter. So I tend to put my laptop away in it's case and fold the table up when I'm not using the laptop, just so I can have a bit more room, but I keep having trouble putting it away and getting it out. Such a simple task cannot be handled.
Anyone else have this issue? Could it be something like Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (something like that), or something else similar? Because I don't think I'm doing this intentionally, it's just feels more like an issue. _________________ Real gender: Female
From: East UK
Age: 23
Joined: Apr 24, 2011 Posts: 1983 Location: Twilight Zone
Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:34 pm Post subject: Clutter
Hello Joe90! You are my spiritual twin! You should see my place--then again better not. And yes, like MrXxx says, I do tend to move on to other things, and am not able to change focus too good to unmessing the place. My other stuff does keep me pretty well occupied. I do want the place to be clean and uncluttered though, so it does stress me out some. I had to get rude with my older brother, who wanted to come up for a visit recently. I don't want to have people over with the place so messy, but my older brother is hard to dissuade from coming over, so I had to get kind of blunt in telling him to not come. I'm sorry about that, but it really stresses me when people come over against my wishes. I live alone, and messy as it is, this place is my haven from the world. I have health problems that make it hard to get out, but do go out occasionally--I am not totally home bound, and fortunately, I am not an agoraphobe.
Occasionally I do have a chore day, and get some stuff done, but due to my health problems, it's never enough.
I suggest you try to set up a chore day once a week or every two weeks. It is not necessary to get all the work done each chore day, just make a dent in it each time. That should help.
Joined: Nov 19, 2008 Age: 27 Posts: 7452 Location: Sydney, Australia
Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:47 pm Post subject:
You don't sound like you have SCT.
What made me start cleaning up after myself was not wanting my mum to scream at me about what a lazy slob I was when she got home and dishes weren't done, washing wasn't put out and empty chip packets and empty bowls were still on the table. Since then I just automatically do it now because I hate seeing things pile up.
So..er... imagine someone is going to be angry at you if you don't do it. If you're not on medication to do such tasks you should be able to do it. Some days (like today) I need medication to do the dishes or clean my room, otherwise it's just too overwhelming for me. Actually I might need my meds to not off myself today. _________________ My autism blog - http://latedx.wordpress.com
My completely random though usually about Doctor Who blog - http://alonsy.tumblr.com/
I'm REALLY bad at not putting stuff away! _________________ “Standing on the fringes of life... offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.”
---- Stephen Chbosky
LOL, that's nothing. Just an accumulation of clutter on that one table. Other than that pile of clutter that accumulated on the table by the end of the day, the place looked reasonably clean -- no dust or cobwebs anywhere. One can imagine that the relative cleanliness of the apartment is because of the owner of the disembodied female voice. If the guy lived by himself, his home would likely look more like mine.
My apartment's much worse. There are always so many things going in my head unrelated to what's right in front of me, it just never occurs to me to pick up after myself or clean, or keep up my home at all. Even when I do see something, it just feels too complicated to clean up. I'm always too tired, too drained by life, too preoccupied, too involved with something, and it tends to feel like "too much" to even do something simple. Often, I don't even notice the mess until it gets really bad, and by then, there's just too much, and I don't know where to start. When the mess becomes too troublesome, I'll just avoid looking at it. I'll focus on my computer screen (like now, heh) a book I'm reading, my TV screen, anything other than the mess surrounding me. I also avoid having company at my place. I don't want anyone to see the inside of my apartment; because it's really embarrassing.
I took Ritalin on school days for a while as a child (prescribed by a neurologist I used to see), but I hated taking it, and it kept me up at night. Apparently, I did focus better when I was on it, but I didn't like taking it. Now, I read about the side effects of various ADD meds, and they scare me. My issues with focus, planning and organization may cause me significant distress and inconvenience, but at least it's familiar. It feels easier to continue on like this than to deal with the unknown effects of ADD meds. Besides, the steps involved in acquiring a prescription for ADD meds feel too overwhelming and complicated. Getting through each day is challenging enough without adding on more tasks. On a practical level, the insurance I have definitely wouldn't cover that, though I suppose that would clear up some clutter in my pocketbook.
*shrugs* In any case, I'm particularly awful at putting things away. This is the life I'm living, and will most likely to continue to live for the foreseeable future. _________________ "And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad./ The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had."
Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 8:38 pm Post subject: Re: Putting things away
Joe90 wrote:
Does anyone else here have trouble putting things away? I do like things to be put away and stored neatly and out of the way, but at the same time, once I get something out, it seems to get left there and I can't always be bothered to put it away. Just doing a task as simple as putting something away is actually harder than doing a task that involves more effort, like getting up early and getting on the bus and doing voluntary work all day. (Funny,
Wow-this is me exactly! If there is a logical reason put stuff up (like food that could spoil) it goes away immediately. Otherwise, it will sit where i put it so i can find it next time. _________________ Scores- Aspie score: AS-130, NT-75 You are very likely an Aspie
AQ-43, EQ-14
Actual dx: PDD-NOS
Joined: Aug 17, 2010 Age: 29 Posts: 458 Location: UK
Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2012 11:34 pm Post subject:
OuterBoroughGirl wrote:
LOL, that's nothing. Just an accumulation of clutter on that one table. Other than that pile of clutter that accumulated on the table by the end of the day, the place looked reasonably clean -- no dust or cobwebs anywhere. One can imagine that the relative cleanliness of the apartment is because of the owner of the disembodied female voice. If the guy lived by himself, his home would likely look more like mine.
My apartment's much worse. There are always so many things going in my head unrelated to what's right in front of me, it just never occurs to me to pick up after myself or clean, or keep up my home at all. Even when I do see something, it just feels too complicated to clean up. I'm always too tired, too drained by life, too preoccupied, too involved with something, and it tends to feel like "too much" to even do something simple. Often, I don't even notice the mess until it gets really bad, and by then, there's just too much, and I don't know where to start. When the mess becomes too troublesome, I'll just avoid looking at it. I'll focus on my computer screen (like now, heh) a book I'm reading, my TV screen, anything other than the mess surrounding me. I also avoid having company at my place. I don't want anyone to see the inside of my apartment; because it's really embarrassing.
I took Ritalin on school days for a while as a child (prescribed by a neurologist I used to see), but I hated taking it, and it kept me up at night. Apparently, I did focus better when I was on it, but I didn't like taking it. Now, I read about the side effects of various ADD meds, and they scare me. My issues with focus, planning and organization may cause me significant distress and inconvenience, but at least it's familiar. It feels easier to continue on like this than to deal with the unknown effects of ADD meds. Besides, the steps involved in acquiring a prescription for ADD meds feel too overwhelming and complicated. Getting through each day is challenging enough without adding on more tasks. On a practical level, the insurance I have definitely wouldn't cover that, though I suppose that would clear up some clutter in my pocketbook.
*shrugs* In any case, I'm particularly awful at putting things away. This is the life I'm living, and will most likely to continue to live for the foreseeable future.
I'm much more like this than like the OP.
I honestly don't see why tidying matters, as long as nothing is rotting or growing mold.
The only reason to tidy stuff is because people think badly of you when you don't, but when you have autism they do that anyway, so what's the difference?
Joined: Mar 03, 2012 Age: 22 Posts: 34 Location: California
Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 12:22 am Post subject:
Wow! I'm the same way. Unless something is going to spoil, I usually just kind of leave things laying around. It's part of my routine every Sunday to clean and vaccuum the floors though. I have three birds and they're messy pets so if I don't vaccuum every Sunday, there gets to be a big mess of feathers and seed shells. So, at least once a week I have a clean room. Every other day, I don't put things away unless, like I said before, it's food or something that is going to go bad. It greatly annoys my parents because they're neat freaks so I've always had the reputation of being messy and unable to keep my room clean.
Joined: Nov 19, 2008 Age: 27 Posts: 7452 Location: Sydney, Australia
Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 12:58 am Post subject:
OuterBoroughGirl wrote:
It feels easier to continue on like this than to deal with the unknown effects of ADD meds.
The hair grows back eventually.
I'm just kidding.
I've had a few side effects and people with autism are sensitive to the medication so lower doses are required. I feel so much better on medication though and I only take two days off. Three would be far too many. I'm a clean freak now. Visual clutter is like the worst and I live with someone who is more of a neat freak than me. Seeing things all over the place just makes me want to tear my hair out. It's a sensory sensitivity of mine.
Joined: Feb 05, 2010 Posts: 13509 Location: My house
Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 1:55 am Post subject:
I thought normal people did this too. I used to yell at my whole family for being pigs because they would not pick up after themselves. Mom said it was hard to do that and I called out bullshit on that. I mean how hard is it to put away a dirty plate after you are done using it or putting your clothes in the laundry room or in your bedroom after you take them off? I was just a neat freak was all so I was always putting things away when I be done with it and mom told me I had been doing that since I was five years old and saying "I always put my stuff away when I am done with it."
So what is the difference between normal people doing this and people on the spectrum? They both look the same to me.
Even when I do see something, it just feels too complicated to clean up. I'm always too tired, too drained by life, too preoccupied, too involved with something, and it tends to feel like "too much" to even do something simple. Often, I don't even notice the mess until it gets really bad, and by then, there's just too much, and I don't know where to start. When the mess becomes too troublesome, I'll just avoid looking at it. I'll focus on my computer screen (like now, heh) a book I'm reading, my TV screen, anything other than the mess surrounding me. I also avoid having company at my place. I don't want anyone to see the inside of my apartment; because it's really embarrassing.
Until just a couple of years ago this was exactly me. It would eventualy get to the point where I'd have paths that I'd stick to and areas that were "safe" to touch because they weren't quite as messy. Not in an OCD way, just in the sense that I didn't want to upset the structural integrity of any of the piles.
I hit 30 and was living by myself for the first time and suddenly it occurred to me that I was usually in a better mood when the apartment wasn't messy. Now I make a special point to remind myself that even though I'm tired, I'll feel better later that I've put the laundry or the vacuum away or at least stacked the dishes in the sink.
Also, it usually only takes like 10 minutes to tidy up any room (or my whole tiny apartment) so that makes it easier to convince myself to start. And if I can get started, I'll finish. Chore days can be daunting because the mess gets huge if you're not doing a little bit every day.
Joined: Jan 22, 2012 Posts: 732 Location: Wales, UK
Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 7:13 am Post subject:
MrXxx wrote:
Do you not put them away because you tend to move on to other things, and are more interested in moving on than in tidying up?
Are you afraid THIS will happen to YOU?
Lol, he looks quite mild. I can turn our 12 room house upside down, my car and the office trying to find something, and quite often the item is in my pocket. I once spent 30 minutes looking for the car keys that were actually in my hand.
I'm a lot better than used to be and I am far more distracted in a cluttered environment as cozy sweater has said, this actually applies to my physics experience too, a hair cut works wonders.
As easily as I can make a mess, I can also tidy really well though. But it has to be a "task" with a purpose and on my own...
Joined: Mar 21, 2011 Age: 29 Posts: 7518 Location: South West UK
Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 8:55 am Post subject:
I am quite often nagged about not putting things away after using them, although with some things I'm very obsessive about keeping them in the same place so will always put them back.
twich wrote:
Sounds like executive dysfunction or autistic inertia or something to me.
I've never read about autistic inertia, I will have to google it!
And yes, like MrXxx says, I do tend to move on to other things, and am not able to change focus too good to unmessing the place. My other stuff does keep me pretty well occupied. I do want the place to be clean and uncluttered though, so it does stress me out some. I had to get rude with my older brother, who wanted to come up for a visit recently. I don't want to have people over with the place so messy, but my older brother is hard to dissuade from coming over, so I had to get kind of blunt in telling him to not come. I'm sorry about that, but it really stresses me when people come over against my wishes. I live alone, and messy as it is, this place is my haven from the world. I have health problems that make it hard to get out, but do go out occasionally--I am not totally home bound, and fortunately, I am not an agoraphobe.
