What some people perceive one way, others do other ways. Often, when we notice that someone is messy, we attribute it to being lazy, but that isn’t always the case. There are many reasons why someone might be messy that have nothing to do with the lack of motivation. The truth is that not many people live in a perfectly organized home. That begs the question why so many people can’t get their mess together.
Creative Genius
Creative people differ from those who are more grounded. While some people might see a mess and think that it is disorganized, people with creative minds find inspiration. Quite likely, if you ask those same creative minds where their stuff is, they could find it in a heartbeat. To them, it isn’t chaos; it is a lifestyle.
Busy House
Not many people have the luxury of being put together or having an organized life and house. For people who live busy lives, they have to prioritize what gets done and what gets put on the back burner. When you have doctor’s appointments, after-school sports, and trips to the dentist, your house cleaning typically isn’t top on the list, nor is organizing your socks.
Physical Health Issues
Some people aren’t healthy enough to make sure that everything is in its place. When you have laundry upstairs, but you can’t make it up the stairs, it stays put wherever it is. Also, if you can’t carry a ten-pound bag of dog food, it will have to sit where it is convenient. Not everyone is blessed to be physically capable of keeping things neat and tidy.
Mental Health Issues
People with depression and anxiety often have a hard time with the basic functions of life, like self-care, getting out of bed, and making it out the door when they need to. Mental health problems can stop people from having the motivation to clean their homes. They also don't care about things being organized.
Lack of Organization Skills
Not everyone has a brain that works the same as an organized person’s. Nor does everyone come from an upbringing where they grew up in a tidy home. People often grow up to do the same things that their parents role modeled and if no one ever taught you how to keep a tight ship, then your ship is likely going to be loose forever.
Overwhelming
Sometimes, things get so out of control that they become too much to even know where to start. When people are overwhelmed in life or by the gravity of cleaning the house and getting organized, they often tend to procrastinate and look the other way. Procrastination is different from laziness. It is intentionally not doing what you know you should do.
Perfectionism
Some people don’t do things unless they can do them 100%. When looking at a home that is messy and disorganized, they might choose to leave it as it is. They know that they won’t ever be able to get it as they want. Or they can't keep it as they want it to be. They choose to just let it be because striving for perfection is a hard way to live.
Catch-22
Disorganization leads to messy homes, and messy homes lead to disorganization. They both continue to feed one another, but the root cause is usually not laziness; it is the lack of being good at being organized or being messy by nature.
Trying to Do too Much
Sometimes, when you try to do too much, you fail at it all. Trying to get organized and clean things up can lead to buying bins and organization aids. But then, when all of the organizational things come, it is too big of a job, and you don’t know where to begin. Having too much on your plate often can paralyze even the best intentions.
Lack of Space
No matter how organized and clean you are, if you have a home with too much stuff in it, it will look messy. Some hoarders are actually not messy. They just have too much stuff in a little space. If you have a lack of storage, then you have to necessarily keep things out in the open, which can look messy.
Eccentric
Some people aren’t messy or lazy; they are eccentric. They don’t mind a mismatch of things or having knick knacks everywhere. When their homes look unique and whimsical, they don’t see it as messy; they see it as beautiful and eclectic.
Too Many Children
As any mother or father with too many children will tell you, no matter how much you try to keep a home clean, if you have too many little ones around, it is like fighting a losing battle. You just get one room cleaned up to walk to the next, and that one is all torn up. Children make it difficult to be clean or organized.
Having a Baby
When you have little ones, especially a newborn, your sense of being neat and orderly necessarily goes right out the window. A baby requires constant attention and care. When they are finally sleeping, it isn’t enough time to get things into order. A new mother has to make do with the hopes that she will get a shower in, but she is anything but lazy.
Financial Constraints
Having a house that is torn up due to damage or not being able to fix it will certainly look messy and disorganized. Not everyone can afford to fix something that breaks, and when it does, you have to sit with it until you have the funds to clean it up and start over.
Chronic Illness
When someone in the house is sick unexpectedly or needs long-term care, the last thing that people worry about is the condition, organization, or cleanliness of their home. Caregiving is one of the hardest jobs, and there is no room for laziness and plenty of room for a home to fall into chaos.
Life Transitions
Having a major transition in life can throw even the most organized person and home into turmoil. Moving to a new city and never having time to unpack, getting divorced and moving homes, or even taking on more hours at your current job can throw off your ability to maintain what was once maintainable.
Environmental Factors
An environmental catastrophe like a flood or fire can leave a house in utter ruins and look like a complete mess. Waiting on the insurance money, finding someone to fix it, and living in the chaos of having it fixed, are all things that can lead your home to be pretty messy and none of that has anything to do with anyone being lazy.
Cultural Norms
Organized and clean homes are not the cultural value of people around the world. If you are from a background that doesn’t value a tidy home or you have other cultural standards that get in the way of the perfectly organized home, that says nothing about your motivation or gumption.
Unreal Expectations
What is tidy and organized for one person is not always the same for all. One person’s definition of being clean can be completely different than another person’s. So, to judge someone’s laziness based on what you believe a standard of unmessy should be is not right or fair.
What is Messy to One Person Might Not Be to Someone Else
Not everyone lives the same way or in the same environment. What is messy to one person might not be to someone else from a different upbringing or culture. It is wrong to assume that someone’s lack of organization has anything to do with how motivated they are.
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