Disorder at home - just a reflection of our inner life... We are sure of this Melva Green and Lauren Rosenfield, authors of the book “Breathe freely. How a mess in the house will help you to understand yourself "... It is useless to study storage systems, it is not enough to be able to. In order for order to reign in the house, you need a careful analysis of all the accumulated rubbish, a leisurely cleaning, during which you can not only part with unnecessary things, but also create space for a new life.

At its core, getting rid of trash is a deep spiritual practice that helps you get closer to loved ones and to yourself.

We have selected several universal tips from the book that will help you make your home cozy and find peace of mind.

Come up with symbolic words for each room

Any room in the house - it's not only functional room where we eat, sleep, wash, work or communicate with households and guests. It is also our little universe, the center of our unique life. There must be something special, attractive in it.

Before you start cleaning, the authors of the book advise you to choose at least three symbol words for each room, describing the atmosphere you want to create in them. For example, the words for the bedroom - "Rest, relaxation, love", for the kitchen - "Creativity, inspiration, comfort", for the living room - "Communication, light, pacification." Such wording will help in the cleaning process: after all, it is important not only to get rid of the junk, but also to decide what exactly you want to achieve.

The creation of an atmosphere becomes the goal of designers and architects. Likewise, you should approach your home space.

Take a look at the interior from the side

In order to clearly understand which objects and things should be disposed of, Melva Green and Lauren Rosenfield suggest doing some simple but very effective exercises.

For the hallway: walk out the door and then walk in as if you were a first-time visitor. What's the first thing that catches your eye? What feeling is taking over you? What prevents you from experiencing positive emotions? Remove those things that turned out to be "unnecessary" and caused unpleasant sensations. Go out the door again. Do this until you realize that the hallway is filled with life, not rubbish.

For the kitchen: grab your favorite cookbooks and plan a feast for the dinner. Do not deny yourself anything, think over each dish. Once you have planned your menu, go over each recipe and get out all the tools you need to make such a dinner: pots, bowls, blenders, scoops. Lay out on the table. And pause. If that's all you need for the perfect dinner, why would you need the rest?

Throw away unwanted items with compassion.

As with any business, the right mindset is important for cleaning. The authors of the book advise not to treat the process as a battle for life and death: "Under the influence of adrenaline, we cannot act competently and think rationally." Best to relate to unnecessary things with delicate sympathy and even sympathy. You can even say kindly to them, "How did you get here?", "Let's get out of here and take you back to where you should be."

When touching a thing, try to evoke in your soul the sympathy you feel for lost child... For some objects, you say, “You are in the wrong room. I know where it will be better for you. " Such things are sent to the box "for immigrants". To others, you say: “You have wandered too far. You don't belong here, but I know we will find you a home. " These things go into the box "for charity."

Avoid negative emotions

There are only two types of emotions - absorbing (negative) and replenishing (positive). The purpose of rubbish disposal is to keep an eye out for overwhelming emotions and prevent them from materializing in the home.

How many things do you keep with you out of guilt, regret, anxiety, and fear? It is extremely important to understand how much space these emotions take in life. If we are going to get rid of them, then we must know what kind of power they have over us. Now take these things away: donate, recycle, landfill. The choice is yours, but you must say goodbye to the absorbing emotions these things cause!

Leave no secret places

Everyone in the house has places where mountains of rubbish are hidden from prying eyes. You must take out the contents of all the caches, deal with it and never hide anything anywhere else. As much as you want it. There simply should not be "secret" places in the house.

You need to get rid of dubious things from your home and your life. It is not enough to get them out of sight. They will remain in thoughts. Even if no one knows about their existence, these things will consume you.

Don't be intimidated by empty space

Most people are afraid of empty space in the house, even a small one: emptiness is perceived as a flaw. "We bet that your home - whether it is a twenty-seven studio apartment square meters or a huge mansion - stuffed with things - by Melva Green and Lauren Rosenfield. - Each Smooth surface lined with objects. Each box is stuffed with different little things. Every wardrobe is full. No wonder. From an early age, we see that this is how these spaces are used. It seems unnatural to do otherwise. We are so used to it that we instinctively fill any empty space. "

And, indeed, if we find an unoccupied space, the first thing we do is - we find something to keep him busy or even worse - mindlessly fill it up with a bunch of rubbish. But try to leave it as it is, free and breathing. In the end, you are making room for other things.

Stick to the idea that not every place needs to be crowded or filled with something.

Someone's house is clean and tidy: everything is in its place and every little thing has its place. But there are houses where they only dream about it, and all attempts to polish end in the same way: there is chaos among things, and nothing reminds of the recent cleaning. So what's the reason?

What does science say about order in your home?

Of course, those who are very interested in our glorious past say with confidence that keeping the house clean was laid down in women in the subcortex of the brain by their distant ancestors. Based on these considerations, it turns out that from time immemorial women were only engaged in storing in the corners everything that their valiant earners dragged into the house. Where then does the reluctance of some women to keep cleanliness come from? It turns out that the ancestors of these lovely women were also not particularly homely. Otherwise, there is simply no logic in this approach.

However, there is another approach that is more suitable for those who are busy with their careers and work more than. Women who are forced to stay at home for some reason begin to realize themselves in the same place. For them, a neatly hung towel or purely ironed linen on a hanger in the closet is the ultimate dream. They always smell delicious meals, the carpets are cleaned, the parquet is shiny, and the cat has a small bow on its head.

At the same time, lovely representatives of the fair sex, who are immersed in work, devote a minimum of time and effort to the house. Why do something you don't get paid for? Perhaps this is the reason for the mess in your house. Although in any chaos there is always its own order. Perhaps this helps to find exactly what is needed in the heap of the unknown.

A mess in the closet and a mess in my head

Are you tired of the mess in your house? And you want to get rid of it? Then you have to start with yourself. Oddly enough, but what is around you directly reflects the world that is inside you. Therefore, the desire to end the mess in your life is best pursued consistently.

Of course, the pile of pieces of paper on the table has its own sacred meaning. But is it really so necessary that everything that lies there? The same applies to. Why are there those from which you "grew up" long ago? But there are more than half of them, and they take up space that could be given to something else. Which, by the way, for some reason never found its place in your house, and therefore is lying in heaps.

So, the first step on the way to order in the house is to eliminate all that is superfluous and unnecessary. And do not think that cleaning is a simple matter, and you can easily cope with it in a day. Only you will disassemble the cabinet for more than one hour. And if he is not alone in the house? That is why the first thing to do is deal with the contents of dressers, cabinets and mezzanines. Then get ready to be ruthless and callous. Because the blouse you wore on your first date can trigger a storm of emotions. And putting it in a box labeled "throw it away" will be very difficult.

By the way, about the boxes. Those who are not familiar with the movie "Sex and the City" should be told, and the rest should be reminded that The best way to deal with your cabinets is to take three boxes and sign them as follows: for storage, throw out and leave. In the first, you put what, for whatever reasons, does not suit you now, but you will definitely need it in the near future. The second group does not need explanations, however, like the last one. After such sorting, only those things that fell into the “leave” and “storage” boxes should get back into the closet. Only lay them out in such a way that they do not mix. The second item for cleaning will be things that are outside the closets. They should be sorted in a certain order into the vacated places. After you have more space in your apartment, it's time to deal with dust and dirt.

After such cleaning, as well as after a successful diet, the most important thing is again, that is, again, do not overgrow with heaps of dirt, dust and all kinds of things. And for this, try to put everything in its place. But if habit comes first, then equip your home with special decorative baskets where you will put all your belongings. Then such baskets are much easier to disassemble.

And most importantly, train yourself to be orderly. Although this is the most difficult of all that is described above.

People have very different attitudes to order in their home.

The concept of coziness, comfort and beauty is very relative for each of us. Some people just hate washing dishes, there are people who need to make their bed in the morning so that it is perfect. For some, a speck of dust in a dark corner can cause stress and the need to wash the floor three times a day, but there are those who throw things around and consider it a creative mess.

We are all different. Psychologists say that keeping your home clean can say a lot about your personality traits.

What will the chaos in the apartment tell about?

Studies show that the presence of a chronic mess in the house, and things that are scattered without much logic and regularity, oddly enough, characterize a person with positive side... And here is a person who has sterile dishes perfect order, and always, even if the guests came in unexpectedly, he can have serious nervous breakdowns.

Experts have even learned to recognize character traits in individual zones in which a person is putting things in order or not.

Dirty dishes on the table

Do you constantly leave cups with leftover tea or coffee on the table? Congratulations, you dictator! You get real pleasure from total control of everyone and everything.

It is important for you:

plan to the smallest detail;

be demanding not only of others, but also of yourself;

so that your requirements are fulfilled quickly and clearly;

set goals and achieve results.

It is necessary to understand that it is difficult in everyday life with you. But with this approach, any life achievements are within your reach.

Dirty dishes in the sink

The habit of piling up mountains of unwashed dishes in the sink characterizes narcissists. Very often, a person who hates washing dishes has a wide social circle and gets real pleasure from interacting with people. At the same time, he can fall into a hole in debt, where frivolity will lead him. Such people can be advised to regularly think about the future.

Scattered socks

Studies have shown that people who regularly throw socks on the floor and stuff them under their beds are very thrifty and thrifty. They are only interested in large purchases, they do not want to spend money on little things. As practice shows, these personalities make smart family men.

Permanently unmade bed

It is widely believed that an unmade bed and clothes that are scattered around the house characterize a very busy person in the most incredible places. When you spend a large number of time at work, the need to put things in order simply fades into the background, and maybe the third and fourth.

While at home, the main thing is to rest and recover, and not spend everything free time for cleaning. At the same time, whether the weekend has dragged on, then such a person is not alien to establish a certain order.

Dirty windows and dust on the windowsill

If you or someone you know has dust on the windowsill and dirty windows in the house, there is a possibility that the person is sad, or even so depressed. When my heart is lonely, I don’t want to wash the windows.

Subconsciously, there is a desire to be in dark room, in which you can comfortably curl up and shut yourself off from the outside world. But if such a person comes out of depression and overcomes melancholy, then he will not be equal in reaching the heights of the creative Olympus.

Bed soiled with food

Let's be honest, for many of us eating in bed, watching TV, or doing work on a laptop is a very common habit. And it's not really scary. It's just that people like that love comfort.

Bags and bags that are scattered everywhere

If you see that there are bags, bags, boxes of equipment and it is not clear what are lying around in the house, you know that this person seeks changes in his life.

He dreams a lot about a bright future, expects a miracle, but more often than not, the matter does not move further than dreams.

Dirty bathroom

People who lack cleanliness in the bathroom can be guardians psychological trauma, resentment and disappointment. They are really haunted by the negativity from the past. And they themselves cannot cope with this problem. Sometimes this is treated with time, and sometimes it is better to consult a specialist.

If your acquaintances, friends, or you have a mess in the living area, more or less there are reasons for this. They, of course, need to be taken into account, but this is not a reason to turn into a chronic slob.

Experts advise to observe the golden mean, do not abuse cleanliness, but also do not keep yourself dirty. Sometimes it's just enough to develop the habit of putting things in their places right away and the situation will even out.

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In one house, T-shirts and shirts are stacked and sorted by color, in another - wrench accidentally ends up in a toy box. In one apartment things hang neatly on hangers, in another they fall out of the closet. So why do some people have at home perfect cleanliness, while others have eternal chaos and chaos? What do the first ones know and what the second ones lack? Knowrealty spoke to professional space organizers and found out the top 7 causes of clutter in our apartments.

1. Bad habits

Father from time to time was lazy to hang clothes in the closet, leaving them on the backs of chairs and beds? Or did my mother collect unnecessary, but for some reason terribly dear to the heart, trinkets, placing them on the shelves, where over time they took up more and more space and brought less and less benefit? In this case, you probably will not have a craving for minimalism and the habit of putting everything in place. “If parents lived and raised their children in chaos and confusion, then their children can also pass on the same attitude towards their home,” says Yuliana Myznikova, professional space organizer and author of the Stopbardac blog. Of course, you can't go back to the past, but it's quite possible to work on your new habits. “Think in advance where you use this or that thing, the place from where it will be not only convenient for you to take it, but also where to return it. Tell the family where it is stored, or better yet, sign it. If you don't put things back in place, it will undermine all your efforts to organize the space, ”says Juliana.

Photo: Ella's Kitchen Company Limited

Another organizer of space and author of the project "Everything in Place" Ekaterina Pushkareva also encourages you to start developing simple, but good habits in the name of order: wash dishes immediately after eating, send dirty clothes to the wash, and clean ones to the shelf, wipe the sink or faucet after brushing your teeth. Such little things will help to save a lot of time on cleaning later.

Photo: Wicker Paradise

2. Internal disharmony

Why is this happening? Yuliana Myznikova says that lovers of disorder often insist that something will come in handy someday. As a result, more and more rubbish accumulates in the house, which literally clogs up the living space. And the only way to change something is to resolutely fight the “Plyushkin syndrome” and learn. Anna, for example, advises playing The game Burning House. What would you save first of all, running out of a burning house, except, of course, your passport, phone and laptop? The game will help you understand what is really valuable to you, and it is much easier to part in contrast with everything else. Ekaterina Pushkareva advises using the "entry-exit" rule for the same purposes: when you buy new thing, the same old or giving away.

4. Cleaning "once and for all"

Many people mistakenly believe that it is enough with a certain regularity, so that you can enjoy cleanliness the rest of the time. Not at all: the cleanliness of an apartment depends, first of all, on our habits. Mess does not happen overnight, so even the most extensive cleaning once a month will not give you any guarantees of cleanliness. Anna Chernykh is sure: to hope for general cleaning not worth it, something else is more important here - to gradually form a view of things that would reflect the values ​​that are significant to you. Then habits will change of their own accord: many things simply will not get into the house, while others will gradually leave it - in a separate collection, in charities, friends or in a landfill.

5. Overloaded surfaces

We all noticed that if we remove boring pictures and old posters from the walls, coffee table- scattered small things, but - everything that happened to be there by chance, the room immediately seems cleaner, more spacious and freer. It seems simple, but in reality everything turns out quite differently. The problem is that on free surfaces in the house there are always those things for which there is no suitable place in the house. And it’s obvious that they just need to find him.

6. Lack of a systematic approach

If you take out all the summer clothes in the spring, and you don't prepare the winter clothes for storage and don't remove them, then scarves, hats, ski boots, fur coats and down jackets will constantly fall out of the closet, - says Ekaterina Pushkareva. And also, if there is no clear idea of ​​what exactly is needed for the house, it is easy to buy a bunch of unnecessary things that no one needs, which will then gather dust unnecessarily. So making shopping lists and cleaning schedules, putting winter and summer clothes on the shelves on time until next season will help you cope with everyday anarchy in the house. “For example, divide your home into zones and plan in your calendar the dates and times when you will study in different parts of the apartment,” advises Yuliana Myznikova.

Photo: Rubbermaid Products

7. Storage of different things in one place

There is a term "categorization". According to Juliana, he just reveals the essence of the principle of organized space, when things of one category are located together and do not mix with objects of another purpose. That is, a home first-aid kit in a document drawer and a box with wires in the sideboard do not contribute to the competent organization of space, even if, as it seems to you, there is simply no other place in the apartment. Yes, you just need to think carefully about where and how it is most convenient to store items of the same purpose in one place, since this will not only make the apartment cleaner, but also allow you to quickly find the things you need.

Daria Golovina

Ecology of life. Society is constantly striving at all costs to maintain order in everything and everywhere. No more templates! ..

We live in a very formulaic and predictable world. Almost everything in it is neatly packaged and organized. Society is constantly striving at all costs to maintain order in everything and everywhere.But all this is nothing more than an illusion.

We have been taught a superficial understanding of symmetry.Life is actually unpredictable and chaotic, although it seems to us that if everything is "organized", then it will be much better.

But in reality, the opposite is true. For example, you think that you need to buy a few more pants in order to have enough "for all time". You buy in addition. And then it turns out that all the things no longer fit into the closet. And he's just doomed to be a mess. Thus, by creating "order" in one place, you immediately create it in another.

You decide to throw all your unnecessary items into the trash can. The house seems to be "orderly", but the world as a whole has become dirtier.

Here is what the physicist Adam Frank has to say about this:"This is a law of physics. The harsh truth of life is that the universe itself is chaos. How can you put order at home or in your life if it is contrary to the nature of the universe?"

Indeed, no matter how much we try to keep our life in order and the house is neat, nothing comes of it. Disorder is always there and there.

What to do? Say yes to the chaotic nature of this world. Accept.

People who always have a mess at home are stigmatized. To others, they seem apathetic and leading a "wrong" life. But this is simply not true!

Disorganized people are better than everyone else. If only because they do not allow the false illusion of order to dictate their daily routine.

Jim Morrison put it well on this topic:"I am interested in uprising, in chaos, in chaos. It seems to me that this is the path to freedom."

This does not mean that every aspect of your life needs to be plunged into chaos. Being organized is sometimes important and even helpful. But you have no right to judge people living in disorder. Trust me: order is grossly overrated.

People who have a constant mess at home are not lazy. They are creative and daring.

Common sense tells us that cleanliness is the key to efficiency and productivity, but this is not the case.

Eric Abrahamson and David Friedman, authors of the bestselling science book A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder, write:"Clutter is not necessarily a sign of randomness. At a table where everything is scattered, you can work more efficiently than at a clean one. When a person has a mess on his desk, it does not mean that he does not work well. It means that he works so well. that he just has no time to get out. "

In other words, clutter may actually be a sign of efficiency, not disorder.

Kathleen Vohs, Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, has done research and has shown that people who tend to throw things around and accumulate trash are actually more creative than everyone else.

As part of this scientific work, Vohs conducted an interesting experiment. She divided 48 volunteers into two groups and asked them to find original ways using a ping pong ball. Half of the participants in the experiment were placed in a clean, tidy room, the other in a dirty one. In the end, both groups came up with an equal number of ideas, but the latter, based on independent evaluations of other students, turned out to be more innovative and creative.

Vohs concludes:"We all want to become more creative people to experience insights more often. My advice to you: if you have a stupor, move to a dirty room. This will allow you to go beyond the usual perception and produce faster fresh ideas... Order is the result of our desire for security, chaos is our desire for a creative rethinking of the world. "

Clutter, of course, has long and deeply been associated with creative genius. Disorganization and inconsistency are condemned in society, but most of the great minds have lived in such conditions all their lives: Albert Einstein, Alan Turing, Ronald Dahl. Even J.K. Rowling cannot clean the apartment!

They all achieved greatness, despite the fact that their whole life was full of chaos.

In general, if your parents punished you for not wanting to clean your room, then they made a mistake.

Society ignores hidden benefits chaos.

It takes courage to beat the rules and live in your creative mess.

Albert Einstein once remarked:"If a mess on a table means a mess in the head, then what does an empty table mean?"

Creative people see the whole picture of their life, and do not get hung up on its individual details. They go with the stream, not swim against the stream. They are easily adaptable to change. They know that time is too limited to waste on boring things like cleaning.

The simplicity and beauty of life is more important than visible "success" and "discipline" made. Passion is better than boredom.