What makes a person organized?

Yiddis

Mon, Oct 21 2013, 3:59 pm

You will always find those women...No matter how many kids they have, regardless of how busy they are and regardless if they get help from their husband or not, their house will always be pretty immaculate, their closets organized and their schedules in-place. By contrast there are those who cannot seem to get it all together in the physical world even though they may have quite a bit of free time on their hands, help and space. They will always feel overwhelmed, exhausted and overburdened, drowning in their workload.

Clearly these things are not the primary indicator in determining weather a woman will be a good homemaker or not.

Although in our super busy lives few of us can live perfectly, what are the qualities that make us 'balabustas'?

chocolate chips

Mon, Oct 21 2013, 4:26 pm

I like to think of myself as organized but I just don't have time or energy to keep my house like that.

There are people to whom having a clean organized house is their whole life and they will sacrifice everything to have it like that.
I know a lady who was like that and her kids hated it, and her when she when on another cleaning rage. My landlord has a spotless house but she doesn't make herself crazy, her kids are neat and she makes sure they understand how to keep it neat without them hating it.

I think it definitely has to be a skill, hobby and/or talent but you can also be organized without being fanatical.

Yiddis

Mon, Oct 21 2013, 4:45 pm

I think a few people actually find it a hobby. Homemaking is a tedious, tiresome, boring yet inescapable part of our daily lives. Those who can keep their homes relatively clean are usually driven by their annoyance when things are out of place.

Still there are specific skills that are needed. Time management, discipline, an organized mind...to mention a few. They must be skills we can all work to acquire.

Last edited by Yiddis on Mon, Oct 21 2013, 4:47 pm; edited 1 time in total

Shana_H

Mon, Oct 21 2013, 4:47 pm

I think it's a question of, What matters most to me? Some things that may be of Earth shattering importance to me might be narishkeit to you. Organizational skills are just that - skills, you've either gott'em or not, they can be acquired thru hard work and discipline, if that's what you want. I have a girlfriend who's a nut when it comes to her organizational skills, but with her it's a matter of control, she can't control much else in her life poor thing, so her home is run like a military operation!

zaq

Mon, Oct 21 2013, 5:46 pm

I disagree in part with T&P. Yes, some people have a natural inclination in that direction, just as some people have a natural affinity for art or music or comedy. However, these are all just as much crafts as they are talents, and one can learn how to play piano or dance a polka or paint portraits or tell a joke even if one lacks any natural affinity. One can achieve competence, at least, though out-and-out brilliance is probably not in the cards without a natural inner fervor.

The same is true for "being organized". One learns by reading books, taking advice, learning principles, trying out systems and seeing what works. It might be more of a cerebral effort than it would be for someone with a natural inclination , but organiztion can certainly be learned.

marshmellow

Mon, Oct 21 2013, 5:51 pm

Knowing what they're doing each day (probably using their diary a lot), getting things done on time (their work, household activities, other errands such as doing the shopping, attending appointments on time etc) Basically all to do with time management.

Me I am not organised at all! I am barely coping and usually don't know what day it is when I wake up!!

zaq

Mon, Oct 21 2013, 7:01 pm

Paprika, I'm sure it makes you feel better to believe that, but you're wrong, wrong, wrong. Most of the ladies I know who are super- organized, are that way because they have to be. They tend to have several children, small living quarters, and work outside the home, all of which mean they have to be organized to survive. Their tricks of the trade help NOT drive their families crazy, unless you consider expecting every family member to do his or her share to be "driving them crazy".

For example, one woman I know has three laundry hampers, for whites, darks and coloreds. Every family member old enough to "know his colors" knows how to throw his or her laundry into the right hamper, so that laundry "sorts itself" and whoever's turn it is to do laundry doesn't have to waste time sorting it.
Another friend color-codes all her children's "stuff"--Avi has blue, Shira has pink, Rochi gets green, Yona gets purple, be it toothbrush, towel, backpack, comb, sippy cup, pacifier, you name it. There is never any question whose whatever it is, even if the kid is pre-literate. This is good, because if a towel is left on the floor instead of being hung up, they know exactly whose towel it is.
My niece with preschool-age twins who are very hard to fit for shoes and almost always end up getting the identical style writes each kid's initial on his shoes with fabric paint, right on the toe so that the kid can see it himself. She was smart enough not to give them names with the same initials, so it's no problem.
Oh, and did I happen to mention that they all regularly purge their households of excess stuff? Less clothing means more frequent, but shorter, laundry sessions and less crammed closets; fewer toys means less scatter and faster pickup; and the kids get a lesson in chessed, organization and conservation when they bring we're-tired-of-them toys, games and clothing to the thrift shop or gmach.

None of this drives their families crazy as far as I can tell.

amother

Mon, Oct 21 2013, 7:20 pm

I was raised by my super organized mother and I started off my married life like that. I enjoyed cleaning and organizing my house and it came naturally to me. HOWEVER, when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 22, I became quite sluggish and I lost my strength to do all the chores quickly. Although I am on synthroid and my blood work comes back OK, I'm still not the same. Everything takes me much longer. Crying

My house is never quite the way I want it to be. And I have cleaning help twice a week. It takes me quite long just to make the beds and clean up from breakfast. Disappointing... Crying

amother

Mon, Oct 21 2013, 7:30 pm

1. Organizational skills
2. Drive/ambition
3. Patience/discipline
4. Flexibility
5. Time management
6. Efficiency
7. Responsibility
8. Thoroughness
9. Self control
10. Creativity
11. Punctuality

Also stuff like list writing and teaching the kids to clean up after themselves... but I think that's going off topic.

Good organizational skills are very much in demand in our lives.

zaq

Fri, Oct 25 2013, 11:50 am

amother wrote:

I think mainly it's self-control and self-discipline

Also largely thinking ahead, working in advance, but then again, that usually comes naturally to people who are self-disciplined. (I want to lounge on the couch, but if I do, I won't have supper ready on time... so I'll get up from the couch and go to the kitchen.)

Naah...I want to lounge on the couch, so last week I made three casseroles, a 10-quart pot of soup, and a big batch of ratatouille. The hordes will be fed and I still get to lounge on the couch.

Simple1

Fri, Oct 25 2013, 12:09 pm

I noticed that very organized people have this inner urge and are very bothered when things are even a little dirty or out of place.

One ex, is when my SIL made a party, afterwords she was frantically in a rush to get everything cleaned and swept. It's like it couldn't wait. Me personally, I want a basically clean house, but I'm not in a rush, so I run the risk of things turning into a bigger job quickly.

Another friend I noticed will get nervous if something like a drop of food gets smudged on the wall. That's something I wouldn't notice until it's time to do a major cleaning.