hot take

I experienced this playing neopets in the early-mid 2000s so it’s not exactly new, but might be more prevalent now

I went from living in true squalor to having a mostly clean apartment, with a couple corners of mess. It took a year or two for the habits to stick and I still slip up when life gets hard, but I’m very happy with the progress I’ve made.

The answer for me was to get lots of bins/boxes, and tall bookshelves I could keep them on. I have several bookshelves, about half filled with books and half storage. I think I have ~20 different bins, stashed in cabinets under counters, in closets, on bookshelves, and several baskets for tables/counter tops.

It does take some looping around, it is a long process when you first start. But each time you cycle through you’ll be a little bit closer to your goal, so it takes a mindset of “it doesnt need to be perfect or finished today, just better.” I underestimated the number of bins/baskets I would need at first, and actually I still need more lol.

Give yourself some grace and understanding, if it’s a priority to you, you can do it! A mindset that helped me shift out of “ugh this is so boring and time consuming, why am I doing this” was to consider it self-care. Having an organized and clean home really helps my mental health. I didnt realize the extent of the low-key shame I felt every time I came home and saw so much clutter/mess. Instead, I see my carpets and mostly clear tables/counters and feel proud of myself, even when it isnt perfect.

I have to do something more fun, i cant do cardio or weights no matter what i watch or listen to. Dance and martial arts are super engaging.