Tuesday, August 07, 2007

We're Poor

According to Paul Graham, "the poorer people are, the more stuff they seem to have." Or is it because our abode is so small it seems like we have so many things? Nah, we got too many stuff, including statements that date back to who knows when.

And unless you're extremely organized, a house full of stuff can be very depressing. A cluttered room saps one's spirits. One reason, obviously, is that there's less room for people in a room full of stuff. But there's more going on than that. I think humans constantly scan their environment to build a mental model of what's around them. And the harder a scene is to parse, the less energy you have left for conscious thoughts. A cluttered room is literally exhausting.

(This could explain why clutter doesn't seem to bother kids as much as adults. Kids are less perceptive. They build a coarser model of their surroundings, and this consumes less energy.)

Been trying to declutter 'cause it actually does cause me to feel like my spirits are sapped, depressed, and even exhausted. MSO can't understand why I get all frustrated when I see like five empty milk cartons around the sink that he's saving for his mother. Or why it's bothersome to see a desk chair in our child's room when all it's doing is holding his clothes. Yeah, I shouldn't sweat the small stuff but this explains it. =S

5 comments:

Gee Why said...

That'd drive me bonkers. I can stand some stuff sitting around for awhile but then I'll feel compelled to clean up.

For me, I hate stuff that's in my way when walking around the house. If stuff is in the way then it gets clean up real fast.

Phoebe said...

What does she do with the empty milk cartons?

Angry Asian Girl said...

Gee Why: Yup, that's why I'm bonker-ed.

What about all those toys? Tough daddy..."Put those toys away now!" LOL

Phoebe: MSO would say "Don't ask." But I've seen her use it for rubbish around the sink (no disposal), and we've even used it as such too. But five empty cartons around our sink at one time?! That's very sapping of my spirit.

Phoebe said...

I'd trash em.

Angry Asian Girl said...

Yes, I have done that many times already. I had actually compromised with him and said three is the limit to have around. If there's more, then it's outta here or as our child would say "Dump it!".