Why are some people not organized?

From WhyNotWiki

[edit] Introduction

I honestly don't understand how some people just don't seem to mind living in (what to me seems like) a cluttered, messy, disorganized, or even (occasionally) dirty living area.

To me I guess it just seems self-evident...

• that everything needs to be kept organized.
• that most things should be "put away" (or out of the way) unless you're actually using them
• that there is a place for everything and we should try to keep everything in its place.
• that cleanliness and order are important.

I guess it's that last one that's the [clincher]. Just because those are some of my core values doesn't mean they're equally important to everyone else. Those may be nowhere near the top of other people's list of priorities/values and I guess I just need to realize and accept that.

Thank goodness not everyone is like me -- that one be one boring world indeed -- and we have a wonderful variety of people in this world. But I still wish people could be more like me in at least this area.

Rather than turning into an obnoxious, bossy control freak who tries to force everyone else to be as organized as I, I figure it's probably best just to try to understand these other people and, if they are open to it, offer to help them.

• I want to understand these people. They're not stupid people. Surely they have a good reason for living like they do, right? Perhaps they were just brought up differently than I was. So I will attempt to understand...
• I've pretty much dedicated my life to being organized and finding better ways of staying organized and organizing the world's information. So I feel at least somewhat qualified to help others who are interested in being organized. So I will share what wisdom I can about the art of being organized and those who wish to might get some benefit... (Also point out the benefits of being organized.)

[edit] Questions

Can they even see/detect/notice that there is a problem? When they look at the mess that is their bedroom / their car / their living area, do they even see the mess that I see? Is it to them an eyesore to look at, or is it a thing of beauty, or is it (more likely) just something neutral that they feel neither good nor bad about?

(Is it because they think it looks good -- or at least acceptable -- that way?)

Or are they aware of the problem, but there is something preventing them from doing something about it -- for instance, that they simply "don't have enough time"?

Do they admit that organization is not a priority to them? Do they even have a list of priorities and values or are they too disorganized to have that either?

What caused them to be this way? I'm guessing that it was most likely due to environmental (rather than genetic) factors. Simply a matter of how they were brought up, and the influences they had during childhood...

Does their lack of organization/order in their physical world / their possessions / their living space translate over into (predict) a lack of organization/order in other areas of their life, such as their personal or social or academic lives?

These are some of the things I'd like to research and/or find out the answers to.

[edit] Personal experience

I've had the great privilege of living with some wonderful guys over the years and trying to get along with them. Unfortunately not all of them are as tidy as I like to be... but somehow -- somehow -- I've managed to survive.

I haven't always asked my roommates directly about their organizational habits, but several of them I have. Let's see if I can remember what they've said.

When I asked my flatmate Kris (who likes to have papers and stuff strewn all over his desk/table) about it:

When I asked him if he could please take some time and clean up his area, this is what he said...

He says he likes it this way...

He said he doesn't like change. He didn't like moving his stuff (or having his stuff moved) to a different location, because when it is moved, it just "feels weird".

This way he knows where everything is (familiarity with their locations).

When I suggested that a filing system would provide the same benefits -- if you're looking for something, just look in the folder for that something, and that's where it should be -- he seemed marginally interested but not very. He also had the decent excuse that he doesn't have a filing cabinet...

From past experience, he knows that any time he puts his papers in a (neat) stack, he won't be able to find [it] again (or he'll forget about it).

When I asked my flatmate David (whose room is so full of stuff that you can barely walk around in it) about it...

He didn't really answer...

But I think he could be organized if he wanted to. He just has so many other things that he'd rather do than organize his room, etc. He manages to produce beautiful paintings and build interesting gadgets, so I know he has the visual/spatial/aesthetic skills necessary to keep his area orderly. He must just not care enough about it to bother.

When I talked to my former dorm roommate Greg (who liked to leave his stuff strewn around all over the floor on his side of the room) about it:

He indicated that he actually likes having his stuff spread out all over the floor...

I think it had something to do with knowing where stuff was (probably because he becomes familiar with it in a certain location) and being able to find stuff more easily. A pretty similar story to Kris...

My dad (whose desk and drawers are not always the most neat and tidy):

When people (like me or my mom) offer to "help" him clean up his desk / drawers, he is at least little bit hesitant to let us even get near them. Because he knows that if he lets somebody else "clean them up" for him, then he won't know where anything is. He's familiar with where stuff is and if we change where stuff is, he will have a hard time finding stuff.

Besides, he probably has some system of organization... it just doesn't appear to be as neat and tidy as the way I would do it.