|
Clutter related to dyscalculia?
|
| Lostinspatial |
Posted on June 13 2008 12:15 PM
|
Member
Location: That would require me to know where I was
Posts: 429
Joined: 2008-06-08
|
I'm not sure if this is related to dyscalculia, but I thought I'd run it by here & see what people think. If I don't see something on a surface, I tend to forget it's there. So my desk at work is a scary pile of papers (vs. a nicely organized filing system) At home, make up and whatever else is on the dresser instead of in it.
Also, if I don't put things (e.g. car keys) in the same place every time, I have trouble finding them. In my pocketbook, the keys go one place, the wallet another, the work ID another & the MetroCard another. If I have to move them for any reason or change bags, it really confuses me.
Now as long as I stick to my system, I can find things and though it may not appear orderly to the outsider, it makes sense to me. Fortunately where I work now, they're tolerant of my system, but I've worked in places in the past where all surfaces had to be clear. I always found it much harder to stay organized & focused.
Edited by Lostinspatial on June 13 2008 12:17 PM |
| |
|
|
| Toe_Nail |
Posted on June 13 2008 02:58 PM
|
Member
Location: No value
Posts: 915
Joined: 2006-08-13
|
Lisa_F wrote:
I'm not sure if this is related to dyscalculia, but I thought I'd run it by here & see what people think. If I don't see something on a surface, I tend to forget it's there. So my desk at work is a scary pile of papers (vs. a nicely organized filing system) At home, make up and whatever else is on the dresser instead of in it.
Is this related to dyscalculia? I think yes and no.
My explanation:
Time and space are intimately linked. If time wouldn't exist, space wouldn't exist and if space wouldn't exist, time wouldn't exist (that's a Universal law of physics)
This said, someone who has trouble with the concept of time (like a dyscalculic for instance) will have a certain degree of difficulties organizing, planning, scheduling, managing time. Since time and space are intimately linked, it is to be predicted that this person may also experience difficulties organizing, planning, managing his work space and such for a number of possible reasons such as for instance: Out of failling to mannage time properly, this person may be in a constant rush, always do things quickly, not taking the time to put things back in their place.
But then again, not all dyscalculics are disorderly and not all disorderly people are dyscalculics. In fact some dyscalculics might try to compensate by being extremely, zealously organized but fail to complete tasks on time cause they take too long organizing themselves - Finally, some non-dyscalculic people can be disorderly because of a number of other factors such as stress, emotional problems or just lazyness (to name a few) So let's not generalize.
As long as you can work/function that way, it's fine and here's a quote that you might enjoy:
"Someone who is tidy is just too lazy for searching" 
On the other hand if you're dyscalculic, disorderly and have selective visual attention difficulties (like I do) or again ground/figure visual perception problems, then you might have a bit of a problem. For instance you can't find your keys even if they are right in front of nose since you have trouble distinguishing your keys from the clutter all around (A little bit like playing "Find Waldo"  ) So you're going to search the house 10 times, putting things even more upside-down than they were before, only to find your keys very obviously sitting on your desk which happens to be the first place you looked, plus 10 more times. You have to be extremely disciplined by always putting your keys at the same place but it's difficult to discipline yorself because you're naturally disorderly; you have difficulty managing time and space efficiently. Plus, you cannot work efficiently if you have selective visual attention difficulties because the clutter around constantly distracts your attention.
It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer -- Albert Einstein |
| |
|
|
| jacquiw |
Posted on November 27 2008 08:10 AM
|
Member
Location: No value
Posts: 26
Joined: 2008-05-14
|
Hey Lisa you have to be my twin sister ! LOL! I do that to. |
| |
|
|
| justfoundout |
Posted on November 27 2008 06:04 PM
|
Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 6103
Joined: 2008-05-25
|
11/27/08
Yes, Lisa_, if I don't see something on a surface I tend to forget it's there, too. And then I go buy a duplicate of whatever I don't see on the surface. So there we have it. - justfoundout |
| |
|
|
| Lostinspatial |
Posted on December 11 2008 04:18 PM
|
Member
Location: That would require me to know where I was
Posts: 429
Joined: 2008-06-08
|
Ha, I bought a new handbag & it took me a month to stop panicking that I'd lost my wallet/work id/metrocard because the bag was arranged slightly differently!
Edited by Lostinspatial on December 11 2008 04:18 PM |
| |
|
|
| justfoundout |
Posted on December 12 2008 03:52 AM
|
Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 6103
Joined: 2008-05-25
|
12/11/08
I know that what I'm about to tell is a little 'off message'. One time I'd come home and taken my wallet out of my purse. (I'm ruining my own story by telling this, but I just don't feel like setting it up properly.) Later, I went to my purse for my wallet, and seeing that it wasn't there, I called (fighting against panic) and cancelled all three of my credits cards. By then, I was so tired and sleepy that I decided to go to bed and worry about Drivers License and SS# the next day. As I lay down in bed, and slid my hand under the pillow,... yeah, the wallet. - jus' |
| |
|
|
| silkworm |
Posted on January 31 2009 03:57 AM
|
Member
Location: No value
Posts: 13
Joined: 2009-01-27
|
Lostinspatial wrote:
I'm not sure if this is related to dyscalculia, but I thought I'd run it by here & see what people think. If I don't see something on a surface, I tend to forget it's there. So my desk at work is a scary pile of papers (vs. a nicely organized filing system) At home, make up and whatever else is on the dresser instead of in it.
Also, if I don't put things (e.g. car keys) in the same place every time, I have trouble finding them. In my pocketbook, the keys go one place, the wallet another, the work ID another & the MetroCard another. If I have to move them for any reason or change bags, it really confuses me.
Now as long as I stick to my system, I can find things and though it may not appear orderly to the outsider, it makes sense to me. Fortunately where I work now, they're tolerant of my system, but I've worked in places in the past where all surfaces had to be clear. I always found it much harder to stay organized & focused.
I have this problem even at home .
Unless there is something there to remind of where things should go like box or something I more often than not end up getting confused and just leaving it i.e. thinking I'll remember when I dont.
Edited by silkworm on January 31 2009 03:57 AM |
| |
|
|
| RottieWoman |
Posted on January 31 2009 05:23 AM
|
Member
Location: No value
Posts: 3044
Joined: 2008-12-31
|
what lostinspatial wrote sounds soooooo much like my husband it;s uncanny. I've wondered recently if he <hubby> has non-verbal <undiagnosed> LD. |
| |
|
|
| Laura |
Posted on January 31 2009 11:44 AM
|
Member
Location: Scotland
Posts: 1229
Joined: 2006-11-16
|
Oh god yes clutter is my middle name
I am a nightmare my bedroom is so cluttered, its messy but not too messy. My mum keeps saying to me "are you a squater" heehee!!!
I know where everything is and i know when someone has took something from my room
However in work i am a clean freak, i love cleaning the office and the guys's houses. I go so far as to scrub all the skirting boards when i am on Night Shift as it kills your 10 hours heehee!!! My mate thinks its my OCD coming out but when i told her about my bedroom she just couldn't understand it
BEEN THERE DONE THAT, GOT THE T-SHIRT |
| |
|
|
| justfoundout |
Posted on September 22 2010 10:59 PM
|
Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 6103
Joined: 2008-05-25
|
9/22/10
I've been thinking about all the 'excess books' that I own and how I might organize them, or even pare them down. I found this article online called How to Organize Books. Not everything in the list would be practical for me, but I do like the idea of making a Spreadsheet with the title, author, and ISBN of each book. Here's the link. - jus'
http://www.ehow.c...books.html |
| |
|
|
| brack02 |
Posted on September 23 2010 07:51 AM
|
Member
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 84
Joined: 2005-12-09
|
I'm just the same with 'clutter' and not seeing things right in front of me or 'misplacing' stuff just because either i or someone else has moved it even if it is in the same drawer but has been moved along by one compartment in the drawer tidy. i know where i used to work people always used to be really bemused by the 'mess' on my desk, i did have to explain several times that if i'm in the middle of doing something and i get interrupted by the phone (which then no doubts leads on to another job whilst still trying to do the first) or a meeting then i have to leave the first job i was doing open on the desk and put the 2nd on the go job on top (or the 1st one has to be still open and close by) otherwise if i just close the book/catalogue/invoices or whatever i'm doing, put it to the side, i will then forget i was doing it and it remains unfinished until i remember that i was part way through it (then it takes me a while to remember what i was doing, how i was doing it and where id got to). My desk was always tidy at both ends of the day.
I have always thought it was my dyscalculia causing my pile management and having to leave things open, i know it drives other round the bend but it is the only way i can work and it always appears organised to me, i know where i am with things and where everything is but the minute i have to tidy up, then forget it i end up not being able to locate simple things such as pens etc. it might be messy or at least appear that way but not many people actually ask "Why" is it like that, just that it shouldn't be.
I have often found it interesting that people don't ask why or think that there might be a reason behind it due to the dyscalculia, they just see a mess. Like i think it was Geoff (sorry if wrongly attributed) once said "Dyscalculics don't do file management we do PILE management". If i couldn't have my pile management system going i'd be very lost!! |
| |
|
|
| squeakymonster |
Posted on October 12 2010 08:34 PM
|
Member
Location: Munising, MI, USA
Posts: 791
Joined: 2010-10-09
|
While I have yet to be diagnosed, I do think that my organizational skills (or lack there of ) might be related to the way my brain is wired. I find it impossible to keep my room organized, my binder may or may not be organized, and if it is, it's a miracle. On the other hand, *I* know where things are, even if it looks like a disaster area. hmm... interesting to know I'm not the only one out there like taht. |
| |
|
|
| justfoundout |
Posted on October 12 2010 11:54 PM
|
Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 6103
Joined: 2008-05-25
|
10/12/10
I'm reading a book called "What's a (dis)Organized Person to Do?" It gives a website where you can list 200 of your books for free, to keep track of what you have. www.librarything.com I've looked at the site, and I'm thinking of doing this. - jus' |
| |
|
|
| justfoundout |
Posted on October 13 2010 12:57 AM
|
Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 6103
Joined: 2008-05-25
|
10/12/10
News flash! Be aware that whatever you write as your book's Tag will show up visible publicly, along with the name of the book that you've listed,... though 'you' won't be shown publicly unless you want to be. Yes, I just registered there. - jus'
Edited by justfoundout on October 13 2010 12:57 AM |
| |
|
|
| Riker |
Posted on November 25 2010 04:42 PM
|
Member
Location: No value
Posts: 23
Joined: 2010-11-25
|
My room is in utter chaos. Yet I'm a sufferer of OCD. Very frustrating in fact because it only caters to intensify my OCD yet I can't seem organize it very well.
Interestingly enough I watched a documentary last night called: kara tointon: Don't call me stupid. kara tointon suffers from dyslexia, she was on a quest to find out why she struggled with words so much and wanted to begin reading books but struggled too much. She was searching for new ways of learning words so she could perhaps read more books. One thing she explored was the fact that she was a very cluttered person and she wondered if it had anything to do with her Dyslexia. It was. I realise Dyslexia with words is not dyscalculia but I think it's somewhat similar. It was an interesting documentary. I'm sure it'll be repeated on bbc 3 plenty more times. |
| |
|
|
| Pirullinen |
Posted on April 12 2011 08:03 AM
|
Member
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Posts: 40
Joined: 2010-10-14
|
I've wondered about this my whole life.
I am the most disorganized person I've ever met. When I dress in the morning, I leave all the drawers in my dresser open - wide open... the same thing goes for closet doors, boxes with lids etc. I cannot keep my room tidy at all, it is virtually impossible.
My mum says she can't understand why I do all these thing because both my parents are neat freaks. I think it could have to do with that, that I'm somehow doing the opposite of what they do, or it could be my dyscalculia. I spend a lot of money buying really nice furniture and I've searched around for ages to get the perfect artwork for my walls. I'm really into decorating, but this interest collides catastrophically with the clutter!
The strange thing is that I love systems. I love cataloguing things, like my CD collection and all my books. I love making lists and so on - problem is that when I'm done with those lists, I don't throw them out, I just leave them lying around until the day my room is so messy that I have to clean up. I have shelves put up for my books, but all the book are on my bed or on the floor because I forget to put them back...
I'm not a hoarder or slob or anything, and I clean the floors and dust several times a week because I have a cat. But I don't put things back in their place.
I tried to make a system for my laundry that would make it easier for me to separate the colours and the things that can go in the dryer. It failed (obviously!)
|
| |
|
|
| mountain |
Posted on April 12 2011 12:33 PM
|
Member
Location: Australia
Posts: 12
Joined: 2011-03-08
|
Hi Pirullinen,
I've met my match! At first I thought this site was soley for Dyscalculia..& yet there are branches of problem areas that stem from this disability.., like messy, chaotic rooms!
The funny this is, that I LOVE cleanliness and order.. But I can't get my brain around actually getting 3 loads of washing into their individual spots. It takes loads of emotional & mental energy to tidy all the sock drawers and shoes.
Untidy houses really drain me, so it's important that I make time to dedicate about 1 full day to systematically tidying.."A place for everything,& everything in it's place..!"
Interesting to learn that Dyscalculia & untidiness may be related.
(from an outsiders point of view I'm sure it looks like a bunch of brilliant excuses for being lazy & messy! God knows, i know, its not true. Hehe!) |
| |
|
|
| Pirullinen |
Posted on April 12 2011 01:00 PM
|
Member
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Posts: 40
Joined: 2010-10-14
|
mountain: I love when it's tidy too! When I finally manage to clean up everything and put all the things back where they belong, I'm in heaven! However, like you say, cleaning up takes an extreme amount of strength from my side, and often I find myself having headaches and breaking a sweat when I have to put the t-shirts in the right drawer and the makeup back in the box etc.
When I return from holidays where I've had luggage with me, the bags will just sit on my floor for weeks before I get around to washing the clothes or even unpacking the souvenirs...
Right now I have the hoover in the middle of the room. I took it out three days ago to clean the kitchen (I live with two roommates and we take turns cleaning) and then for some reason I could not be bothered to put it back in the cupboard, so now it's in my room. It won't be going back until someone else needs to use it
In general I try to tackle the clutter by throwing things out. If I haven't worn some clothes for two or three weeks and it's just lying at the bottom of the drawer, I'll throw it out to make room for the clean clothes that I have lying in a pile on the floor |
| |
|
|
| justfoundout |
Posted on April 12 2011 09:50 PM
|
Member
Location: Texas USA
Posts: 6103
Joined: 2008-05-25
|
4/12/11
I'll start with what I'm really 'good at',... when I use art supplies, I'm very consciencious about washing all the paint out of brushes before leaving them to dry. I wouldn't think of leaving the cap off of anything that could dry out or harden. If I spill something, I clean it up right away. I remove and replace the caps on my marker pens even while I have them out using them. But why, with all the labeled file boxes that I have,... and all the accordion folders that I have,... can I never remember to put my 'paid bills' in just one spot? - jus'
Edited by justfoundout on April 13 2011 06:39 PM |
| |
|
|
| Kathy |
Posted on April 13 2011 03:11 AM
|
Member
Location: Bribie Island Queensland Australia
Posts: 407
Joined: 2005-04-03
|
Hi guys,
I'm a library technician - enough said - all books in their order on the shelves thanks! and straight! - now for my computer - no logic to my filing, stuff saved everywhere, every icon you can imagine on my desktop as is all my favourites (AAh so thats where my dyscalculia comes out!!)LOL
Albert Einstein said: "Many of the things you can count, don't count. Many of the things you can't count, really count!." |
| |
|
