Making one small change cured my messy ways and made me tidy

Table of Contents

Nah, always have been.

As a teenager, my room was a bit of a mess, so me mum would put a sticky note on me bedroom door warnin' people to steer clear of it for their own good.

Fair dinkum, I reckon in the 15 years since then, I've improved a bit. And I have – my mixed-up drawer's now a tidy thing with a back on it, a chair. Gotta say, it's a step up, mate.

(enemy items are all of a sudden slipping off the chair/there's too many mugs stacked up next to the dishwasher/I'm now down to my last polished pair of pants), I'll take immediate action, spending a half day sorting out these issues and more – throwing in a quick vacuum and tidy around the flat for good measure.

But now that I'm in my 30s, I reckon it's about time I took the next step - to become a tidy bloke.

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This doo-dad was made to help you keep a handle on your work load at the office. It's all about nipping a task in the bud straight away, so you don't have to do the same thing more times than you need to.

For example, when you walk into the office on Monday and notice you've got 50 emails, the OHIO method would have you browse through the emails, decide which ones need immediate priority, take action on the most urgent ones right away, and then tidy up the rest so they can be easily found later on.

I reckon it's been a good few years since I first started using this system at work. I've got folders set up in me email inbox like 'emails to get back to', with a separate ' urgent' option; I also have an 'important' folder for longer-term projects or info I reckon I might want to revisit later.

I s'pose it's fair dinkum I'd give this OHIO method a fair go at home, 'cos it worked a charm at work.

And that meant confronting the lousy habits I'd spent a lifetime creating.

The first thing was just doing handwashing in the kitchen, where I'd regularly uses a tea towel and then chuck it on the counter instead of putting it back on the hook. On day one of OHIO, I had a good chuckle at all the silly things I'd done in the past, and realised it didn't take much more effort to hang the tea towel up in its proper spot.

This little effort made me realise how easily these changes could be made.

It was more about changing my perspective on how much effort it takes to put things in their proper place, and realising the answer was 'not a lot'.

Fair dinkum, instead of chucking me thongs when I got home and shoving 'em under the telly, I'd only have to take a couple of strides to put 'em on the drying rack, which (after following the OHIO rule) is where my jandals are anyway.

Rather than cooking dinner and having to tidy up afterwards, I could chuck all the gear I used – like chopping boards, utensils and bowls – in the dishwasher as I went, so it's all sorted for next time.

I'm giving myself heaps of space on my work surface.

When gettin' ready for bed, I could chuck the clothes I wore that day into the laundry basket instead of tossin' 'em on the chair. Even if I'm knackered, I reckon 60 seconds of effort would be a good tick for me.

For those already part of the tidy people's crew – like my missus – this kind of stuff is as clear as day. Fair dinkum, by doing the dishes as you go, you're saving yourself a whole heap of hassle down the track. Why wouldn't you just chuck in a load as you go?

This method can be bloody handy for relieving the mental grind of a long list of tasks, and for saving your mental energy by helping you decide which goal to chase first.

However, as someone who's had depression before, I know that for others, the OHIO method might seem really far out.

While I generally found I used the same or less energy to do household tasks, there were times I had to put in more effort on the spot.

G'day, I was brushing me teeth and me electric toothbrush started goin' off, tellin' me it was runnin' on flat battery. So I had to grab it and take it to the other room where the power point is, find the charger, and chuck it in. Took a couple of extra minutes out of me mornin', which slowed me down gettin' ready to head out the door. It made sense, I reckon, but it was a bit of a drama.

When I was experience depression, I reckon I would've just let me toothbrush run out of power and kept on using it by hand over the next few days, for all I knew when I'd have enough energy to give it a recharge.

It can be a really tough ask to do chores on the spur of the moment, both physically and mentally – and that's especially challenging for people who have a mental illness or disability, mate.

And fair dinkum, one thing I'll say is a negative of this approach. If you're physically and mentally up to it, it's very easy to get into the swing of things, but it's easily knocked off track because it can feel so demanding and inflexible.

Over the two weeks of trialling the OHIO method, I had an operation, which left me stuck in bed, feeling mentally exhausted, and struggling to get the energy to complete everyday jobs. I didn't think I'd be able to keep on top of cleaning – or do much of anything – during this time, but clutter piled up.

On me first day back in the kitchen, I felt confident to cook dinner, so I got stuck into a few jobs as I went along, but all the extra exertion took a backward step in me recovery cos I pulled something around the entry point. Got to admit, it's me own fault, as I should've taken heed of me body's warning signs, but I was so set on not breakin' an old habit.

And even before my surgery, I've come to realise that there are some glitches in the system – mainly that the other things that need to be done in life keep getting in the way.

During the week, I rise before my partner for work, so I get dressed in the living room. The previous night, I lay out my clothes, leaving a trail of items that are haven't been tidied up – including PJs, makeup, glasses I've exchanged for contact lenses – in my wake. I don't have a choice but to handle the mess twice.

Given, I'm feeling more motivated to tackle that mess as soon as I get home than I was before, but it's still been added to my list of things to do.

All that aside, I've found this approach is influencing other areas of my life for the better. I'm ticking off my to-do list more effectively, I'm utilising my downtime to clean, and in my email inbox, I'm unsubscribing from spam mail as soon as I receive it.

I reckon I'm more responsive to WhatsApps, and even at work, where I thought I had my system dialled in, I've noticed some improvement.

I've worked out that I usually think out a response in me head when I'm readin' an email, so it don't make sense to star movin' it into "to reply to" folder if I've already got the draft planned out in me noggin.

The OHIO system's helped me get a better handle on what I need to do, thanks to focusing on 'why worry about something tomorrow when it can be sorted now?' I no longer spend time worrying about how much work I've got on my plate, and dreading setting aside an entire day for cleaning and other household jobs. My mind feels heaps more relaxed, and I'm stoked to be getting so much done.

Me and me husband have both noticed the difference, to be fair. One day he mentioned to me that he's not been doing as many of the household jobs as he used to, as he's been noticing how on top of things I've seemed lately.

For me, the main challenge will be keepin' the momentum goin' and makin' this a habit, so me first instinct is to chuck in the tea towel instead of havin' to remind meself to get on with it.

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