Organizing and uncluttering as entertainment
When Tetris came onto the video game scene back in the 1980s, it was an instant and addictive hit. To the tune of an electric Russian dance theme, players fit falling polyominoes into one another to clear the board and achieve the most points. Hundreds of millions of people have played and, most likely, enjoyed the game.
Tetris and life have many things in common — there is a constant flow of incoming objects into your space (be it junk mail or consumables), you have to find space and organize those things that come into your space, eventually you get rid of what you have to make room for new objects, and if you don’t do these things you will lose the game (or, rather, become overwhelmed with stuff).
There are many games that have similar organizing and uncluttering themes. In Katamari Damacy players clean up clutter to create stars and planets. With Nintendogs players even have to pick up their pets’ mess when they take their dogs on virtual walks. Actually, most puzzle-type games have some anti-chaos component.
Video games are just one type of entertainment where organizing and uncluttering are themes. Each day in the newspaper, readers can organize numbers with Sudoku and words with Jumble. And, board games like Blokus require organizing skills to win.
If organizing and uncluttering are fun as games and something we do to avoid chores, why are these same activities considered chores in our homes and offices? Why don’t we look forward to putting things away? Why is cleaning up after a dinner party never as much fun as setting up? Have you found ways to make organizing and uncluttering more like a game or other form of entertainment?
23 comments posted
Posted by Max Leibman - 05/03/2010
You make an excellent point. The difference between the two is that we’ve learned to view the mechanics of cleaning and organizing in a certain unfavorable light: I think we tend to associate these tasks with work, chores, etc.–patterns learned in childhood and early adulthood. This makes us dread the process, even though the results are something we crave. I imagine there are few prior associations between the mechanics of puzzle games with hardship or unwanted exertion.
I’ve often reflected on how I went from hating cleaning the kitchen to enjoying it–first I focused on how much better I felt after doing it than before and how much better I liked the space clean. Then, I brought my focus to noticing the progress as I did the dishes, put things away, etc., and clean, open, fresh spaces appeared. Now, several years later, I actually enjoy the whole process.
Posted by Jenni - 05/03/2010
It kind of reminds me of Mary Poppin’s game, “Well Begun is Half Done/Let’s Tidy up the Nursery!”. Unfortunately, I do not have quite the amount of MP’s ‘spoon full of sugar’ enthusiam or optimism about looming chores, but I do try to make chores a competition game of sorts–I often set a timer and try to complete a task before the time runs out.
Posted by Lizard - 05/03/2010
‘Noticing the progress’, as Max put it, has helped me too. In those games, you gain levels, points, or some other reward for each bit of progress. When I pause after each chunk of work to acknowledge my progress (instead of focusing on all the stuff I still need to do) I enjoy the work more, or at least hate it less.
Games are safe from all the world’s tangled up emotions and obligations, though. Some of the stuff I need to unclutter is physically easy to deal with, but carries a psychological weight to it. The jeans that don’t fit me right now could easily be tossed in a bag and dropped off at Goodwill. But what if I lose/gain weight and they’d fit again? Wouldn’t it be better to hang on to them than spend money on new jeans? Tetris doesn’t present those dilemmas. You just have one shape, right now, to deal with.
Posted by lola - 05/03/2010
“Actually, most puzzle-type games have some anti-chaos component…”
What a brilliant analogy, Erin! I love the way your mind works. I swear, I’ve never thought of this before, despite that the fact that these are my favorite types of games and I can play them for hours at a stretch.
“If organizing and uncluttering are fun as games and something we do to avoid chores, why are these same activities considered chores in our homes and offices? Why don’t we look forward to putting things away?”
Epiphany! Chores are not fun because we don’t follow the logical Rules of the Game (Of Organizing): A Place For Everything and Everything In It’s Place. When we have everything that we need and everything has it’s place, chores aren’t so bad… in fact, they’re pretty easy, so we don’t mind doing them. But, when we have too much stuff cluttering our lives, what should be an easy task seems suddenly very hard, insurmountable even.
The next time I have to clean the garage, I’m going to look at it in an entirely new light, like a game of Tetris! LOL. Thanks, Erin!
Posted by chacha1 - 05/03/2010
Noticing the progress is key. Enjoying what you have is equally key. I am “winning” by getting rid of everything that doesn’t please me!
A book I don’t want to read again is clutter. A wineglass that is oversized is clutter. Music I haven’t played, clothes I haven’t worn, an ornament that no longer makes me smile: all clutter.
Finding these things has definitely become a game for me. It’s something I regularly use to challenge myself with: is there anything on this shelf, or in this cabinet, that no longer evokes greater pleasure than a bit of bare space would?
Posted by Rosa - 05/03/2010
Noticing progress is the key – because the difference between life and Katamari (other than the soothing music) is that you can win at Katamari, and life just keeps handing you random crap to deal with.
the other thing, for most of us, is that we don’t have sole control of our spaces – we all live with other people’s stuff, other people’s expectations (how many of us get negative feedback for decluttering? I get a lot of “but what if the kid wants it later/that belonged to my mother!” – or worse “sure you got rid of two carloads of stuff, but we still have a whole attic full!”)
But, under all that, decluttering is very, very satisfying.
Posted by cynthia - 05/03/2010
Actually, I organize my room when I’m stressed. As when I’m REALLY stressed, I organize the entire house: I separate the kitchen utensils in boxes, I arrange the boxes belonging to my housemates, I clear out the recycling bin..you get the idea. In a way, it helps me to relax and de-stress. Going with the concept of your post, perhaps our stress comes from chaos in our daily life, and organizing stuff reduces, albeit not very much, the chaos around us.
Posted by April - 05/03/2010
brilliant analogy! I remember when that vortex of time suckage of a game came out!
Posted by empty - 05/03/2010
I assume that organizing in games is fun and organizing in real life is a chore is that games are way less physically and emotionally demanding. Surely I can’t be the only one who knows people who like to play sports or war games on video but rarely get off the couch in real life. And of course each box in Tetris is interchangeable with all the other boxes; none of them was a gift from your grandmother that your mom will ask about the next time she visits.
Speaking of physical effort, recently I’ve found that having a toddler dump everything out of our drawers every day has made me reassess how much stuff I want around. Every time I put things back in the drawer I keep a little less. Initially I thought that having some smokescreen items (extra shower curtain rings) would keep her from the high-stakes stuff (cellphone) but it turns out: not so much. Unfortunately we can’t easily live without, say, toilet paper. And our 4-year-old gets understandably upset if we place it out of reach so his sister can’t unwind it all over the house.
Posted by Marie - 05/03/2010
I think a finite result also plays into the pleasure of the act. The reason I hate cleaning the floors is because I know there will be dirt on them again in ten minutes. It seems like a waste of energy. In Tetris, you either win the game, or you don’t. It doesn’t start dropping blocks again after you walk away.
Posted by Mike - 05/03/2010
Props for the mention of Blokus. That game is one of the most subtly engrossing tabletop games I’ve played in years. Its only notable drawback, if any, is that you really do need four players for a competitive match.
Part of what makes cleaning more difficult than the Zen pleasure of Tetris is that the “pieces” one is cleaning up rarely fit perfectly or reliably into available storage modules. But that won’t stop most of us from trying.
Posted by penguinlady - 05/03/2010
I occasionally play World of Warcraft, and my husband laughs at me because I like to “clean” – if you have the Skinning and Herbing professions, you will find something on the screen and make it go away. For example, if there are several dead animals in a field, by skinning them, the carcasses will disappear. He kills ‘em and I follow around behind and clean ‘em up. I find it very satisfying – almost more than killing things!
Posted by Erin - 05/03/2010
I’m new to following Unclutterer, and as a result have no tips to give. More of the student than the teacher!
But I had to tell you, I LOVE the comparison of organizing to tetris. What a visual! Thank you.
Posted by Allison - 05/03/2010
Haha, Re: Penguinlady–
My organizationally-obsessed fiance used to like nothing more on WoW than to organize his spells and the items in his sack!
Posted by Another Deb - 05/03/2010
Now all I want to do is play Tetris for five or six hours….
Posted by Ralph - 05/04/2010
I love the fact that Tetris can be a teacher of life. I’ve never thought of it from this point of view before. Thanks
Posted by Adventure-Some Matthew - 05/04/2010
Similar to Cynthia, I do my best cleaning when I am avoiding homework/studying… focus on the lesser of two evils.
Realistically, I don’t hate cleaning. I don’t even dislike most of it. The dread comes from the anticipation. Once I get started actually working, I get lost in the work and don’t mind what I am doing.
Posted by Tiffany - 05/04/2010
Hm, maybe I should start playing the Katamari Damacy music next time I clean the house.
Posted by L. - 05/04/2010
What Lizard and lola said. Tetris is satisfying because it’s so simple and and not tied to any emotional issues. Real-life organizing is totally the opposite … for each item you have to make a decision, and often that’s tied to a lot of complicated emotional issues–nostalgia, the compulsion to save in case of unknown need, etc. In fact, thinking about it this way makes me realize why it is so hard to organize at home.
I suspect it becomes a lot more fun for people like you, Erin, who have managed to take a more uncomplicated, decisive, or emotionally detached approach to organization.
I also agree that cleaning is unfun because of its never-ending nature.
Posted by Kat - 05/04/2010
I was hoping, from the name of this post, that the focus would be more along the lines of “have some friends over (entertaining) and have an un-clutter party”, but I’m happy I stopped by.
Is there a connection between those who get lost in games like Tetris for hours, and those who are willing to begin the uncluttering in their homes? It seems as though everyone here enjoys this type of game and is looking for ways to organize. Perhaps those who let things pile up (ie hoarders) detest these types of games… Sounds like a good topic for a research paper.
Posted by Ruth - 05/05/2010
I often listen to the Katamari Damacy soundtrack when I clean just because it’s so upbeat. I can’t believe I never noticed that it is basically a game about cleaning, too…
Posted by Anita - 05/05/2010
@Mike — they have Blokus Duo, for 2 players. Not quite as challenging as the 4-player version, but still fun
Apart from what has already been said, one more big reason why cleaning is a chore rather than a game: you don’t HAVE TO play Tetris when you don’t feel like it. You can put your Blokus away whenever you’re fed up with it, with absolutely no consequence on your life.
Just the obligation you feel to clean/tidy up can be a major turn-off, whereas games are seen as an escape from obligation. Cleaning only becomes a “game” when it is seen as an escape from something else — from a more difficult task, from studying for exams, from stress…
Posted by jen - 05/15/2010
http://www.pbfcomics.com/archi.....me_Boy.gif
Image related.
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