Flinging Clothes

Do you fling clothes when done for the day? Maeve tells all about her fun habit.

“You must be so organized.” It’s one of the first things people say when we first meet and I share that I’m a home organizer.

I am organized, but that’s because I structure my life in creative ways designed to meet my needs.

Here’s an example, at night I’m prone to flinging clothes over my sliding glass shower doors. It’s a habit I picked up in the late ’90s. New York City nightlife was a cigarette-smoke ridden affair, and I’d come home smelling like bar. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with putting away smoke-infused clothes, so I’d fling them over the shower doors to air out for the night.

The next the morning I’d assess the clothes and either put them away, or get them into my hamper for a wash.

No harm, no foul.

Many hear that an organizer flings clothes and are shocked. They think that behavior like this is classic sloppy, and wouldn’t expect me to do it. But I see it as a harmless act birthed out of need that morphed into a fun lifelong habit. Also, it’s a major stress reliever, it calms me at night rather than hype me up. It turns out, I dread putting clothes away at night. My mind is tired and doesn’t want to deal with lifting or hanging or worse, being triggered by related issues that crop up, like am I overdue for laundry? Or, do those clothes even fit me anymore? In the morning, my mind is fresh. Triggers are a non issue. I can fold, hang, straighten up and even prep for laundry in a blink of an eye. At night, this whole process makes me want to cry.

It’s simple: embrace your habits. Don’t think of them as bad because they go against assumed laws of home organization. If it makes you happy – and doesn’t mess up anyone else’s day – go for it. By the way, a decade later, I’m still flinging… long after the smoke has cleared.

Chime In! What habit do you have that makes you happy, but that someone in your life has condemned. Tell me about it! I’ll help you sort it out.