# Does being a *P* require a messy room?



## Antagonist (Mar 27, 2009)

I'm completely P, but my room is always neat. I also keep a neat workspace. My physical appearance is another matter. Perhaps because I don't have to see it.


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## Diet Aether (Mar 24, 2009)

I spend like... one day a month cleaning my room, then i do my best to not destroy it TOO much until the next chance i get to clean. it usually falls on the same day as laundry and dishes so i can be super productive, feel good about it, and then slack off for weeks.


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## KerryLee (Jan 22, 2009)

I'm a P and I don't like disorganised mess. I hate cleaning and tidying, I'm not very productive that way but I have to have things in "their homes" I don't like living in mess, though I do if motivation is low, but then I'm very unhappy about the said mess. Tidying up makes me feel so much better. I'm not a clean freak though, I'm not all "oo I must clean my skirting boards and dust the ceiling" That's craziness :tongue: ..oh may I add this is only in my personal surroundings, I couldn't care less whether others are clean and organised. I opt for avoiding making mess to tidying mess but often end up tidying after a stint of letting things slide :crazy: my thinking is a mess! I just make it up as I go along..


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## Everett Marx (Mar 23, 2009)

I remember being sent to a time-management seminar in grad school. I had so much stuff on the table in front of me before going out for a drink of water that, in my absence, the facilitator placed two packets there, assuming two people must be sitting at the table. When I said, "It's just me," she said, "You're what we call Everything Out." I've often recalled that phrase: Everything Out. If it's put away, I'll forget about it. I want everything out where I can see it. 

Curiously, though, I cannot stand to be around someone who is messier than I am. I need to be The Messy One in the relationship...


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## moon (Nov 29, 2008)

I wish I still had the pictures my mom took of my room when I was fifteen.


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## Ćerulean (Nov 18, 2008)

I wish I still had the pictures my mom took of my room when I was fifteen.

:tongue:


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## de l'eau salée (Nov 10, 2008)

Yeah, I've got an extremely messy room, and it doesn't mesh well with a neat-freak J parent. She's trying to turn me into a clean, neat person like her, but it's impossible, and she hasn't realized that yet. Whenever I clean my room, it returns to its old position a day later. Cleaning is evil :K


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## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

Everett Marx said:


> I remember being sent to a time-management seminar in grad school. I had so much stuff on the table in front of me before going out for a drink of water that, in my absence, the facilitator placed two packets there, assuming two people must be sitting at the table. When I said, "It's just me," she said, "You're what we call Everything Out." I've often recalled that phrase: Everything Out. If it's put away, I'll forget about it. I want everything out where I can see it.
> 
> Curiously, though, I cannot stand to be around someone who is messier than I am. I need to be The Messy One in the relationship...


I'd never heard that before, but I am definitely an "Everything Out" person, for exactly that reason. I feel that if I put things away, I will forget about them. Usually, it is a valid concern because my memory is terrible.


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## Closet Extrovert (Mar 11, 2009)

Let me say this:
I'm tidy when I feel like it. (Which is almost never...)
Btw...Diet Aether...I like your avatar...


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## TheHappyMinority (Nov 3, 2008)

I have had periods where my house and my room are completely gross, I can't walk to the bed without stepping on mystery things, and hearing things break. Problem is it really frustrates me after a while. I used to let it get so bad that it was a bit overwhelming not knowing where to start to do the mission clean up. 
But... I have very much changed my ways and make much more of an effort to keep it clean. I usually do a big clean to get it back up to standard at least once a week. My house has been mostly clean for about 4 months, gasp! Every now and then it's a disastor that lasts for about 2-3 days before I freak and clean up again. That's about a once a month occurence. I'm pretty proud of my progress :laughing:


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## Dr. Metallic (Nov 15, 2008)

I have an ENFP friend who keeps his room EXTREMELY neat. The books are stacked in line, clothes are hung up properly, and there's usually always a candle on the warmer. Everything is "just so."

Can any ENFPs or friends of ENFPs comment?


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## starri (Jan 23, 2009)

JoeMetallic said:


> I have an ENFP friend who keeps his room EXTREMELY neat. The books are stacked in line, clothes are hung up properly, and there's usually always a candle on the warmer. Everything is "just so."
> 
> Can any ENFPs or friends of ENFPs comment?


I have surface chaos.
But everything is organized in the closet and in the drawers. there is a drawer for everything and if they get jumpled it's not pretty.

I know an ENFP who is much neater than me. but her N is low.. extremely low.

If it was up to me I'd keep the room tidy, but the stuff is too much:tongue:


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## KerryLee (Jan 22, 2009)

Yep I can be a little anal sometimes (I'm ENFP) but I never accomplish the neatness I seek, my pegs colour coordinate for example and I hang them 'just so' on the line, but if I have an even number of a certain colour it's okay that they don't match and if I'm rushing they go on any old how..I don't know if any of these thigns count but...things have to have a place and be neat and tidy to keep me at ease, but I'm also so laid back and lazy that I'm messy much too   ...is this being torn anything to do with me testing50/50 P/J in paragon test?


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## starri (Jan 23, 2009)

KerryLee said:


> Yep I can be a little anal sometimes (I'm ENFP) but I never accomplish the neatness I seek, my pegs colour coordinate for example and I hang them 'just so' on the line, but if I have an even number of a certain colour it's okay that they don't match and if I'm rushing they go on any old how..I don't know if any of these thigns count but...things have to have a place and be neat and tidy to keep me at ease, but I'm also so laid back and lazy that I'm messy much too   ...is this being torn anything to do with me testing50/50 P/J in paragon test?


ah i have a really high J too..


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## Zaria (Jan 11, 2009)

Here it varies. Or my room is extremly neat or it's an extreme mess. It's like some kind of wave. I start out clean and after a while I become sloppy, especially when life is becoming too busy. Then there's that moment that I freak out about my mess and start cleaning and tidying up like some idiotic loon (and when I say idiotic loon, I mean idiotic loon). When I look around me right now I think that moment is coming very soon, btw. :tongue:

I have to say I have friends who are much messier than I am, so what I call a mess is already quite clean and tidy in comparison to what I've seen at other places. I love chaos, but that's merely chaos in my head or my surroundings, like when I have to do 50 things at one time. When it comes to my desk or my house, I prefer to keep my things in order and I definitely don't have a high J, I'm as P as one can get. But if it's really messy and I don't have time to clean, I'm not really minding the mess. It's just like when the busy days are over, I suddenly get bored and see the mess I created and start cleaning like mad.


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## moon (Nov 29, 2008)

JoeMetallic said:


> I have an ENFP friend who keeps his room EXTREMELY neat. The books are stacked in line, clothes are hung up properly, and there's usually always a candle on the warmer. Everything is "just so."
> 
> Can any ENFPs or friends of ENFPs comment?


My ENFP cousin kind of struggles with her room upkeep. The floor is clear but only because everything is piled in her closet or on top of her dresser, or on the chair & sometimes her bed


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## Sidewalk Balloonatic (Mar 10, 2009)

On the occassions that I do clean up I tend to over do it. It's probably a day's job for me, not because I am so messy or because I procrastinate but because I spend too much time on stupid irrelevant details like aligning things correctly on my desk or flattening every single wrinkle out of my bed sheets. So even when my J side manifests it does so in an unhealthy and impractical manner. It's probably trying to make up for all the time it must spend as second fiddle to my P... spiteful bastard. :dry:

I have a few ENFP friends but haven't seen their rooms. My mother is ENFP though and I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen her house actually clean and orderly. Her house is really small though compared to the amount of people living in it, so there isn't much place to put anything, and it probably gets messy again the second she finishes cleaning.


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## Questionable (Mar 15, 2009)

My room is always tidy. I used to be messy, but that changed a couple of years ago for some reason.


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## Rainy (Mar 16, 2009)

My room can be very messy. I like it to be neat and clean, but I can sometimes completely miss the fact that my bed isn't made, I haven't put my clothes away...when I notice I clean though :happy: Growing up cleaning my room was so hard and took huge amounts of time- I would always get caught in a book!


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## TheHappyMinority (Nov 3, 2008)

Cuddle Donor said:


> On the occassions that I do clean up I tend to over do it. It's probably a day's job for me, not because I am so messy or because I procrastinate but because I spend too much time on stupid irrelevant details like aligning things correctly on my desk or flattening every single wrinkle out of my bed sheets. So even when my J side manifests it does so in an unhealthy and impractical manner. It's probably trying to make up for all the time it must spend as second fiddle to my P... spiteful bastard. :dry:


This sounds like me. Today I actually caught myself wishing I had one of those leveling bars to make sure my pictures were straight. Among other ridiculous things I did today, I changed bed sheets and quilt covers on 2 beds about 6 times, just trying to get the right 'feel' about a room that's only going to be needed for a week. I tend to move something and then go back to the doorway to look at it to make sure the move I made is right, then fuss over something else and go take another look, just to be sure. If it doesn't look right, I might start from scratch if I can't make my original vision work. I'm awful at trying to go through my massive piles of paperwork because I keep finding interesting things and getting massively side tracked. I obsess about cleaning behind and underneath things, on top of things, inside things, on the sides of things. Me knowing it isn't completely clean will wreck the whole thing. Besides, what if a guest comes over and decides to completely reorganise my furniture and go through all my cupboards and drawers? Hey, it could happen!...

It's a bit sad, really... Oh well.


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## Lilsnowy (Sep 9, 2009)

I used to a perfectionist to meet the demands of others but I got over it. Now I keep things somewhat neat, and comfortable; I don't worry anymore about a few things lying around the house or a few dishes in the sink. I will keep the kitchen pretty clean though except for the mail area. I like clean but not perfect.


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## rose (Feb 22, 2009)

alizée le fluff said:


> I want an option * I am messy, but I need a non-messy environment to function*


Me, too. I try to keep order but unless I'm at work or doing it for someone else, I end up with a creative mess. In a very short time it's too messy even for me. 

Deeply sad today I found that I have misplaced my most beloved i-pod -- which means it's time to do a thorough tidy sweep. Darn.

I know some people are naturally orderly. They love to clean and organize. 

This thread made me think for the first time that being very P, maybe my "creatively messy order" is part of who I am. Years ago someone tried dto make me feel better by pointing out that I do create order but it's not the typical kind that most people seem to do. 

In fact, being in homes where things are totally orderly and nothing looks like relaxed in living makes me a bit uneasy!!! So, in conclusion I guess being too orderly, not obsessive, in everything has to be in the right place can be annoying for some like me; just as my messiness can make me self-consciously embarrassed with some people. Thoughts to ponder....ugh, tomorrow to clean with a mission of finding the missing i-pod, I pray.


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## Ambivert (Jan 20, 2010)

If my space gets too messy I just start chucking stuff in the bin! Dont like to be posessed by posessions. All I need is a bowl and an orange robe (and an iMac) LOL :laughing:


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## mrkedi (Nov 19, 2009)

well, im leaning on the J side and my room always look like it is run over by a tornado... :blushed:


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## Shanty (Jan 19, 2010)

My room(s) are always messy ... unless you see them within 2 days of a REALLY violent cleaning! My stuff stays pretty cluttered until I get annoyed with it and clean it top-to-bottom.


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## Aerorobyn (Nov 11, 2009)

Tell me what you think: 







































Honestly, I like a clean room. But a bit of messy doesn't bother me. I can clean it, and then have it junked up again in a week. I'm too lazy to clean, because it's not something I really notice all the time. But I may go ahead and clean it sometime this weekend...maybe. 

Also, yes my bed is partially broken, due to me jumping on it a few days ago. 

NOTE: I am ONLY messy and uncaring when it comes to my own personal places. If it is a place that everybody can see (such as the kitchen, living room, bathroom, etc), it really needs to be clean. Not ****-and-span, but decent enough.


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## Dichotomy (Sep 5, 2009)

I find it takes almost zero effort to keep things tidy, if you do it as you go along, and I'm pretty lazy! It's also easier to keep things clean, if things aren't cluttered.

If J'ness was about tidiness, I'd score over 90% J. I find mess and clutter incredibly distracting, and am totally obsessed with symmetry. I might leave things out that I use a lot, so long as they are neatly arranged on the desk.


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## Darity (Dec 17, 2009)

I'm very messy. I'm damn lazy when it comes to cleaning, it's horrible. 
Well, everyone else thinks it's horrible, I actually don't care :laughing:


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## Ambivert (Jan 20, 2010)

Aerorobyn, your room isn't *too* bad. I can still see alot of floor space so it is somewhat tidy. Closet needs a clean though LOL
Yard sale anyone?! :laughing:


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## Korvyna (Dec 4, 2009)

You know what the great thing about pictures of a messy room is... You can see what kind of stuff they have... Like... Is that a thighmaster that I see in Aerorobyn's pics? :laughing:


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## Aerorobyn (Nov 11, 2009)

Korvyna said:


> You know what the great thing about pictures of a messy room is... You can see what kind of stuff they have... Like... Is that a thighmaster that I see in Aerorobyn's pics? :laughing:


roud: A gals gotta do _something_ productive in here spare time!


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## thisisme (Apr 11, 2010)

totally they kick you out otherwise.


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## benfoldsfive dude (Nov 24, 2009)

I don't think it does. I'm an INFP, and my room is organized. However, it's just dusty and unpolished.


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## Psilocin (Feb 23, 2009)

Hell no.
I'm an IXXP and my room isn't a mess.

Then again, there's just the computer, my bed sitting on the ground , a few books and some paraphernalia lying around...


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## Ninja Duck (Aug 4, 2010)

I've definitely become less organized as time has gone on, but when I was a kid I kept my room obsessively clean. Everything had to be in its specific place or I would freak out. I used to identify as INFJ, though, so... I don't really know. J vs. P is where I feel like there's the most discrepancy in me. But I consistently lean more towards P, even though I like to keep things neat. If my space is cluttered, my mind feels cluttered as well.


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## Linnifae (Nov 13, 2009)

I PREFER organization. I'm just really bad at it. :bored: I go through spurts where I'm very organized and then other spurts in which I'm messy. It's a never ending battle. It seems I can focus better in a tidy enivornment. Clutter makes me feel aggitated and makes my ADD go nuts for some reason.


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## Xplosive (Mar 4, 2010)

P = most comfortable being adaptive (Ne, Ti, Fi, Se)
J = most comfortable being directive (Ni, Si, Fe, Te)

...that is all...


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## kibou (Apr 22, 2010)

I__Ps in my experience can have clean, but untouched rooms.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

I don't think it does require one to have a messy room necessarily. I'm hesitant to say that because it seems like some people focus so much on cleanliness when looking at J/P and questioning their type. And I don't think that's a good way to go about it at all...

For me: Some people may consider my room messy. I know my mom does. She wants everything to have a certain place, and to me that just seems like overkill. If I can find my things, I don't see the point in wasting my time with that...
And it's not like I would let my room go to total hell or anything. I may 'clean my room' and think it looks fine, but my mom comes in and thinks it's still a mess :frustrating:
One other thing: I prefer for things to be slightly cluttered, for some reason.


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## Nomenclature (Aug 9, 2009)

There is no untidiness in my room-- there is only a lack of sufficient storage furniture. :mellow:

Okay, seriously-- Now that I'm somewhat grown up (hah, WAY more than my twelve-year-old self when I last redecorated and didn't have much of a choice because my parents are cheap skates) I will NEVER, EVER choose price as the main focus for furniture shopping.

The end result of that was that I only had this cutesy little dresser for clothing storage. Let's look at why I now take issue to having ANY chest of drawers:

I have way too many clothes.
Ironically and much to my parents' dismay, I can't freaking find anything when it's all tucked away and "neat"-- I _need _accessibility.
I actually care about matching my outfits, so again, being able to see my clothes is important. That and I absolutely refuse to reduce my wardrobe.

My solution when my parents gave me a "spree" at Ikea this summer:









Look at that... all those separate compartments, AND I can see all my clothes VERTICALLY when I'm deciding what to wear-- they're not spread all over the floor, they're spread all over the wall!

I love my floor space. <3 roud: I'm even going to throw my bed out because it's a monstrosity in my room that I'll only ever use when unconscious. :tongue:

So having said all of that, I like the appearance of minimalism and/or emptiness, but my idea of "practical" easily overpowers my inclination to be tidy.


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