Why aren't men more organised?

[marshlander]

I've just spent 5 minutes looking for a nail! OH is out so I've braved the unknown territory otherwise known as the garage looking for a picture pin or nail as a pic came down while dusting. (Found 4 pic hooks but was told a week ago we didn't have any!)

Where to start? There's tins full, drawers full, jars full you name it, he's filled it with every size and shape of screw nail, fuse, half hinges, bits and bobs and gernaral cr4p! When is he ever going to use 1 ft of overflow or 2" of copper tube?

Is it a man thing or are any of you girls guilty of hoarding so called useful stuff too? And is it organised?

[Millymollymandy]

I'm afraid to say that my potting shed is a complete mess and very very dirty.

My husband's garage and barn are clean(ish) and hugely well organised and labelled and everything is in boxes on shelves and very organised. It puts me to shame!

[Bluemoon]

The reason is simple. Whenever my OH starts a job it means a 20 minute rummage through the shed first. Then after a short time he has to dash back to the shed to find the correct screwdriver, then (after several attempts) he decides that he's never going to find the correct screwdriver so he'll use a different screw instead. Different screw is too big, ergo he needs the drill, drill isn't charged thus requiring an hour's wait. During that hour does he try to locate the drill bits? No, he does a sudoku. Further 20 minute rummage for the drill bits is followed by a 'quick cuppa', which is then followed by a trip to the hardware shop for some rawlplugs. Hardware shop bag contains sandpaper, turps, a bit of wood for the shed window, and a new padlock for the greenhouse......but no rawlplugs. OK, back to the hardware shop, but a sandwich first as it's now lunchtime. Finally he returns from hardware shop again armed with a new screwdriver to fit the original screw, but he'll have to do the job tomorrow now as it's nearly time for work. Aaaaaaaaaaaaghhhh. I swear he does this so I'll only ask him to do something if it's 1) completely beyond my very limited DIY skills, and 2) I'm really, really desperate.

[Ellendra]

If you think that's disorganized, you haven't seen my sewing corner :p

[LBR]

Maybe it's a generational thing. My father knows where all his tools are. The nails, screws, bolts, and washers are sorted and in tins with screw-on lids. Everything is labelled. Everything has been kept in the same place for many years. He's in his eighties. The men I've known in that age group and older have been very neat and tidy. The women, too, except for my mother. Maybe it's because many in that age group are not collectors of this, that, and the other.

I'm organized in some things and others things are awaiting order. The men I know in their fifties are similar.

[Annpan]

It's not just men... it is me

Though I wish we could keep things more organised - our house is a mess and we have a single small, very leaky shed. But I HATE living like this, and would relish in the chance to co-ordinate and label everything in nice tidy rows.

I do keep everything... bits of old curtain pole, odd plumbing bits, the overflow that came with the replacement sink in our last house, the kitchen sink from our last house, screws that were once holding something together, etc,etc,etc... you really don't know when something will come in handy. I am very resourceful, but I need the resources to start with

[LBR]

Annpan, it's true, it isn't just men. I could live in a very tiny, wee house, if I had a giant attic.

[marshlander]

I'm not saying I don't hoard, I've got far too much fabric for a start, but it's organised - all my silks in order etc.

[Marc]

Next week when the hose splits that 2 inches of copper pipe will come in really handy ML, then he'll have the last laugh lol
Y'see there's a good reason to keep it all, just needs a barn to keep it all in, not to mention loads of shevles and containers.
But really that's cos we're ish, - you could just throw everything away and buy new when you need it lol

[MKG]

When is he ever going to use 1 ft of overflow or 2" of copper tube?

Looking in my "General Rules of the Universe" manual, I find that the answer is ..."24 hours after you throw it in the bin".

[mrsflibble]

I'm a totally messy person. I'm not normally organised until I get to sick of something that I spend a day clearing it, only to have it look like cr4p again in an hour.
today I cleared my fabric stash from the livingroom into a spare kitchen cupboard. it's taken 3 hours but the livingroom is looking better already.

James is an incredibly organised man. I don't get it.

[sleepyowl]

I'm not disorganised just have a bad memory of where I put things, then my other half finds it the logical place where I had put just not seen it as my mind was also elsewhere at the time. Rich is very good at finding things.