I used to be anal-retentive about cleanliness and order beyond the call of duty. (My SJ family's living styles were no match for my highly effective organization systems.) Then I suddenly hit depression at the age of 15 (2004) and my room & work space have been consistently messy since. I lost joy in creating external order and retreated back into my mind for three years to lessen the impact of my chaotic environment (troubled social & family life, fulfilling the "parent" role once my father left to pursue a martial affair, dealing with an unstable mother, mentoring my younger siblings, extreme inability to trust others, academic disappointments, a mental disorder, etc.) I basically had to reconstruct every department within my life, if I ever hoped to achieve the same stability I previously exhibited. While shifting paradigms, maintaining an orderly house was the last of my priorities. Things have settled down now and though I've successfully rebuilt most areas, there's a few months to a year left before I start working on that aspect. (It's not merely the one-time cleaning deal; it's finding a faster, enduring strategy to implement.)