{"id":10450,"date":"2025-04-10T15:53:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T19:53:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/messes-must-be-cleaned-up\/"},"modified":"2025-04-10T15:53:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T19:53:27","slug":"messes-must-be-cleaned-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/messes-must-be-cleaned-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Messes Must Be Cleaned Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Profit<\/a>
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One of the laws of physics I learned in high school was the Second Law of Thermodynamics.<\/p>\n

Officially,<\/a> it says, \u201cThe level of disorder in the universe is steadily increasing. Systems tend to move from ordered behavior to more random behavior.<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n

In simpler terms, it says this: Left on their own, systems tend toward disorder.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why a cup of coffee left on the counter cools over time, not the other way around. It\u2019s why sandcastles crumble, buildings decay, and 52 playing cards thrown on the floor don\u2019t become a stacked deck on their own. Everything, in the absence of outside energy, moves from order to chaos.<\/p>\n

This law is always at work\u2014in nature, in science\u2014and in our homes and lives.<\/p>\n

I was thinking about this fact recently as I finished writing the manuscript of my next book. The words were typed on my computer, of course. But over the months of researching and writing, I collected a large number of notes and pieces of paper\u2014loose sheets of handwritten outlines, printed pages to edit, notecards, lists, folders of relevant projects, even a stack of books I referenced often. Over time, I placed more and more of them on a shelf near my desk.<\/p>\n

As the writing continued, the pile slowly grew. One stack turned into two, and two stacks turned into three. Piles of notecards got higher and higher. Papers intermingled. Things got buried. The mess expanded, more and more, until eventually the entire shelf was overtaken with notes for the book.<\/p>\n

The mess didn\u2019t improve with time\u2014it only worsened. The system tended toward disorder, not order. And it stayed that way, until just last week, when the book was completed and I finally took the time and effort to clean it up fully.<\/p>\n

Because here\u2019s the thing about messes: They don\u2019t clean themselves. They require attention.<\/p>\n

When my kids were younger, Kim and I had a mantra that we would use often. Especially after meals or light snacks in the evening, if someone left their plate on the counter near the sink, I\u2019d say, \u201cYou know that plate\u2019s not going to clean itself. Somebody in this family is going to have to do it. It might as well be you since you\u2019re the one who dirtied it.\u201d<\/p>\n

I wish I could say the mantra was 100% effective\u2014but we all know better than that.<\/p>\n

Regardless, there is an important truth hidden in that reality that we would be wise to remind ourselves of\u2014even beyond our teenage years.<\/p>\n

Messes don\u2019t clean themselves. The universe moves naturally toward disorder, not order.<\/p>\n

This is important to see and apply accordingly in our homes. Messes only grow as clutter attracts more and more clutter. <\/p>\n