Finding Your Organizing Style

There's not a one size fits all way to organize. People are wired differently. Some are neurotypical and some have ADHD or Autism. But even if you factor out the cognitive differences people have intuitive preferences about the way their spaces look and feel.

People tend to fall into a few basic categories. Cassandra Aarsen, a well-known YouTuber and star of the Netflix show, Hot Mess House, has a unique way of looking at this that I have found to be accurate.

In her Clutter Bug system, she defines four types of organizing styles. (I'm summarizing so please check out her channel for more details.) 

Cricket

People who like things hidden. They prefer cabinets with doors, drawers, and opaque containers for a minimally visual space. They want the insides of those spaces to be organized in detail. They love having a place for everything and tend to use a lot of organizing products.

Ladybug

People who like things hidden, but need minimal organizing. They struggle to put things away, but the clutter bothers them. To compensate they tend to stash things away in any available space. They prefer simple large containers to gather up categories behind closet doors, cabinets, or in drawers.

Bee

People who need to see what they have to be productive. These folks prefer open shelves, pegboards, hooks, and clear containers. It feels good to them to have things displayed so they can see what they have. They love detailed layouts with extra containers and labels.

Butterfly

People who need to see what they have and need a super easy system. These folks really benefit from seeing their stuff, but struggle with putting things away. They need large open bins with easy access for general categories. Any extra step, even taking off a lid or opening a drawer, may mean they will have difficulty maintaining the system.

As you can see there are two basic definers:

Hidden vs Visual

and

Detailed vs General

When there are multiple people in the house it's important to understand each other's organizing style so you can create systems that will work for everyone. And, to cut each other some slack when something frustrates you.

Most likely, you will need to compromise on how the shared spaces are set up. In general, to be successful, the systems have to favor the Visual and the General.

If you're not sure what your style is, look at images online or in magazines and notice how you feel when you look at cabinets vs open shelves. Another way to tell is when you open a drawer do you:

• prefer everything loose and flexible

• don't really care as long as what you need is in there

• get a smile on your face when you see the space full of matching drawer dividers dividing your stuff into little categories?

A good nonjudgemental organizer can help you understand your family's styles and create systems that can be maintained. If you're a Cricket or Bee they can recommend the best organizing products to compartmentalize and maximize. your space. If you're a Ladybug or Butterfly they can help you focus on the most basic and easy to use containers and not get lost in all the product options out there that won't serve you.

What style are you?

#organizingstyles #Clutterbug #homeorganization #proorganizer