When Organizing Doesn’t Work For You
We all want that perfectly tidy and organized house. The one you see on Pinterest where everything is color coordinated and in neat little bins stacked on perfectly put together shelves. Some of us even gave in and tried it out. We bought the fancy organizing systems and separated all of our things accordingly but a week later everything was out of place, again, and the house was a wreck.
What is the deal? Why does organizing work for other people, but doesn’t work for us? Are we just naturally messy? Are we not competent enough to keep an organizing system going?
You can be Organized, too
Organizing is not one size fits all. In fact, hardly anyone can maintain the exact same organizing system. My organizing habits likely aren’t like yours. Your organizing habits likely aren’t like your partners. We are all different.
This is something I had to really reinforce into my head when I took on this organizing and decluttering lifestyle. I had no idea that there were different ways to do things. I just assumed organizing didn’t work for me, even though I wanted it to and I craved a meticulous organizing system so badly like the one’s all over Pinterest.
The truth was, though, a system like that wasn’t meant for me. I could sort everything into it’s perfect place and then five minutes later, it was a mess. The systems didn’t work because I don’t take the time to put things back exactly in the right spot when I am rushing around trying to tidy up or trying to get everyone ready for work or school in the morning.
As a working mom, my mornings can get chaotic. When I’m fixing lunches I grab everything quickly then toss it all back in the general area it came from.
I knew where everything was, don’t get me wrong, but if you opened a kitchen cabinet, there was a nightmare behind the door. Our closets were a hot mess with things thrown on the floor. Clothes would sit on top of the dresser instead of inside of it because the drawers were so full I couldn’t shove any more clothes into them.
Being that I am always on the move, going from one project to the next, I never took the time to place things exactly where they came from. If I had a three section tray organized into three different categories, things weren’t going to go back in their exact spot. I was tossing it in and hoping for the best. On my off days, I was going through each space and spending so much time putting it all back into place. It was never ending.
Four Different Organizing Styles
Before I get into this, I want to say that the concept of the four different organizing styles is not my own. This concept was created by the genius brain that is Cas from Clutterbug. To say that Cas changed my life is an understatement. Thanks to her, I have my weekends to spend with family and not have to clean all of the time.
I clean my house effortlessly now and everything always goes back to its spot. Organizing is easy and I am completely obsessed with it. That is why I started this blog. With the help from Cas and a few other blogs I’ve found, my life completely turned around.
I’m going to give a quick run down of the organizing styles that Cas talks about. To find your organizing style check out her quiz.
The Butterfly
A Butterfly, as Cas calls them, are the types of people who crave visual abundance. These types of people love to see their things out in the open. When using an item, A butterfly will place it back in its spot if that spot is easy to use. Meaning, if they can toss their hairbrush into a basket with hair accessories in the bathroom, they will. However, if they have to open up a cabinet then open the lid to a bin to place the hair brush into the hair brush spot, they won’t do it.
A Butterfly needs an organizing system that is simple and easy to use. The use of hooks on a wall rather than a hanger makes it easier for a Butterfly to put away clothes.
Someone who craves visual abundance wants to see their things- that is why they leave everything out. This is just how their brain works. For these people, things behind closed doors are out of sight, out of mind. They simply won’t remember they have it if they can’t see it. So they tend to leave everything out in the open.
Open shelving is helpful for a Butterfly because they can see exactly where their things are and can just place their things right back into it’s spot with little effort.
Children tend to be Butterflies. If they can see what is inside the bin they are more likely to put the item back into it when they are finished. They won’t use a detailed system, like sorting Barbie shoes and clothes, but they will be able to toss the Barbie and all of her accessories back into the same bin.
The Bee
A Bee is similar to a Butterfly in terms of wanting to see their things, however, a Bee craves detailed organizing systems.
These types of people will create a million different categories for their things to make it absolutely perfect, however, if that system can’t be implemented right away, they won’t use a system at all. A Bee tends to have a dream of the perfect craft room where all of the things are color coded and placed exactly in neat little spots.
A Bee simply won’t stand for anything less, which means they tend to pile things. They will pile paperwork on the counters until they can take it all at one time and make it perfect.
This goes for anything, really. Tools, craft supplies, books,.. They will get it done, but only when they have time to do it properly.
Lots of clear bins, totes and labels work well for Bees.
The Ladybug
This is me, ya’ll. I’m a Ladybug.
The Ladybug wants visual simplicity. Meaning, I don’t want to see clutter out in the open. Ladybug’s like clear counter tops and empty-ish shelves.
However, the down side of having nothing out in the open is that we hide everything behind closed doors. Our cabinets are a mess. The closets in our homes are overflowing and disorganized.
Using bins to contain clothes can be helpful for a Ladybug because it allows us to toss our clothes right in without having to fold them and place them “properly”.
A Ladybug simply won’t take the time to put something away into its spot if that spot is hard to access, similar to a Butterfly. We want fast and easy organizing systems. I want to throw the fruit snacks in the snack bin inside the pantry, but I’m not going to take the time to put the individual snack packs into a jar with a lid titled “Fruit Snacks”,
A Ladybug likes big broad categories to organize their things into. Bins without lids is perfect.
The Cricket
Similar to the Ladybug, the Cricket also likes minimal visual stimulation. They like clear counters, but they like the cabinets to be organized in a very detailed way. Neat and organized into small categories.
Like our Bee friends, though, a Cricket will also pile up their things until they can put it away properly. If it can’t be done perfectly, they won’t do it.
My sweet and thoughtful girlfriend is a Cricket. So when I am organizing I try to keep her in mind by making everything as neutral as we can both handle. Luckily, we get along just great. And by that I mean that she is a tolerant angel.
Let me help you learn what works for you
Reach out to me and let me help you figure out what type of organizing system could work for you and your needs. Organizing is a great idea but you’ve got to know that you can realistically maintain the system. Sometimes our wants aren’t what we should have. Like me with my craving for detailed systems. Realistically, they don’t work for me.
As a Certified Organizational Specialist, I would love to help you love your home again.
Send me a message and I would be happy to help you start your decluttering and organizing journey.
