The #1 Reason It’s So Hard to Stay Organized

I'm going to assume that since you're here reading this that you like to learn and read about organization! There is so much great content out there about organizing– lots of it totally free– and this is a great thing for people wanting to get their lives and homes more in order.

But here's what I see happen: You watch a video or read a post about someone who was really struggling with organization. They did XYZ, and now things are so much better, and organization really stuck this time. Then you think you just need to go out and do XYZ, too. And then it may or may not work for you…why? Because we are all different! And we all have different organization styles! Check out the video here or keep reading to find out about the four different organizational styles and how you can figure out which type YOU are!

After working with soooo many different women over the years, I've narrowed down organization styles to about four types. AND… I created a quiz so you can figure out exactly which type you are! Who doesn't love a good personality quiz, LOL?!?

After taking the quiz, you'll find out that you're either a:

Lavender
Sunflower
Rose
Cactus Blossom

Each flower has different traits, and different organizational methods will work best for each one! It's SO important to know which methods work best for you. If systems have failed you in the past, it's probably because they just weren't a good match for your style. It's really hard to fight against your natural tendencies, but if you can choose systems that fit your natural state better, they are MUCH more likely to stick and just be “easy” so you can have your organizational “Aha!” moment, too!

If you want to know what my personal style is, send me a DM on Instagram after you take the quiz yourself, and let me know what your style is!

Little Bit at a Time vs. All at Once

Some people like to tackle projects either a little bit at a time or all at once. Some people love decluttering in 10 minutes a day so it doesn't feel overwhelming. Others want to block out a Saturday and go through their whole house all at once so they don't have to think about it the rest of the year! One way is NOT better than the other! They're just different. But trying to make someone do this in the way that goes against their nature is a recipe for failure!

Functional vs. Aesthetic

People are either functional organizers or aesthetic organizers. Functional organizers just want it to work! They will grab whatever color pen is handy to write labels on their files. If they happen to find a blue pen next time, but everything else is written in black, they don't really care as long as they can read the label. They may not care if their bins match or if things look “pretty.” As long as they can find what they need when they need it, they're good!

Aesthetic organizers totally care that things match! They will take the extra time to print off pretty, matching labels. They need their bins to match, and if a closet looks good inside, it makes them happy! Things of course still need to be functional so they can find what they need. But it must also look good to them!

Again, neither way is right or wrong. But you are MUCH more likely to keep up with a system that you love! If an aesthetic organizer doesn't pay attention to how something looks to them, they won't be happy with the result. If you're not happy with the result, you're far less likely to keep up with it and put in the effort to maintain it. Maintenance is where organization magic happens. Whatever we can do to make it easier and more likely that we'll maintain our system is what we need to shoot for!

Sometimes we may have to go against our natural state. For example, you can't just spend ten hours doing dishes once a year and then not have to do them again. Some things can't be done all at once. But if you know you're a person who likes to do things all at once, you'll realize you might have more trouble with the tasks that have to be done in smaller increments. Knowledge is definitely power! You can set up systems to help you in areas you know you might struggle with because of your organization style.

There are combinations of these traits, and you'll learn so much about yourself by taking the quiz! Let me know if figuring out your organizational style helps you re-evaluate some of your systems or think about yourself in a new light! We are all different. One organizing method will not work for everyone! We should celebrate our differences! By learning about how we're different, we can all adapt methods to suit our natural personalities better and give us the best chance for success!