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

Why is it soooo hard to get organized and stay that way?  It is NOT because you're just a complete failure.  It's most likely because you're trying to organize like someone else instead of following your own unique style!  I've helped a LOT of people with organization over the years, and I've discovered that people are very different in how they like to organize and what actually works for them.  That's why not every system will work for every person!  To figure out what organizing personality type you are and how to make it work for you once and for all, keep reading or watch the video here!

There are so many different organizing systems available.  People give advice on TikTok, Pinterest, in magazines…the list is endless.  But most of these just won't work for you.  Why??  It's because most systems are tailored for only one organizing personality type…and there are four!

What Determines Your Organizing Personality Type

I've discovered there are two main things that influence how each person likes to organize:

1. Completing the task all at once in a marathon session or just a little at a time over a longer period.
2. Whether you care most about how it looks or how it functions.

These two things combine together to create four distinct organizing types.  It's so important to figure out where you fit in and to work with your type instead of against it!  I even created a quiz that you can take here to figure out which type you are!

The Four Organizing Personality Types

Cactus Blossom:

This person likes things to be super functional, and they like to accomplish it fast.  But they don't necessarily care how things look as long as the system works!  They will also be the person to tackle their entire basement in one weekend and work crazy hours on it until it's finished.

Lavender:

This person likes to take things slow and steady.  Things don't need to be perfect, and they are happy with a little progress here and there.  Lavenders need low-stress goals.  Progress over perfection here!

Rose:

This person is into the details!  It MUST be beautiful in the end.  It needs to work, of course, but the Rose personality will go all out in making things look perfect, even inside a closet.  Matching labels and bins make a Rose super happy!  Even if it takes longer, the Rose is okay with that, as long as the end result is looks Pinterest Perfect!

Sunflower:

This type is ALL IN!  They want it to look beautiful, and they want it done in a weekend.  They love before/after photos of a transformation, and they're willing to work 16+ hours a day for two days in a row if that's what it takes to get the job done!  They will clear a calendar and have intense focus on the project until it's exactly how they want it.  This is my personality type…some may say it's a bit obsessive, but it's just how I'm wired!

How to use this knowledge to your advantage.

Now that you know what personality type you are, how does this help you?  The key is knowing how to work with your personality type instead of against it.  There will be times when you can't do things in the manner that works best for you.  That's life!  We'll all have to work under different conditions.  But if we know something isn't well-suited to us, we can set up extra supports and prepare ourselves better.

For example, Lavenders will burn out if they push themselves too hard.  If you give up and feel like a failure, that is so much worse than just slowing the process down.  Even if it takes two years to get through your entire house, that's way better than burning out on day two and giving up all together!

Sunflowers would get fed up with the process and lose motivation if they were trying to declutter in 15 minutes a day.  And a Rose wouldn't be happy if they didn't let themselves focus on the little “unimportant” details.

Stop comparing yourself to other types

Maybe you're a Lavender who feels like a failure when you look at the Sunflower who decluttered her whole house in a weekend.  Or are you a Cactus Blossom who feels a little “less than” because your closet system isn't as pretty as Rose's closet next door?

All of us have different strengths and abilities, and different things work for different people.  The most important thing is that your organization/decluttering system works for YOU and makes you happy!

When you can't work with your type

I'm a Sunflower, which means I love to do things all at once.  But some tasks in my home just don't work that way.  I'd rather spend an hour doing all my dishes on a Saturday, but living with dirty dishes piling up all week just isn't going to work.  So I have to do this every day for a few minutes a day.  I can do things like set reminders on my phone, give myself a “reward” of listening to an audio book or having a fun drink after the task is finished.

If Lavenders is hosting an event and has one week to pull her house together, there are things Lavenders can do to reduce the pressure a bit and keep the motivation going long enough to not burn out.  Try setting a timer for 20 minutes, then taking a 5-10 minute break.  Then repeat the process!  It's kind of like a game to trick your brain into working differently when you have to.

Work with your type as much as possible.  It will make things soooo much easier and more enjoyable, and you won't burn out and give up!  Just recognize when you can't work in the style that suits you best and think about ways to make it easier. Set up supports to help you when you need it. Knowledge is power! Take the quiz here— knowing your type will make you so much happier and more efficient!