Let’s talk about the six different organizing styles. There is a difference between being “The Disorganized Stasher” and “The Organized Stasher”. For each organizing style, I will be explaining your natural habits, where you get into trouble, and what works for you regarding setting up organized systems.
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“The Piler” Organizing Style
YOUR HABITS
You leave things out in the open as visual reminders where you can easily grab them to use again. You like things in a certain order and your piles are very logical. You may have the perfect system in your head but until you can set up a perfect system for your piles, your perfectionism paralyzes you until you find the time.
WHERE YOU GET INTO TROUBLE
When you leave too many things out (due to your paralyzing perfectionism), that is when you get into trouble. That thing you left out to remind you to use and make it easier to “find” becomes difficult to find when you have left so many things out that you cannot find anything. Others who do not have your organizing style tend to clash with you.
WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
You can benefit well from using open shelving as they work better for you than cabinets since you tend to be quite visual. But removing your cabinet and closet doors is a matter of preference in how well you maintain your spaces with or without them and your aesthetic.
You can also benefit from specific labeling. For example, you can label each spot for each item if you would like. But my warning to you is to not wait until you have the perfect label maker (paralyzing perfectionism) or whatever else it might be that may hinder you from getting organized. Go ahead and create general labels for now and then refine your labels, even color-coding them. You can have a color per person, even combining colors for shared items.
Containers that work for you are any that are easy to reach into and out of like open stackable baskets which I share all about here. For any items, you need to store that you may only need to access occasionally, you will want to use clear bins.
“The Stasher” Organizing Style
YOUR HABITS
You like your surfaces clear as this helps you to clear your mind. Visible messiness bothers you whether it is in your own space or even a public area.
WHERE YOU GET INTO TROUBLE
When you stash too many things away without an organized storage system, that is when you get into trouble. You put things away in haste and cannot easily retrieve items and can feel overwhelmed by the disorganization hiding in your secret corners.
WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
You benefit from creating zones to keep items in or close to where you use them. So, if you happen to throw your cleaning supplies in your linen closet, you will want to create a section for your cleaning supplies.
Containers that work for you are anything with dividers for your specific needs. Creating a labeled and divided section for your items helps you to “stash” them where they belong instead of having them in a jumbled mess when you are trying to clear your surfaces in haste. And you don’t have to have your items perfectly aligned. You can get away with throwing your sheets and hand towels in labeled totes, for example. The key for you is to create labeled spaces where you can “stash” or throw items.
For any items, you need to store that you may only need to access occasionally, you will want to use opaque bins with large print labels. That way, the items you have stashed are organized but you aren’t put off by their appearance if they are not aligned perfectly.
“The Collector” Organizing Style
YOUR HABITS
You tend to have a lot of interests or like to work on multiple projects or hobbies that require lots of supplies. You can tend to stockpile things you think you may need in the future. Even if the items you have are not being used or will not be used any time soon, you may keep items because they are ‘new’ or unused or because they cost of lot of money.
WHERE YOU GET INTO TROUBLE
When you cannot get rid of anything and continue to purchase items, that is when you get into trouble. You may have dealt with some events in your life that required you to learn how to survive on less or you may have been raised by a family who has experienced such events. So, not breaking this mindset habit keeps you stuck in your beliefs and your habits.
WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
Like “The Piler,” you can also benefit from removing your cabinet and closet doors. But, again, removing your doors is a matter of preference in how well you maintain your spaces with or without them and your aesthetic.
As “The Collector”, you may be into crafting and making homemade items. You will have every tool you can think of. So, you will have tackle boxes and/or dividers within these bins to contain all the little parts for your supplies. Bins that stack well, like simple shoe bins, also work well for you because they maximize space to hold all of your supplies.
Be sure to label everything so that you can easily find what you need.
“The Tosser” Organizing Style
YOUR HABITS
You love sticking to your essentials. You do not care one bit for clutter. You rarely purchase new items, as well, unless you find there is an absolute need. When you do purchase new items, you are easily able to let go of the old. Items do not hold much sentiment for you as you find more value in their memories.
WHERE YOU GET INTO TROUBLE
You easily throw things away … even new items. When you throw other people’s items away though or even your own personal sentimental items, that is when you get into trouble.
WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
If you live with others you will be mindful of creating systems in consideration of other people’s things.
Bins labeled per person will be very helpful for you. You can use bins or baskets labeled per person to toss their items into if you come across them in the house.
If you realize this is you, it would be great if you could get your household together to decide if you will put their items away in their rooms as you come across them or if you will use a centralized location like the linen closet. You will also want to take the time to understand what items are important or sentimental to them so that you are extra-mindful to not throw those items away in haste. For example, your child may have a favorite toy that they love even if it’s broken. To you, you may find it invaluable, but to them, it’s special.
“The Tidier” Organizing Style
YOUR HABITS
You tend to like things looking tidy and aligned. There may be no rhyme or reason to how your items are stored but you like them to look as if they are organized by straightening them up. You may think that if something is out of sight, it is out of mind, so you leave things out to not forget they are there.
WHERE YOU GET INTO TROUBLE
When you do not categorize your items, that is when you get into trouble. You will have straightened up piles, but do not know what is in your piles.
WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
Once you have purged your unneeded items, since you like to keep things tidy, you will not have trouble maintaining your systems … especially if they are decorative. These more decorative baskets will make you want to put your items away in the labeled areas.
Since you also are very visual like “The Piler” and may have to transition out of your fear of “out-of-sight-out-of-mind”, you can also benefit from removing your cabinet and closet doors. As you come to understand the organizing process, that fear will reduce over time, and you will be able to keep your spaces organized, whether open and closed.
“The Defyer” Organizing Style
YOUR HABITS
You tend to look disorganized but feel that you know what you have and can find things when you need them. When you begin to evaluate your spaces, you will find that you have an organizing style dominating in one or more of the styles previously described.
WHERE YOU GET INTO TROUBLE
When you experience stresses like ridicule for ‘looking’ disorganized or overwhelm due to life experiences, that is when you get into trouble. You do not see your spaces as having a problem, so you leave ‘well enough’ alone so it gets to a point where you really cannot find items.
WHAT WORKS FOR YOU
Your best bet is to be resourceful. You can re-purpose deli meat containers or any containers you lost the lid on to store different categories of items. You can keep a wipe off marker nearby to label these bins.
If you know you won’t fold your sheets and towels, you can also throw those into bins or, even better, you can install hooks on the back of doors. Hooks work really well for you as you can just drape your towels over them in a snap.
Over time, as you reap the benefits of getting organized, you may find you have one of the previous dominating organizing styles and refine your organized systems further.
You Can Have More than One Organizing Style
I hope this snippet of the organizing styles has been helpful for you in beginning to discover your organizing style. Keep in mind that you can have a combination of organizing styles. You can also have a different organizing style for different areas in your home. You can be “The Stasher” in your closets and “The Piler” with your paperwork. Remember though, that you can maximize your natural tendencies to look for and put items away in each of these areas once you learn how to maximize your organizing style.
What is your organizing style? Do you think you know it yet? Share in the comments below. Don’t forget to download your free home decluttering and organizing challenge calendars and tips and tricks guides on how to implement your organizing style in each of your spaces here! That way, you can finally organize your spaces in a way that works for you and reap the many benefits of organizing including peace of mind and increased productivity! Who doesn’t want that!
Happy Organizing!
Author of “How to Organize Any Space in 7 Simplified Steps“