Article - Whats your Organising Personality?

Never underestimate how important you are as an individual when it comes to organising your home. What works for some may not work for you, and vice versa. You have to understand how you work as a person and then organise your home accordingly. This will ensure that you will have a fully functioning and calm household where everyone knows whats what. Organisation works for every different personality type, so theres no excuse! And once you have an organised home, the styling and design of it will be so much easier!

Most people would love to get organised, both in their home and personal lives - as it will ultimately give them more time and money and less stress. However, its easier said than done, and the key to being successful is to know what you organising personality really is. Have you ever been to someones office or home and seen them using what seems to be a failsafe system, only to take the idea home with you for it to fail within days?

A good example of this would be a post system, where they have drawers for each persons post, and then a drawer for post to go out of the office/house - this is great IF all people use it, and you don't mind your outgoing post waiting until there is enough to take it to the postbox. If you are the type of person who is very spontaneous and works better knowing that everything has been done immediately, this method will drive you mad - and therefore will fail.

"Failures" like this are simply the way we perceive things - and not the reality of the situation - if you had taken the time to work out how you work best, and created a system that works for you, then it will be a success.

So - what is your organising personality and how can you work with it to get better results? I like to break it down simply by working out what type of brain you have, and how you function in your day to day life at the moment. There are lots of derivitives and different ways to do this - but keeping it relatively simple is often easier in this case.

WHO are you?

ARE YOU LOGICAL OR CREATIVE? - As a VERY basic guide - people who use their Left Brain more easily are more logical thinkers, and things tend to be black and white, whereas people who use their right sides more tend to be more creative and things are various shades of grey.

LEFT SIDE Characteristics - LOGICAL - List makers, Planners, Rational and Logical thinkers, Detail orientated

RIGHT SIDE Characteristics - CREATIVE - Visually driven, uses images more than words, focus on the whole rather than the detail, more "Go with the flow" types

SO - which are you? Take this simple test to see - just tick each of the following that you agree with:-

1. When I’m finished using an item, I put it away immediately.
2. I love having all my possessions on show and around the house.
3. Whether I’m looking at a work of art or a room, I tend to prefer symmetrical design.
4. I like to move around my furniture a few times a year rather than stick with the same arrangement.
5. My friends and family can rely on me to know whats going on at any given time.
6. Keeping current projects where I can see them is a must.
7. I love having a designated spot for each item in my closet or drawers.
8. On my computer, I am often working on several things at once.
9. I have a specific morning routine that never fails me.
10. When making major purchases, I usually go with my gut.
11. I often wear the same jewellery every day.
12. If I have to explain directions to someone, I’ll draw her a map instead of telling her verbally.
13. When I find a great meal at a restaurant, I order it every time I go there.
14. I often get in the car to go out and it needs filling with petrol.
15. I always bring a shopping list to the supermarket.
16. I have a lot of objects and ornaments around the house.
17. My books and CDs are in alphabetical order, or by genre.
18. My desk is filled with piles of papers, sticky notes, and business cards.
19. I feel guilty if I don’t follow the rules while playing board games.
20. I’m fine with other people making last-minute changes to plans.

Key: Count up the odd and even numbers you’ve circled. If you have ticked more odd numbers then you are a LOGICAL thinker, and if you have ticked more evens then you are a CREATIVE thinker. If you have roughly the same of each than you are a mix and can look at all organising methods to find which is right for each situation for you.

Logical Mind

·         You like everything out of sight and in order

·         You like to plan things in advance and know whats going on

·         You like to feel in control

You are likely to find that organizing will work best for you if you have some of the following things in place - lots of storage in every room – keeping things out of sight,  labels to ensure that everyone knows where things are and what should be where, systems and routines for all areas and people in the house, a well organized diary so that everyone will know whats happening at a glance. Your aim is to be as organized as you can possibly be. Have a specified place for everything, keep things hidden away and tidy, use lists, use matching storage to feel more ordered etc...

Creative Mind

·         You like everything in sight

·         You like to be spontaneous

·         You always have several things on the go at any one time

·         You are more easily distracted

·         You tend to be more emotional and sentimental

You are likely to find that organizing will work best for you if you have some of the following things in place – a large noticeboard so that you can see invitations and letters at a glance, lots of items on display, space for all your creative ideas so that you can easily get started on one when you have a few minutes spare, routines that consist of the bare essentials, with spare time being left for whatever you want to do at that time.

Ask others not to distract you for certain times – don’t answer the phone, Prepare for each session – have all tools required at hand otherwise you will distract yourself trying to find everything, make sure that this is a priority for the time you spend doing it otherwise you will always have your mind on something else.

Keep lots of photos on display, memento boxes in place, areas for each member of the household to be themselves, routines that fit the way you live already – so not too much has to change straight away.

Use storage thats unusual and interesting to look at - even see through as you can then be organised but still be able to see what you have at a glance.

Use hooks for items that you use often - display items as much as possible.










Taken from www.organisemyhouse.co.uk - Getting Started Articles - Written by Chrissy Halton