August 17 2009

How to Analyze Your Type


My sister Jeanne lives in Texas. She is the baby of the family and my junior by 3 years. When it came to cleaning up our shared room, I was the one more worried about not having it clean. If it was not clean, I didn’t go out and if Jeanne did not share in the work, I didn’t care. I wanted to go out. I love her still and she me. At least I believe so.

I was exchanging emails with her and she wrote to me, “God is not the author of chaos.” I realized how true this is. In addition, today at church, my pastor was teaching out of Ecclesiastes. Verse 3:13 struck me. “…..and also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God.”

I thought of the connection of the two. While you are in the elimination process of the clutter (chaos) set the GOALS of reward for your labor. Small rewards for the work done. Set them room by room.

Suggestions: Clean a drawer or cupboard and get a treat (candy bar, bag of peanuts, ice cream bar, box of raisins, you name it.) Finish a room and get a treat (night at the movies, massage, pedicure, manicure) What would be yours?

Before I help someone de-clutter, I ask them to figure out what type of clutter personality they are. Knowing will empower them to stop the habits that got them there. Which are you? There are 9. I will only show 3 this week. Yours may be in next week’s blog.

1. PERFECTIONIST: This was me. My home was a wreck but I’d start by cleaning something that would not show any organization at all. For example: THE OVEN. Oh, it was meticulously done but did not make a dent in the chaos. I was indecisive. Couldn’t figure out which approach was best ….. so, I decided not to decide. Too much to do and not enough time to do it perfectly
2. REBELLIOUS: Growing up Mommy said you must always be clean and neat in all you do. When you move out you didn’t do certain things just to show who was in control. However, carrying on with these habits, as you get older, is paying a high price to show you can steer your own ship.
3. RELAXED: Work is for the outside world and home is a place of relaxation. However, a cluttered home assaults the eye. It does not welcome you home to relax but can cause “strain, pressure and jangled nerves.”

Let me know if you have started and are stuck. Or are stuck and just can’t start. I would love to help. Someone has agreed to allow us to follow along with her organizational choices. We will have before and after pictures as we step through her journey together.