What's Your Organizing Style?

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Quiz Questions

1.
It's Saturday morning. You most likely:
- A.
  Do the same thing you always do. It's comforting to have your weekend rituals.
- B.
  Get together with the girls for brunch or a workout. It doesn't really matter, you just want to catch up and find out all the new stuff going on with everyone!
- C.
  Who knows what the day will bring? You'll figure it out as you go - whatever you feel like doing at the time is perfect! You don't have to plan every moment of your week - it's a welcome break.
- D.
  Knock a few things off your to do list or dig into the latest business book you just picked up before everyone else gets up. You know you'll have to do some family stuff, so you might as well get something productive done before then.
2.
You dropped ketchup on your new white blouse. You:
- A.
  Pull out the stain stick and wipe from your purse. After washing it in the bathroom with soap and water you're able to save the shirt with that stain stick you're so glad you bought! You'll do a final treatment when you get home.
- B.
  Throw on a cardigan from the back of the car - there's no way you can spend the day with friends with a big red stain! You'll try to get it out when you get home. You're not cutting your day short just to save a shirt.
- C.
  Laugh it off and pin the flower from your hair over the stain. Nobody will notice - and it's a great, fun fashion statement! Party on!
- D.
  Clean it off with your glass of water as well as possible - you'll have it professionally cleaned as soon as you get home.
3.
You're packing for a trip. You...
- A.
  Use your packing checklist you always have prepared for this type of trip. You've already reviewed it to make sure you haven't missed anything, so now you simply go down the list making sure not to miss a thing.
- B.
  Started packing a week ahead of the trip, laying out options for outfits and making sure to bring an extra bag to bring back souvenirs for everyone. After packing and repacking up to the last minute you're sure you've brought too much, but better safe than sorry.
- C.
  Pack quickly and like a whirlwind, grabbing all the stuff you know you'll need. You might have forgotten a few things, but you know you can buy things there or improvise. Your creative brain can handle anything.
- D.
  You efficiently pack everything you need for the trip. You know what you need and can pack it in an hour or less.
4.
Your friend's baby shower is coming soon! You:
- A.
  Look up your saved list of good baby gift ideas. Two weeks before the party you've already purchased and wrapped your gift - ready to go!
- B.
  Heading to the store the morning before the shower you grab a great gift off the registry. You also pick up the most adorable baby outfit and a little stuffed toy you know your friend and the new baby will love! Your present is going to be the best!
- C.
  On your way to the shower you pull into a baby store and grab a gift really fast. You don't remember where she's registered, but you have a gift receipt. She can return it for something she really likes if she needs to.
- D.
  Get a gift off the registry (or ask your friend to pick one up while they're there.) You hate baby showers, you'll stop by for maybe an hour, but when the games begin you plan to make a hasty exit to get back to some of the more important things in your day.
5.
The school sent home yet another piece of art from your kid. You:
- A.
  Write the date and her age on the back and file it in her file box for memorabilia. With all the rest, by year.
- B.
  Hang it on the refrigerator with the others. You want her to know you're so proud, so you always show off her art! It's getting overwhelming, but you can't bear to just throw something she worked on away!
- C.
  Hang it over the last one on the fridge. When the pile is too thick for the magnet to hold well you'll take them down and either toss them all or put the pile aside to decide later. (In the big pile of other papers to make decisions about.)
- D.
  Notice it's nothing new, still the same stick figures. You give her some pointers and tell her good job, then toss it. When she brings home something truly special or award winning, then you'll save it. Probably.
6.
During the holidays you:
- A.
  Grab your greeting card list that you update each holiday. Going down the list you make sure nobody is missed and each card gets out in time.
- B.
  Grab the extra cards you have from previous years, plus some extra boxes you picked up this year because they're so pretty. You also pull out those special cards you hand picked for specific friends - they'll love them!
- C.
  Forget all about the cards you bought last year. Each card you get reminds you that you should really get around to sending some out. Until it's too late so you jot some quick text messages instead.
- D.
  Create a list of the most important people to send a card too. Especially business associates who you'd like to work with next year.
7.
Time to pay the bills! You:
- A.
  A week before the due date you pull the bills out of your tickler file, pre-stamped and ready to go.
- B.
  Grab all the stuff you'll need. Your password list, the web addresses and your pile of bills to pay. You're not sure if you missed any - sometimes the mail doesn't make it to the right places. You're nervous about what you might have missed, hoping to avoid another late fee.
- C.
  You're reminded to pay your electric bill when your lights go off. Darn, you forgot to pay that one again! Yet another late fee. Why can't you get it together?
- D.
  You see the auto-draft confirmation notice in your email. You're all set.
8.
Your kid just started school Yay! You:
- A.
  Hang a hook and place a labelled basket by the door for the backpack and school supplies.
- B.
  Try to figure out a good place for the backpack and supplies. They seem to wander, though. But you always find them in time to just get out the door.
- C.
  Have no idea where the backpack is as you're running late out the door. As you help look for it you get distracted by another task you forgot to do for today as well.
- D.
  Make sure your child knows where he can keep his things and that it's his job to keep track of them.
9.
Tax time! You:
- A.
  Pull out your expandable file with all your receipts, documents and notes. You give it all to your accountant along with a detailed Excel file for each category.
- B.
  You file an extension - when you look for your tax papers you realize your receipts are all over the place. You don't have half the statements you need and you're sure you're missing something. You'll need more time to get this all together.
- C.
  This is what you dread most! It looks like you'll be paying late fees again. You're not sure what documents you'll need and have no idea where to find them. It's so overwhelming just thinking about it you keep putting it off. That heavy feeling in your stomach will fade, until you remember it again later. You'll get around to it - after you get the last notice threats from the IRS. You work best under pressure, anyway.
- D.
  Send your bookkeeping file to your accountant along with an overnight package of any documents they may need. It's all there - that's what the accountant is for.
10.
You need a new book. You:
- A.
  Pick a book from one of your favorite authors. You know they're always going to be good, and you haven't grabbed the latest one yet! (You know just which one - you have a list of all their books and which of them you already own.)
- B.
  You grab a book about a woman who's new relationship takes her on a beautiful journey of self-discovery. You can't wait to settle in with this one and get to know the main character - and you'll probably also understand yourself more deeply from her story.
- C.
  You went into the store not knowing what you wanted. After searching the best sellers you pick up two different novels so you have a choice. You never know what mood you'll be in later when you have time to start reading. Oh, and you also grabbed 4 more interesting looking books off the clearance shelf as you walked past. You never know!
- D.
  You add the latest business book to your Kindle. You've been hearing a lot about these new strategies from your successful friends, it will be good to learn some new skills during your morning learning time, while waiting for the kids after school or sitting on a plane.
11.
Your kid's birthday party starts in 10 minutes and the dog knocked the cake onto the floor. You:
- A.
  Grab the box of brownie mix you keep in the pantry just in case. You'll make a quick brownie cake and serve it with the extra pints of ice cream you picked up just in case. You're always prepared.
- B.
  In a panic, you call your best friend who's coming - can she swing by a bakery and grab a cake on her way? There's no way you can have a birthday party without a proper cake!!!
- C.
  Grab all the candy and cookies you have in the house. You arrange a tray of all the sweet stuff and stick a big candle in the middle. With Happy Birthday spelled out in M&M's you're sure you can make this not a fun adventure and a birthday she'll never forget!
- D.
  Make sure the dog is put out in the backyard for the rest of the party and tell the kids there's only ice cream this year. It's a bummer the cake fell, but it's not the end of the world.
12.
You remember your daughter's talent show is coming up because:
- A.
  You always check your calendar each day. You entered the date as soon as you heard about it and notice it the day before so you can prepare.
- B.
  You left yourself notes and hung the flyer on the refrigerator (near all the other reminders.) You hope if you leave enough reminders you'll remember.
- C.
  Your daughter, in full tutu and sparkles, asks you if you're ready to go. Oops! That's right - it's tonight!
- D.
  Your phone calendar reminder pops up 15 minutes before you need to leave, allowing you to finish up what you're working on and get there right on time.
13.
Your file drawer looks like:
- A.
  Perfect. Folders labelled with subfolders for everything. The detail is amazing. You spend a lot of time keeping it that way.
- B.
  A bit overstuffed (you haven't purged because you might need those some day) but it's colorful. And the labels are beautiful.
- C.
  What file cabinet? You're not sure you even own one, but there's a box of papers to file later in the corner of the closet. You just keep adding to that. You'll get around to it.
- D.
  Sleek and minimal. Perfectly organized and you can grab what you need immediately. Your assistant makes sure to keep it that way.
14.
It's time for your dental check-up. You:
- A.
  Already scheduled your teeth cleaning last time you were there. You call the office two days before to make sure they still have you on the calendar.
- B.
  Finally remember to set it, even though it's 6 months late. Hopefully they can fit you in soon.
- C.
  You've forgotten to get a check up for over a year. Now you need to go in because you think you have a cavity. You call the office to see if they have an appointment that day - your tooth is starting to really hurt!
- D.
  Call the office a week before and set your appointment around your other meetings. Work is a higher priority. And you set it for the first appointment of the day to make sure to get in quickly. When you arrive at the appointment you make sure they know you need to get in and out as quickly as possible.
15.
Your favorite tasks at work are:
- A.
  Maintaining all the important info. Schedules, files and numbers - you're so good at keeping it all in order and making sure everyone's following the rules.
- B.
  You're the go-to for team building events and parties. When it comes to helping people bond and feel important, you're the one. You make sure to pick up the birthday cards and get them all signed and plan the holiday party like a pro.
- C.
  Coming up with new ways of doing things, new product or project ideas and creating systems. You innovate and your creative brain sees opportunity everywhere.
- D.
  Leading the pack. You like to make decisions, give direction and strategize growth of the company.
16.
Your desk is:
- A.
  Stocked. You're always prepared - extra pens, refills, post it notes and more. Not necessarily pretty, but always functional. The drawers are very full but you have anything anyone could need.
- B.
  Fun supplies and plenty of them. You have what you need, and they're probably pretty to look at. The desktop is full, mixed with some family photos and memorabilia, you are reminded of what's important in life.
- C.
  A mess. Piles of paper, supplies, and random stuff. You know where everything is (you think) but you never get time (or focus) to put things away. One of these days you'll get around to it.
- D.
  Practically empty. You have the current project and just the essential supplies. Plus, the award you earned for being top in your job and the really nice, expensive pen you treated yourself to because you've earned it.
17.
Happy New Year! You:
- A.
  Spend the day filling in all the important stuff in your planner. You update & transfer over all your contacts and lists and are prepared for this year.
- B.
  Text the girls - you had so much fun at the party last night, who's up for brunch as well?
- C.
  Party! Let's ring in the new year with a bang - you can plan later once the important stuff is done. Celebrating!
- D.
  Enjoy your night with some wine and look forward to achieving the goals you set for the year. You already set all your goals - in detail, with a full action plan - weeks before. You always start the new year prepared, that's why you always succeed.
18.
The holidays are next month! You:
- A.
  Pull out all your decoration bins and put everything exactly where you like it. Just like last year!
- B.
  Grab some really cute decorations you saw at the store - you forgot you already had a holiday tablecloth and centerpiece from the post-holiday sales last year. It's so fun to be in the stores, around all the other happy shoppers and the music. Everything just bustles this time of year. you spend the month pulling out your bins of decorations and adding new pieces, too. Oh, and the gifts you'll give! You love the holidays!
- C.
  You finally get around to pulling out the last decoration bin a week before the holiday. You'll get the decorations out of it before every shows up, probably. If not, nobody will notice. I mean - it's about the fun, not just decorations. Everything changes every year and that's the fun of it!
- D.
  Hire a decorator in November to put up the decor in a tasteful way. You don't want to be the only house on the block without any decor, but you won't be that tacky house with too much decor!
19.
You planned a party for all your friends. You:
- A.
  Made all your lists a month ahead of time - food, music and decorations. The week before the party you start going down the lists and make sure it's all set. You're ready hours before anyone arrives - it will all go according to plan.
- B.
  You're finishing up some extra touches you added last minute as the guests start to arrive. You just knew your guests will love these extra appetizers and the cake you're almost done decorating! You've spent weeks making sure to have everything - to show how important your friends are to you.
- C.
  You've barely set up half the appetizers when the doorbell rings. You throw on some quick music, smile and welcome everyone to the party! Heck, they won't mind helping you throw the rest of the chips in the bowls.
- D.
  You've invited all the most important people - and have chosen the wine and music accordingly. The food will be delivered and set up just in time for everyone to arrive. Thank goodness for catering!
20.
You bought a Spark! Life Binder from Suzanna to organize all your important papers. You'll most likely:
- A.
  Download the binder, order all the supplies and gather all your important papers today. You'll have no problem assembling the Binder when the supplies get here, in the mean time you'll watch all the FAQ videos and review the pages to make sure you know all the information you'll need to enter. You love step-by-step systems with so much detail.
- B.
  Get the email download link and print it out. You post in the Facebook group about how excited you are and have a lovely chat with other ladies who also bought the Binder and are excited! It takes you a few weeks, and you post about your progress in the group to get encouragement, but you keep adding information whenever you come across it. Eventually it's all filled out and you feel peace of mind knowing your family will be safer in an emergency!
- C.
  Get sooo excited! This will finally get those important papers organized. Nothing else has worked. You lost the download link when you first got it, but a quick email and Suzanna sent yo a new one. Thank goodness this isn't something you have to complete all at once. You print it up and fill in all the blanks as you come across the important papers. You'll keep that up and a few months from now it will all be filled in. (Thank goodness it's like a worksheet - you don't have to figure out what important information you need!)
- D.
  Buy the Binder and forward the download link to your assistant t print out and assemble. You schedule an hour in your calendar to pull the information and complete the most important stuff on the fillable PDF. You'll save the file in your fireproof safe and update it any time a major change comes along. You need to protect all that you've built up with your hard work!
21.
Woot! Woot! Vacation time!! Your trip looks like:
- A.
  A well-known tour company has an amazing looking trip available. You've travelled with them before and they're so organized - everything down to the dinners are taken care of. No surprises for you - just what you're looking for.
- B.
  Decide you want to visit a new place with all your best girl friends. You send out a group message to all the gals seeing who's up for a trip. After a few days of discussion about dates and where to go, you've got an amazing group and it's time to start planning with them!
- C.
  You book the airline tickets to the spot you've always wanted to visit. You might book an Air B&B beforehand, or not. Adventure and memories are made on the fly!
- D.
  Choose a trip that adds a challenge. Whether it's mountain climbing, a wine tour with a more in-depth educational component or a golf retreat so you can practice your swing, you can always do something to grow your mind while you're having fun.
22.
Everyone at work knows to go to you:
- A.
  To find important information. You know the file systems better than anyone, and you're always accurate with your data.
- B.
  When they're upset. You know everyone in the office and can help smooth over upset feelings and make everyone feel better. Like an office counselor.
- C.
  For creative solutions & ideas. When nobody else can find a way, your out of the box thinking can come up with a solution every time.
- D.
  Level-headed and rational decisions. If they need an educated course of action, you always see the big picture and can use data to support your suggestions.
23.
At an event people see you as:
- A.
  Steady and dependable, always sticking to the rules and etiquette.
- B.
  A social butterfly. By the end of the night you know about a dozen people's stories and what maters most to them.
- C.
  The party gal. You get people energized and come up with ways to keep people entertained. everyone will know you, though probably not too deeply.
- D.
  Successful and busy. You don't stay at an event too long if it isn't useful toward your goals. You often make a polite and professional exit before it's too late.
24.
When you're lost in thought, it's usually about:
- A.
  Things that need to be done, anything you may have forgotten? How you can best prepare and gather information for anything coming your way.
- B.
  Your past experiences and those of others. The feelings involved and how that affects decisions and life.
- C.
  The future. New ideas, concepts and ideas.
- D.
  Strategies, goals and accomplishments. You focus on future success and how you'll get there.
25.
You make decisions by:
- A.
  Analyzing the data. You like to make sure you have all the information you need before moving forward.
- B.
  Considering how it will affect others. You want to make the choice that will make the most people happy.
- C.
  Trusting your gut. It's always right. And when it isn't, you always have a creative way to fix things.
- D.
  Looking at the big picture and supporting data. But not for too long - you're decisive and move with confidence.
26.
You signed up for an online workshop. It sounded really helpful and you're looking forward to it! You:
- A.
  Made sure you have the sign-in link a week before and your computer is set up to run the video. You sign in 10 minutes early (as early as the software will allow) and test the video, audio and have your notebook ready.
- B.
  Log in just in time - but the audio isn't working! You send off a panicked email to the host, but they're already starting so you doubt they'll get back to you. After 10 minutes of frantically troubleshooting you finally get it to work. Thank goodness! You're late, but better than never!
- C.
  You've been soooo looking forward to this! You have several colors of pens, post it notes and a pretty notebook, ready to soak in all the information. Or, doodle while you listen and take notes. This is going to be so fun, and if you miss anything you can always catch it on the replay!
- D.
  You're signed in right on time, notebook ready. You'll write down any actions items. They'd better not waste your time - hopefully they get to the point quickly.
27.
You got the job because of:
- A.
  Your attention to detail.
- B.
  How good you are with people.
- C.
  All your exciting new ideas, initiative and creative solutions.
- D.
  Your ability to meet all the goals you set, and your personal drive.

Quiz Outcomes

1.
The Administrator
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Your style looooves order. You thrive in an environment where everything is labelled, in its place and under control. You’re a master of the details and everything you do is accurate and purposeful. You’re the consistent, dependable one of the group and you make sure everything runs smoothly and according to plan. If anyone needs something you’ve got it! From extra staples to your go-to recipe for the best und cake to bring to any party, you’re always prepared for yourself and others. You are excellent at scheduling, planning and checking things off your list. A finisher by nature, you can take a to do list and knock things off one by one, and do the job right. Accuracy and details are important to you. And you excel at managing all of them. And everyone can always count on you for it. At home and at work, clutter can really throw you off emotionally and add extra stress. You don’t know how some of the other types manage to get anything done with so much chaos (they don’t get things done as methodically or consistently as you do!) While you thrive in detailed, routine systems, you can sometimes set up routines that take too much time to maintain. It’s easy to run out of time and not get through all your organizing projects. Avoiding perfectionism and creating looser systems as a first version will help get you the order you crave without taking up your whole day. Here are some ways you can thrive at work & home: Stuff: - Traditional systems work really well for you. When using something like the Action File you are the only type that can handle a few extra folders without breaking down the system. Be careful not to add too many, but feel free to add that extra folder for work papers or a specific project you’re gathering information for. And it’s a great visual cue for you to see when you need to file or stop and enter all that gathered data into your other systems. When it gets full it’s a sign it needs to be done. Add the To Do and To Pay folders as a weekly task on your calendar and you’re sure to thrive. - Make sure it needs to be done. It’s easy for you to create organizing tasks that aren’t actually necessary. Filing all your recipes you’ve found in magazines by type and event is great, but not if you never have time to actually cook any of them. Think of alternative ways to achieve the same results. Maybe find and bookmark several recipe sites you love so you can simply search for a new recipe to try when you need one. Then only save the tried and true ones. Really look at what you’re spending time on and think if it’s worth the time spent - does it add enough value to your life? Paper: - Go really broad to get started. Paper is your nemesis. Your amazing attention to detail leads you to keep more paper than other types, and your drive for perfect organization can cause you to take too much time creating the perfect system to manage it. And when you don’t have time to create that perfect system you often create perfect little organized piles of paper to handle later when you do have time (which often never happens.) You can still have that extremely detailed system, but maybe you create a first draft that’s a bit more broad. Instead of setting up those insurance files and subfolders you really want, start with putting all insurance info in one folder called “Insurances.” This will keep that beautiful insurance pile safe and neat until you have time later to add more detail. Then it’s super easy to add those subfolders and labels later! The broader category isn’t forever, it’s just step one of your process to keep things safe and accessible until your final version is set. - Don’t over-organize. Your detailed systems are amazing. You can drill down a file system into multiple subcategories and still manage to file and find what you need. The problem? It will take you ten times longer to file your papers in the first place. And, if you live or work with a less detailed personality type you can almost guarantee they won’ be able to keep up with it. Instead of getting too micro-detailed, allow yourself to be a bit broader. Instead of a folder for each type of insurance with sub folders for the policy, the bills and the notices, just use a folder for the insurance type and all it’s related paperwork. - Your type will love the Spark Life Binder. Your attention to detail and accuracy thrives in a system so structured and organized. Knowing you, you’ll even add your own touch to customize it even more for your life. The structure and consistency of keeping your most important information safe and at the tip of your fingers fits so well with your ability to be the one with all the facts. You’ll beam with pride when someone needs an account number and you pull out your Binder with the number in less than a minute (while they’re still shuffling through paper files and waiting for the website to log them in.) You data rock star, you! - The traditional filing cabinet and alphabetical files work great for you. Make sure the file cabinet is easy to access and you’re golden! What next? Post your type in the Home Organizing Challenges Group and connect with other Administrators. Comment on this post what your type(s) are!
2.
The Counselor
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You are the caregiver of the group. Your emotional, empathetic side comforts people and shows them how important they are to you. You’re always there to listen, give a hug and share ideas & experiences. You thrive when communicating with others. Personal growth, spirituality and understanding others’ experiences, values and who they are makes you feel alive. You love group discussions and girls’ nights and you’re the one who never forgets a birthday or important event. If someone’s upset you’re most likely the one who will notice and they’ll confide in. You live through your senses - music, touch, color, movement - your environment reflects what’s important to you and encourages people to feel comfortable and close. You value people more than possessions, though you may use possessions to show your values, create a nurturing environment, remind you of happy memories or as gifts to show those you love that they’re important. When organizing, you can fall down the rabbit hole of keeping too much for others. Instead of donating to a cereal cause you may try to assign your things to multiple people who you know will love them. You can also get easily sidetracked with ideas, what-ifs and memories as you go through things. You likely run out of time to finish projects because you underestimated how long it would take. Your huge heart and expressive side can lead you to create an environment that easily crosses over from nourishing and fun to overstuffed and overwhelming. Especially to other types who find clutter stressful. But when you trust your heart and open yourself up to focusing on the relationship rather than the things you can do amazing things in your space! Here are some ways you can thrive at work & home: Stuff: - You can be a highly visual organizer. You like to be able to easily see where things are. Shelves, peg boards, clear bins and clearly labelled baskets work really well for you. As long as you can clearly see the category you’ll do really well keeping it organized. - “Just in case” is a killer. With your nurturing side you can fall into the “just in case” and “what if” trap easily. You never want to be caught needing something and not having it - especially for your friends & family. This can cause you to keep way too much stuff you won’t use any time soon. Be okay with the possibility of discomfort and inconvenience once in a great while to have more space and time for the important things every day. When the “just in case” starts to take too much time to organize and blocks the truly important things it’s time to start letting them go and trusting if you ever need them in the future you can find them again or come up with another solution. - Do a wandering tidy. Set a timer for 15 minutes and wander from room to room putting away anything you see out of place. As you take an item to another room, check out that room for anything that needs to be put away. As you walk through the house, always be looking for things you can take with you to another room. Keep moving things closer to their place throughout the day. Paper: - You can get easily distracted when dealing with papers. They’re not your favorite thing to organize - and often the decisions aren’t clear. When you’re dealing with paper, set aside time on your schedule to focus only on the paper. Set a timer to go off every 15 minutes to make sure you’re still on task (if you’ve gotten distracted and wandered to another task or gone down memory lane, get back on task and save the distraction for later.) Go slow and steady, it’s not a race and there are very few decisions that will have major consequences in the long run. Trust yourself and know you will have everything you need or can find it again in the future. - The Spark Life Bider works really well for you. The Binder gives you the peace of mind that you aren’t missing anything vital. It helps you know you’re protecting your family and loved ones by giving them all the information they may need in the future as well as having the most essential info quickly to care for them in an emergency. Knowing you can simply go section by section to gather information and fill in the blanks will give you the reassurance you haven’t missed anything important. And that peace of mind is exactly what you want most from your paper system. - You can do really well with a less traditional filing system. Broader categories, color coding and a file bench or lateral file cabinet work really well for you. You like the structure of the hanging file system, but thrive on the ease of fewer choices of the broad categories. Make it your own and don’t focus on the traditional “should” of alphabetical folders with multiple subfolders. Less is more and you’ve got this under control. What next? Post your type in the Home Organizing Challenges Group and connect with other Counselors. Comment on this post what your type(s) are!
3.
The Inventor
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You’re the life of the party! Where you go, great ideas, conversations and new projects are sure to follow. But you’ll keep them loose, exciting and get the people around you excited about them! You love to wear many different hats. You try new things and get bored with routine. Your mind is always on the future - the possibility! The past rarely holds you back for long. Your brain loves to keep moving, and details just hold you back. You’re the person to call for those creative solutions. Whether it’s a prize-winning costume or a new way to fix the toaster, you think outside the box - and quickly. When organizing you probably struggle with traditional systems. Too many choices and time-consuming systems shut you down and you’re likely to just put it aside to do later. I mean, you have much more intersting ideas to work on! To be successful, let go of what organized “should” look like. Go for broad categories, quick solutions and loose systems. Here are some ways you can thrive at work and home: Stuff: - Zone organizing is your friend. Keeping categories together in the same area means you’ll have to think less when deciding where something goes. For example, all your craft supplies could be kept near your craft table, and your sport equipment may all go in the hall closet where it’s easy to grab for your quick living room workout. - Visual solutions work. Shelves (lots of shelves), bookcases, clear bins, baskets that are clearly labelled. Anything that gives you that quick visual cue where things are. Make sure they’re really well labelled and stick to it. And ditch those lids - they just add an extra step that makes it more work. - Organize with your energy - realistically. It’s easy to get excited about an organizing project and never finish. You have a ton of energy when you start, but lose steam when you get to the details. When you get your energy bursts, tackle smaller projects. Instead of a whole room or closet, pick one shelf at a time. If you still have energy after that shelf move to the next one. And don’t get too detailed setting up your systems - keep it loose and you never have to deal with all those boring details! - Avoid “later.” It’s your enemy. If it’s a fast task, do it quickly right now. And do it all the way to finished. Don’t just put the toothbrush on the counter, get it all the way to the toothbrush holder. It won’t take that long to do it now. Make a game of it and challenge yourself how quickly you can get it done! And celebrate yourself for finishing - every time. You deserve it! Papers: - Do you need a file cabinet? Probably not! Of the 4 personality types, you’re the loosest. Instead of the traditional file cabinet, get super tough on purging and keep just one box or binder with important information. Enter or stash just the important stuff there, no labelling or filing needed. If you need a paper later you won’t mind looking through the one box since it means you spent so much less time filing in the first place. - A Spark Life Binder is great for you! Skip the page protectors and print it up to quickly write the important account numbers and info and let the paper go or scan it. It’s a great solution with its fill-in-the-blank pages so you don’t have to figure out what you need. It’s done for you, so you can get on to more fun ideas and new projects. - Broad categories. These will set you up for success if you do choose to file. Instead of multiple folders for each type of insurance, use one folder labelled “Insurance” for all of them. Color code your file folders and use the broadest categories possible. The fewer choices the better. And place your file cabinet somewhere really easy to reach. Instead of a drawer system, think about a hanging file folder box without the lid on a table. Anything that takes fewer steps will make it easier for you. The Action File for active papers is great for you - instead of a hanging file box use clear wall organizers for your categories. And set yourself a reminder to check that To Do & To Pay folder! What next? Post your type in the Home Organizing Challenges Group and connect with other Inventors. Comment on this post what your type(s) are!
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The CEO
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You achieve things. Goals, certifications, recognition & awards. You are a fierce competitor and when you set a goal it’s as good as done. A leader with a strong personal drive, you have an amazing knack for seeing through all the information to find the essential facts and ideas. You take action and make rational, logical and fact-based decisions quickly. You plan and analyze before you act, and when you take action you see it through to completion at the highest level. Your all or nothing, efficient style gets things done and helps you stand out above the rest. When organizing you’d rather just get it done quickly so you can move on to what’s really important. Those little details are frustrating and a waste of time. You could be doing something more important with your time. But even though you hate the details and time of organizing, you get maddeningly frustrated when you can’t find what you need quickly. It’s stressful when clutter or disorganization slows you down and keep you from moving forward. Your type does best when you can delegate those details. Whether to an assistant at work, a maid service at home or another family member, if you can set up an easy delegation system you can do the work that will benefit everyone more. If you don’t have anyone to delegate to, your exceptional ability to follow a schedule can help you immensely. Here are some ways you can thrive at work & home: Stuff: - Schedule! You’re amazing at completing anything you put on your calendar - use that. If you make organizing a scheduled task, even 15 minutes a day, you can get through it quickly and it won’t pull you away from your other work. Recognize the value organization adds to your life and your work, and make it a priority for your time. Having your papers filed means when you’re mid-project you won’t have to slow down to find what you need. Keeping your desk clutter-free means your mind won’t be slowed down by the visual stress. Organization can add to your productivity and deserves time in your day. - Create easy systems for between organizing sessions. The Action File’s To Enter and To File folders can be your best friend. Done with that project? Toss the paperwork in the To File folder and move on. Need to put something in another room? Create a basket or space nearby for things to take with you as you leave the space. By staging items for organizing later you can reduce visual clutter and make your organizing sessions more productive & efficient. Papers: - Delegate! Are your kids good at routine tasks? Add shredding or filing to their chores (little kids looove to shred!) Is your husband great at detail work? Maybe you can trade - you’ll oversee the investments if he manages putting things away around the house. Make a maid service can also do some filing or tidying, or you can hire a virtual assistant to handle those virtual files and scanned papers. Play to your strengths and pair up with people who have opposite strengths to create a power team. - Go paperless. You love a space with little visual clutter and you need to find things quickly - that is exactly what a paperless system can do! Install a PDF scanning app on your phone, link it to a cloud storage service and scan everything. Give it a strong file name for searching and upload it all to one folder. If you’ve named it well not only can you easily find it with a search, you can easily do a fast sort & file during your organizing sessions or delegate it to a virtual assistant. The faster you can get that paper out of your life the better. - A Spark Life Binder is great for you. Skip the page protectors and print it up to quickly write the important account numbers and info and scan the paper. The goal is to quickly find everything you could possibly need, and the Spark Life Binder does an exceptional job. Plus, it gives you the list of everything you need so you don’t have to waste time creating the system yourself. So you can protect everything you’ve worked hard for without spending a lot of time doing it. What next? Post your type in the Home Organizing Facebook Group and connect with other CEOs. Comment on this post what your type(s) are!