Ever resolve to organize your closet or junk drawer, only to see your efforts devolve into a (slightly different) cluttered mess? Maybe it’s because you tried a method that doesn’t fit your personality.
It turns out, people have different approaches to organizing—how to do it, and what they want to get out of it. A new organization strategy, Pixie, caters to these different types. It’s the brainchild of Kelly McMenamin, author of “Organize Your Way: Simple Strategies for Every Personality.”
“How you organize is hardwired into your brain,” she explains. “It’s why some keep tons and rarely declutter, and others squirrel everything away in filing cabinets and declutter regularly. The trick to getting and staying organized is to figure out your organizing style, and then build systems that work with your natural tendencies rather than fighting them.”
Rather than dole out one-size-fits-all advice, McMenamin has her clients first take a Myers-Briggs-type questionnaire to determine which Pixie “type” they are: Classic, Fun, Organic, or Smart.
You’ll no doubt recognize who you are in the descriptions below (or you can take this quiz), then read some tips catered to your tendencies, which might help your resolution to stay organized this year stick.