I Used the “Clutterbug Quiz” Method to Declutter — and I’d Do It Again
Not all clutter is made equally, and not all clutterers are made equally, either. Writer Julia Williamson identified four different clutter personality types, but there’s another way to determine your cleaning style and use it to your advantage.
Created by organizing expert Cassandra Aarsson, it’s called the Clutterbug method, and it determines four types of clutter styles: bees, ladybugs, crickets, and butterflies. Here’s what each of them is like:
- Bees like things in the open but very organized and perfect. Bees knoll, I’m sure of it.
- Ladybugs like things out of sight, even if it means shoving stuff into a drawer.
- Crickets like things both away and organized.
- Butterflies have a hard time staying organized if there are too many subcategories and forget things when they’re put away.
I decided to take the quiz, which is in Aarsson’s e-book, to find out if it could help me get to the source of the problem and actually declutter more successfully. It came as no surprise to me, the maximalist, clutter-core, neurodiverse Gemini that I am, that I am a butterfly.
When something’s out of sight, it’s out of mind, which means that if I have bills to pay or books to read, they tend to accumulate on my desk. If I’m going to be cooking later, I keep the cookbook open to the page and the nonperishable ingredients on the counter.
Most validating, Aarsson says, “butterflies are often overwhelmed with the ideas of organizing because they have often ‘failed’ in the past” since many organizational systems are built for people who are happy to hide their belongings.”
What the Clutterbug Quiz Taught Me
To overcome overwhelming clutter, Aarsson says I need visual organizational methods, clear bins, labels, and hooks, which I totally do have. My most efficient systems include bins and hooks! In the kitchen, I know visuals are important because I tend to forget about vegetables or other food if it’s not in front of my face. I have clear bins in my fridge for my kids, who I suspect are also lil’ butterflies.
That visual system also works well for kids’ toys and games, which are in pantry organizing bins or on open shelves, for easy access. Don’t tell me you’re bored or can’t find it: It’s right there! There are hooks in the bathroom and laundry room as well as on the back of my door, so I can store my fancy towel robe, “getting ready” robe, towel, and “inside sweater” in my bedroom, where they’re easy to grab before moving out of the room to get ready. My top bureau drawer has individual clear organizers that lift out, so I can do makeup in my room or take it with me to the bathroom where the light is better.
My laundry triage system also makes sense to me. I currently need to do laundry so the bins are full, but they each have a category and are easy enough to see: one for each of my kids, cold for me, warm for me (divided by two into tops and bottoms because sometimes I need socks and sometimes I need sports bras more urgently), and household laundry. The stuff in the shelf above I have to stain-treat, and the bin on the floor is clean and just out of the dryer. It looks a bit messy, but I can see everything, which is currently telling me to keep rotating that laundry.
How the Clutterbug Quiz Brought Me Peace
My house is still cluttered. I’m a clutterbug. I always will be making peace with it and finding solutions that work well for the way I organize. That means I don’t shame-tidy and sweep things into closets out of sight whenever I get overwhelmed. Having systems in place helps me be most efficient and happiest. Since I’m already fluttering around like a butterfly, I can continue the practice of using visual, simple organizing methods instead of feeling like I need to organize my house like a bee, which I simply wouldn’t be able to maintain.