The Stuff of Life

We know that personality type is diverse and multi-layered, because we just spent the last three months perfecting our Pixie PersonalityType instrument! But, the minute I read a line like this, “she can’t help straightening up as she gives a casual tour,” I know I’m dealing with a Fun. Yes, most people think that Classics are the most fastidious, but since Funs aren’t avid list makers, they tend to do something when they see it (often losing track of time in the process and showing up 1/2 hour late to brunch, etc.)

The article, “Queen of her Domain” on page 158 of the March issue of Oprah is about the design and organization guru, Peri Wolfman, whose book A Place for Everything; Organizing the Stuff of Life, as well as five others, stress attractive organization and storage. That’s about as Fun as it gets as they were definitely the ones who started making filing cabinets, files, and other mundane office supplies attractive. 

Funs are really good at this. Why? Because they have their own particular aesthetic (often very colorful, but always attractive) but more important, they have the patience to maintain said aesthetic. They like precision and beauty and are very exacting in their standards. They’re the hostesses who are constantly picking up empty cups, refreshing your drinks, taking away empty plates or wiping down the counter while they’re talking to you. They can’t help it because they know if they don’t do it now they’ll forget about it later. Like I said, they are not list makers like Organic Structures, Smart Structures and Classics, so they do it when they see it. And it is their vigilance that pays off in the form of spotless homes. 

List makers like Classics, Organic Structures and Smart Structures are able to delay tasks because they rely on a tangible list or a routine to get things done. The non-list making Funs, Organic Freedoms and Smart Freedoms rely on their head and their visual sensibilities to do things. In many ways their inner life is much more structured than Classics, Organic Structures and Smart Structures — but all these types can see the crumbs on the counter, it is the Funs who will deal with it right away. Details that are out of place really really bug them. And because they are present-oriented and tactile people they almost get the heebie geebies seeing that kind of dirt.

Now it’s not that Organic Freedoms and Smart Freedoms don’t see the dirt. It bugs them too. But they are so often in the future or  stuck in their heads thinking about things that they can say, “I’ve got to deal with that.” And then walk away and poof! The dirt disappears from their lives, at least for the time being. 

So Peri Wolfman has a lot of great ideas that most types can incorporate, but Classics should just steer clear. I don’t know what it is about you guys, but having utilitarian stuff out in the open just, bugs you too much. If you are forced to have it — by a rental’s open shelving unit of something — then definitely use Wolfman’s advice.

Out in the open, doesn’t have to mean cluttered and messy. Wolfman shows how to do this by making sure that everything that is out in the open is the same color or hue. Matching matching matching is key. 

Here’s my favorite advice, and this actually is something all types can heed:

De-cluttering isn’t just about getting rid of things; it’s also about finding the loveliest ways of arranging what you have. “I like putting all of a kind together — that way it’s a collection, not clutter!”

And while we know that Classics — maybe more than any other type — love a collection, make sure you have the space for it, or a door or drawer to close so you don’t always have to see it. And in the same vein, Organics and Smarts steer clear of closed bins; out of sight for you will always be out of mind.