What is your Clutter personality type?

The Collector: You are always on the lookout for the next item that will complete your home/collection. You feel that once things are just so everything will be perfect. In the meantime it nags at you because it feels incomplete. You are constantly on the lookout for the final perfect red vase to sit on your mantle with the other red vases. Signs that you are a collector include having 1 or more large collections. These could be seashells, electronic gadgets, music, trading cards, sports memorabilia etc. Do you have a collection of items that you are proud of and showcase? Do you have more than 15 pieces in the collection? Do you have more than one type of collection? Do you search for items to add to your collection? Does the idea of losing your collection make you feel like you’d be losing a part of yourself?

The Procrastinator Keeper: The procrastinator keeper holds onto things until the right time. You fully intend to get rid of the item but something has to happen first. You have a stack of newspaper clippings for a friend. You have a pile of stuff in your laundry room you’re saving for your next yard sale. You have to find the other shoe before you can donate the pair to a thrift store.Signs that you’re a procrastinator keeper are having more than 1 item in your home you’ve been saving for longer than 1 week to give to someone.

The Cycler: You give stuff away constantly but never seem to make headway in your clutter. You know the root to the drop off station at your local thrift store by heart. You get rid of stuff and realize two months later you need to do it again. Cyclers often combine one or more other clutter personality types in with their cycling habits. Cyclers accumulate a lot and get rid of a lot, with lag time in between. Signs that you’re a cycler are buying something, not liking it, getting rid of it, and buying another. In the past 5 years have you taken more than 5 trips to a donation center each year? Do you have as much stuff as you had 5 years ago, still too much, but not growing in size? Do you shop for things other than groceries more than 3 times a month?

The Orderly Keeper: You have too much stuff but it’s all organized to perfection. Your collection of 100 clown figurines is gleaming, dust free and perfectly displayed. Your 30 photo albums are arranged chronologically. Your five bookcases of fiction novels are sorted by the dewey decimal system. When you run out of space you buy another storage unit. Signs that you’re an orderly keeper are having large collections of items that are all very well organized, but you’re house is still overly filled with all of those items. Do you have items stored in a rented storage unit? Have you contemplated upgrading to a bigger home because you’ve run out of space? Do you want to keep growing your collections but don’t know where to put them? Has someone in your family told you enough already?

The Disorderly Keeper: You have too much stuff and it’s scattered everywhere. You bring in the mail and drop it on a stack of papers on your kitchen counter. Your clothes land in heaps on the floor. You can’t find the dvd you want to watch, just the dvd case. Signs that you’re a disorderly keeper are losing things on a regular weekly basis, digging around to find what you’re looking for, and buying a new version of something you already own because you need it right now and can’t find it anywhere. Have you lost something 1 or more times this month? Do you know you have just what you need but can’t locate it? After doing the laundry do your clean clothes sit out for 1 day or more before you put them away? Have you been late paying bills 1 or more times this year because you lost the bill or forgot about it? Do you get frequent late fees from library rentals, movie rentals, or bills?

The Practical Keeper/Fixer: You own many things because of their practical value. You never know when you’ll need a large roll of twine, duct tape, and spare parts from old electronics. Signs of being a practical keeper are having 1 or more non-working items in your home that you plan on fixing in the future that has been in a non-working condition for more than 3 months. Do you have more than 10 items in your home because you might need them someday? Are you storing more than 5 items in your home because a friend or family member may need them someday? Do you keep spares around because the original may break someday?