Have you ever wondered why you, or someone you love, just cannot seem to put together an organizing system of any kind that works?
Most of us learned our organizing skills through societal messages, the styles of our parents and other adults that we looked up to during our youth. Many of our role models may have been lacking in organizational skills, or they could not teach us because their styles differed drastically from our own.
Also, in America, the cultural overtones and messages we receive about organizing methods happen to only work for about 3 percent of the population. They work for those who are concrete and sequential thinkers. These are the people who would never “haphazardly” (as they may say) take their shoes off and leave them by the front door. They walk to their bedrooms, take their shoes off and neatly put them in their assigned space. These are the people who might find boot camp and the rigid order and structure of it a gleeful experience.
We are taught by the covert messages of our society that everything should be out of site, neatly put away or it is not a beautiful environment. For most of us the realities of our lives, our personality styles and preferences simply do not accommodate this. For many the magazine perfect home is something they think they should strive to have and in reality if they had it they would be very uncomfortable in, maybe even finding it sterile and stale.
This is not meant to in any way degrade those who have, love and enjoy homes like this to them it is not stale at all–it is a perfect reflection of who they are and how they love to live. The point is that each of us is unique and what makes one happy and comfortable will never satisfy another with a different personality style.
Personality Matters
Organizing to your personality and unique dynamics is important. I have always had a real knack for intuitively being able to observe and pick-up the essence of my clients personalities, what will and what will not work for them. And, part of that is my training and long time fascination with personality assessments.
For everyone taking into consideration learning styles, emotional intelligence, personality traits, and existing behavior patterns (habits) is essential to creating and organizing a space that is tailored to the unique dynamics if its users or inhabitants. Sometimes, I use personality assessments to bring in information that will help you to discover what will work and to deepen my understanding of “you”.
Researchers call assessments related to personality styles & traits “perceptual modality assessments.” They help you to discover how you sense or see, hear, feel and move through the world and relate to others. Using these assessments brings rich insights about yourself that can be applied and help you improve all areas of your life. So, the organizing experience takes you beyond your space and into life and how you can approach it more authentically as you.
One More Thing About Assessments:
Did you know that many of our personality traits are mutable, changeable? In contrast to what was thought early on in the study of personality, we are not “stuck with” our personality as is. Any trait you are lacking or a trait that is blocking you from accomplishing what you want can be shifted and those that might bring you to accomplishing your vision or goal can most definitely be developed.