The Clutter Connection Quotes

“My kids were all Butterflies when they were little, as are most small children. If I put a toy in a closet or on a high shelf, they would completely forget about it. It was like Christmas morning any time I pulled out something they hadn’t seen in a few days.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“The clutter connection is simply this: your clutter has nothing to do with your actual stuff. It really has everything to do with your personality type and how your brain works.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“The trait which most defines a Cricket is perfectionism. They have a deep desire to do things the “right” way and can sometimes be what people call a “type A” personality.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Leaving a trail of half-finished projects will steal your mojo and get in the way of your progress.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Being organized gives you access to more time, more money, and greatly reduces your stress. An organized home gives you a sense of calm and relaxation each night when you fall asleep and instills energy and motivation when you wake up.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“forced myself to get dressed each morning, which had a huge impact on my day. When I stayed in my pajamas, I felt tired and lethargic, no matter the time of day. When I got dressed, I felt more awake and energized. Incidentally, it also was nice to have pants on when unexpected company stopped by!”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Now that we both understand the reasons behind our actions, we no longer have the resentment that comes from unmet expectations.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Understanding fosters tolerance.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Remind yourself that this tendency to overplan and over-research is your brain’s way of delaying progress because of the fear of failure.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“The other secret for helping your Ladybug get on the path to success is ensuring that the containers and other “homes” for things are located close to where these items are used.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“This need for fast and simple solutions isn’t linked to being lazy or unintelligent; rather, it comes from their tendency to focus on the big picture over small details.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Truth time: I have also melted many, many things by hiding them in the oven and forgetting about them. Oh, Ladybugs.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“When I finally stopped looking at housework as something I did for my family or even because of them, I stopped being resentful. In truth, I clean and tidy for myself. I do it because it makes me happy to have a tidy home.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“In a world filled with people struggling with inner perfectionism, you look at the bigger picture. Your brain naturally groups things in large, simple categories, naturally simplifying life.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“can’t stress it enough that becoming organized is about making your life easier and less stressful. It’s about freeing up valuable time and space, so that you can focus on the things that bring you happiness.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“I cannot tell you how many stories I’ve heard of families paying good money for professional organizing services, just to have them all fail a week later. If you (or the professional organizer) doesn’t understand what systems will and will not work for you and your family’s style, it can only end in failure.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Here is the problem I have with professional organizers: they organize the “stuff” in a home instead of organizing the family.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Ladybugs are enigmas. Most of them tend to be carefree and outgoing, while at the same time being slightly neurotic and a total homebody.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“you are like me and get anxious when your home feels cluttered, explain to your Bee that their piles cause you stress, and ask them to consider “project boxes” or large baskets as a way of containing their piles until they have a chance to deal with them properly.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“As an example, this means it is much easier for an individual who craves visual simplicity (Crickets and Ladybugs) to go against their nature and learn to hang their coat on a hook than for someone who craves visual abundance (Bees and Butterflies) to put it away in a closet. It is also easier for a perfectionist (Crickets and Bees) who craves a detailed organizing system to relax their expectations and opt for a more macro approach than for someone who needs organizational simplicity (Butterflies and Ladybugs) to adapt to a complex approach.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“When there is more than one personality type sharing a space, I recommend always defaulting to the visual and to the simple system.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“To my Ladybug brain, piles look like huge messes that need to be cleaned up fast. To a Bee, it’s an organized collection of important things that need to be dealt with properly when there is time. Instead of hiding and shoving, it’s best to encourage a Bee by helping her or him create clearly labeled “proper” homes for these piles. Shoving and hiding is only going to lead to anxiety about losing things, which will intensify the piling in the future, rather than solve it.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Decluttering is more than just having your home be more functional and inviting. Decluttering is about self-care. A messy house is stressful; there is no way to downplay it. You deserve a clean and organized space.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Another issue I often see with Bees (and Crickets for that matter) is the fear of disposing of items incorrectly. Again, this comes from perfectionism. I have had more clients than I can count obsess over the best place to recycle old electronics or torn and soiled used clothing. Everything from empty boxes to fabric scraps can be a huge stumbling block when they focus on the “right” and “perfect” way to dispose of something. Sometimes, the garbage really is the best option. It’s sad and wasteful, but holding onto garbage because you are afraid to put it in a landfill isn’t a long-term option.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“You are not bad at housework. You are not a messy person; that is the lie that you are telling yourself, Jen. Your fear of failing is the only reason you are not having success.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“you would rather do things that you know you are good at and make you feel good about yourself. No one wants to feel like a failure, so maybe you are subconsciously avoiding things that make you feel that way.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Butterflies truly will completely forget about their belongings if they are “put away.” This often subconscious fear of forgetting something important drives them to leave everything out in the open.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Once you accept that their need for visual solutions is real, and incorporate practical solutions that suit their nature, you can make real progress.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“don’t want to make excuses, but, the truth is, it isn’t their fault. A Butterfly is never going to be a detailed or micro-organized person. No matter how hard they try, or more likely how hard you try to make them, being organized like you simply isn’t in their nature.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do

“Worse, particularly when dealing with a significant other, having to constantly pick up after him or her can lead to resentment. If this is indeed your situation, you have probably tried to “organize” their stuff a million times, just to have them never able to keep it up.”
― Cassandra Aarssen, The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do