Decluttering can be a laborious task for many, materialising itself as a time-consuming pursuit that often results in unfinished organising systems that are abandoned not even a week after being implemented. So, how do you discover a system that'll actually stick around for the long run? Luckily, there's a clever way to figure that out: the Clutterbug Quiz.
With so many decluttering methods out there, it can be difficult to know what will actually be effective for your home. Often, one of the biggest decluttering mistakes we fall victim to is seeing a viral method online and immediately flocking to try it out without first assessing if it's a suitable fit for you. Something dubbed a game-changer for one might be an epic fail for you, and vice versa.
So, before blindly following the next big thing in the decluttering scene, the Clutterbuy Quiz is designed to help you understand what your clutter says about you. Instead of working against your attitude toward decluttering and forcing a new organising style, it is designed to help identify methods that will complement them instead.
What is the Clutterbug Quiz?
The Clutterbug Quiz was created by organising expert, Cassandra Aarssen, to help people identify their type of organising style. Cassandra explains that there are four types of styles: ladybugs, butterflies, crickets, and bees. Each style can be described as so:
- Ladybugs are hidden organisers that like their everyday used items to be out of sight, even if it means shoving and hiding things away in large baskets with no strict categories.
- Butterflies are visual organisers who can easily forget about items when they're stored out of sight, preferring fewer and larger categories when organising.
- Crickets are hidden organisers who prefer to have their items stored behind closed doors and organised in smaller categories.
- Bees are visual organisers who like to see their everyday used items out in the open, with detailed organising systems in place.
A little bit about me: I live in a small flat in London and it's left me needing to get pretty crafty with the way I choose to organise my belongings, especially in my tiny borderline single bedroom. To minimise 'visual clutter' I prefer to have my things out of sight, but still organised to a tee despite not being on display (for my own peace of mind). So, I had a good feeling about what I'd get.
I decided to take the quiz to help me better understand where I could be making improvements in my organising habits, and as suspected, I got the cricket.
Cassandra explains that crickets 'love visual simplicity and organisational abundance.' She notes that we prefer everyday items out of sight, however, we can be a bit of a perfectionist and are very detail oriented. Once a system is in place, it's easy enough to stick to. But, a cricket's biggest weakness? Finding the time to set up the right system in the first place.
What I learned from the Clutterbug Quiz
To help me tackle mounds of things, Cassandra says 'the best solution for a cricket is to let go a little bit', urging crickets to try macro-organising piles of clutter instead of micro-organising, learning to embrace 'good enough' as it'll allow me to get so much more accomplished.
Seeing as one of my favourite decluttering tricks I've tried (and still uphold to this day) is the tidy toss method, whereby you simply put items away in categorised baskets instead of trying to make everything perfect, it's clear that I've already been leaning more into loosening up and being okay with 'good enough' without me even knowing! Now, I ought to bring this system out of just my own bedroom storage solutions and into the rest of my home, and I'll be right as rain.
Cassandra also urges crickets to 'set a timer when organising to encourage you to move fast and stay focused'. Other decluttering systems I've enjoyed have been the scavenger hunt method and I often find myself doing a quick 10-minute declutter frequently.
Gamifying mundane tasks has always proven effective for keeping me on task, so it was relieving to discover that I've been on the right track with implementing these systems into my life too.
Additionally, Cassandra also assures that a labeller will be my best friend. Surprisingly, labelling isn't something that I've had the chance to get stuck into (as I haven't found the time to buy one); however, with this push, it's sure to be my next step to finally organise my kitchen cupboards and declutter my pantry after putting it off for far too long.
As such, here are the key buys I've got on my radar to level up my decluttering and organising game to the next level.
I've got my eye on these lidded boxes to store a handful of household essentials and belongings, including shoes and winter clothes. Better yet, since they're lidded it'll keep everything dust-free too
These fabric storage boxes are exactly what I need to help me continue organising my wardrobe using my favourite 'tidy toss' method to keep things tidy and clutter-free.
This wireless label maker connects with your smartphone, allowing you to instantly print off necessary labels for all of your many storage baskets and boxes. I can't wait to go label crazy once I've got my hands on one.
Of course, taking a quiz isn't going to automatically make every area of your life suddenly perfect and clutter-free. However, at least I now have a better understanding of what methods will work for me and my 'cricket' style instead of trying to force the next viral thing I see on social media that I realistically wouldn't be able to maintain in the long run.
It's still a process, but any tool that'll help me become more intentional and in-tune with systems around my home is something I'll always welcome.
This guided interactive journal by Cassandra Aarssen is designed to help you declutter your home and life through mindfulness and self-motivation. Learn how to navigate the chaos of clutter by taking the time to understand yourself and the underlying meaning behind your clutter.
