What Your Mess Says About Your Personality

You may not realize it, but the clutter you keep around you says a lot about who you are as a person. And many emotional problems can sometimes express themselves through the way you organize your home or office.

And even if this isn’t the case, people will still make personality judgements based on your mess. And the way others treat you can often become a self-fulfilling prophecy that ends up influencing your emotions and behaviours in subtle ways.

So, in this article, I’ve outlined a few of the most common emotional problems that can be associated with poor organizational habits.

Depression
When you’re depressed, you stop caring about your place in the world. Trying simply seems futile. You stop going to the gym, dressing nicely, and doing all of the little things that make you sparkle.

This equally applies to the way you keep your home or office when you think that impressing others no longer matters.

Loneliness
When someone keeps a dirty or disorganized living or working space, it sends out a signal that this person is not used to having company over. It signals that you are a person who lives a solitary lifestyle, and that visitors come so rarely that it’s not worth the effort to stay organized.

Unproductive
Have you ever seen the way a dentist or an Indy pit crew works? They know EXACTLY where every tool is, and can reach for it quickly... even with their eyes closed. When you have a messy office, you waste a lot of time digging through piles of junk in order to find what you’re looking for. This is valuable time that could be earning you more money.

Trouble Letting Go Of The Past
People who keep lots of clutter are often emotionally attached to the objects they keep. This is why you might refuse to throw away a sweater, even though you haven’t worn it in 5 years.

Successful people know how to cut their losses, simplify their lives, and focus on new opportunities. This is why it’s important to go through your junk drawers, desks and closets once per year and throw away anything you haven’t used in 6 months.

Neurosis
Have you ever seen someone with a “perfect mess”? They insist on keeping big messy piles of junk all over the place... but still insist that they know where everything is, and that cleaning it would throw off their “system”.

These people are normally inefficient, disorganized, and have poor attention to detail. But they’re so falsely convinced of their own perceived efficiency, that no amount of objective evidence could convince them otherwise.

Of course, every situation is different. Some of these may apply to you, and others might not.

But one thing is for certain: When you keep a messy office or disorganized home, it affects the way other people perceived you... and these perceptions could easily end up affecting you personally.

So make the effort to maintain a clean environment. It only requires a few hours per month, but it provides tremendous lifestyle benefits.

About The Author: Kim Lebb is a cleaning expert with OntarioCleaning.com, a leading provider of Toronto Cleaning services.