and decide where you think you fit, choosing one description from the top row and one from the bottom row. Then, take the quiz on the next page to see if you can narrow things down.
Personal and Organizational Styles Quiz
Mark each item below as true or false.
| 1. You participate in so many activities that you have something to do nearly every night. | T | F |
| 2. The only way you remember to bring things with you when you leave the house is to leave them out where you’re likely to trip over them. | T | F |
| 3. At least one closet, dresser, or other space in your home has a number of items you no longer really need but can’t seem to get rid of. | T | F |
| 4. Your house looks neat, yet you struggle to find what you need when you need it. | T | F |
| 5. No matter how neat your papers are when you put them away, they always seem to end up wrinkled and/or torn. | T | F |
| 6. One look at your workspace, bed, counter, or floor reveals evidence of everything you’ve done in the last few days. | T | F |
| 7. Though you’ve tried, you rarely manage to put papers in the rings of three-ring binders or the pockets of pocket folders. | T | F |
| 8. You can often find lost items by retracing your steps. | T | F |
| 9. You often feel bored when you have unscheduled time. | T | F |
| 10. You have more stuff than room to store it. | T | F |
| 11. You put things away, but often forget which “safe place” you put them in. | T | F |
| 12. You often forget things if you don’t write them down. | T | F |
All finished? Now let’s compare your answers on the quiz to the key below. Every “true” is a clue:
1. I love to be busy.
2. I need to see it.
3. I love stuff.
4. I know I put it somewhere.
5. Cram and jam.
6. Drop and run.
7. Cram and jam or I need to see it.
8. Drop and run.
9. I love to be busy.
10. I love stuff.
11. I know I put it somewhere.
12. I need to see it.
Do the quiz answers match your predictions and observations? For most people, clear patterns will emerge, and the answers will come as no surprise. What they’ve noticed about the way they organize (or don’t) will match what they’ve predicted and where their answers land on the quiz.
Some people will be “a little bit of this and a little bit of that.” At this point in the process, that’s to be expected. Further observation, discussion, and exploration will help you determine your predominant styles. And some people really are a mix of styles, which can be beneficial. An overlap means more strategies to work with!
The most important thing to keep in mind right now is that there are no right or wrong answers on the quiz, and these styles are not personal or organizational flaws.
This shift in thinking can be challenging. Up to this point, these styles have probably been stumbling blocks to your organizational efforts, perhaps even traits you found embarrassing. Moving forward, the goal will not be to change your styles, but rather to help you view your natural tendencies as assets rather than liabilities.
But Organizing by STYLE is more than just relabeling habits. When we accept our styles as manifestations of our personalities and our natural tendencies, we can look at them in a different light. This change in perspective frees up the energy we’ve wasted beating ourselves up and allows us to expend it instead on finding practical solutions to our organizational struggles. By discovering the benefits inherent in our styles, we can use who we are and what we do automatically as a blueprint for developing a workable, sustainable plan. Best of all, since the basis of this plan is no longer who someone else thinks we should be or what someone else thinks we should do, we’re better able to celebrate exactly who God created us to be — organizational challenges and all. We might even find a little time to give thanks for the traits we once grumbled about.
Could you work to change your styles? Of course. But if you’re reading this book, I suspect you’ve already tried that approach, only to land back where you began. Besides, isn’t working with yourself a whole lot easier than working against yourself?
Part I of this book will focus on helping you to pinpoint your styles. There will be no judgment, no shaming, and no attempt to convert you to another, “better” way of doing things. (The world has plenty of traditionally organized Type A organizers like Evan.) I hope that this book will help you to uncover the unique manifestations of the Spirit that God has given you and help you figure out how to use them as your guide. The goal is not perfection, but rather a system that makes it easy for you to find what you need when you need it.
In part II, we’ll play with some strategies to go with your styles. Each chapter will focus on one letter of the STYLE acronym:
Start with successes
Take small steps
Yes, it has a home!
Let it go
Easy upkeep
