Life

The New Organization Habit You Should Pick Up This Spring, Based On Your Myers-Briggs Type

by Brandi Neal
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images News/Getty Images

The arrival of spring means out with the old and in with the new. After months of winter hibernation, it's time to open your windows, deep clean your home, and reset your brain. Wondering where to start? Here's the new organization habit you should pick up this spring, based on your Myers-Briggs type. If you're new to the world of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test, this personality assessment divides everyone into 16 different personality types based on how you judge and perceive the world. And, it can identify you strengths and weaknesses when it comes to organizing, which can determine the best way to tackle spring cleaning. If your main traits are feeling and intuition, you might have a harder time getting organized than someone whose main traits are thinking and judging because these people tend to be naturally organized.

Fear not. Even if you're not an orderly person by nature, you can still spring clean you mind, body, spirit, and home like a boss. The secret is using your unique strengths to identify what you want to accomplish and the best way to approach it. If you're someone who is easily overwhelmed, it's important to set realistic goals and do one thing at a time versus seeing spring cleaning as one big project that you have to finish right away. You can even use some handy organization tools based on your Myers-Briggs type to get started so you can spring clean your life and head into summer all bright, shiny, and baggage-free.

1ISTJ: Take Time To Reflect

Orderly and organized by nature, if you're an ISTJ your home is probably already uber organized, which makes this part of spring cleaning easy for you. However, it's also important to pay attention to your mind, which is why taking a few minutes for daily reflection can help you clear the clutter. "Set your phone alarm to remind you to do a one-minute check in at the end of every day — maybe during the commute home, maybe just after dinner — to reflect on the choices you’ve made throughout the day, how those choices made you feel and if there are any changes you can make to improve your day," Andrea Marcellus, founder and CEO of lifestyle app and/life, tells Bustle.

2ISFJ: Put Yourself First

If you're an ISFJ, you've also got that whole clean-house thing figured out. However, ISFJs never skirt their responsibilities, which means that if you make a plan with friends or co-workers you're going to honor it, sometimes to the detriment of your own wellbeing. For a thorough internal spring cleaning, you need to prioritize yourself to avoid burning out. "Free up more time, accumulate less junk, and cut down on stress by making conscious choices to do things in your life that make you feel good and are truly meaningful to you," Marcellus tells Bustle. For example: "When it comes to eating out, unless it’s a planned social thing, make your own lunch instead of going to just mediocre places and use that money you saved to splurge on memorable dinners, with meaningful people at amazing restaurants."

3INFJ: Take Time To Declutter

A lover a all things material, if you're an INFJ you probably bring home a lot of things you don't need and never use, which can lead to your eventually having a very cluttered living space. While it might be a painful process, if you want to lift some of that existential weight off of your shoulders, you're going to have to part with some of your stuff, especially clothes. "When we hold onto clothing that we don’t wear it depletes our life force and mental capacity," professional organizer, and founder of Clutter Healing, Lili Petit wrote on her blog. "Let every piece of clothing in your closet tell a story that you want to tell from the heart not from the head. Get really clear about what you need, what you feel confident and radiant in and let the rest go."

4INTJ: Commit To Getting It Done

INJTs, once you commit to something, nothing can stop you. However, you're not going to do 100 percent of things you don't commit to. So, if you want to spring clean your life, decide that you're going to do it, which means that you will because you always see something through once you make a commitment. And, once you're done, remember to celebrate your success. "Always schedule in a celebratory something once you complete a task," Petit advised on her blog. "I often take small breaks throughout the day when I work from home to break up the activities and to recognize what has been accomplished."

5ISTP: Organize Your Taxes

If you're an ISTP, you're strengths are tolerance, flexibility, and the keen ability to analyze large amounts of data, which means that you tackle your taxes like a boss. With tax day rapidly approaching, it's time to spring clean your finances. Start by getting those taxes done, then take some time to see where you're spending unnecessarily. "Are you finding yourself spending more time and money on lunches during the week than you’d like? Make it a habit to do your weekly grocery shopping on the same day, at the same time every week — like on Sundays after going to brunch with your girlfriends," Marcellus tells Bustle. "Once you’ve gotten that down, pick two meals that you will alternate between for lunch during the week, as well as two alternates for your 4 p.m. snack when you get hungry again and need a quick boost of energy." Being prepared up front can stop you from overspending at the coffee shop every afternoon.

6ISFP: Put It On Your Calendar

ISFPs love to live in the present moment. While this fly-by-the-seat-of-your pants method ensures you always have fun, it means you're probably not going to actively make a choice to do any kind of spring cleaning. While ISFPs are the anti-schedulers of the MBTI, setting time aside to do some spring cleaning is the only way it's going to happen. And, if you commit to blocking out time every day, or even every week, to doing a little, it will save you a lot of time in the long run. "Remember that your home is just like your physical body. It needs to be tended to on a daily basis," Petit explained. "Do your best to not let things pile up, instead work on them little by little each day. It might be a bit painful to start organizing initially, but like anything, over time you will build momentum and muscle."

7INFP: Get Creative

If you're an INFP like me then you know that this MBTI tends to see possibilities and creative solutions that other types don't. Use your secret weapon to your advantage and come up with creative ways to get that spring cleaning done. Consider starting with a meditation to get yourself in the mood, or have a 30-second dance party before you tackle each task. Marcellus calls this the rule of awesome. "Simply put, according to the rule of awesome — if it’s not awesome, don’t do it." Scour Pinterest for creative organizing ideas, and turn the task into something fun. Because your mind works in mysterious ways, the end result will surely be nothing short of amazing.

8INTP: Get Out Of Your Own Way

For INTPs, spring cleaning is only going to happen if it's a task that interests this MBTI. If you're an INTP who is in desperate need of a spring cleaning, you're going to have to get out of your own way and stop believing that there is a right way and a wrong way to do something. If cleaning is not your jam, you're likely in for a pretty big project, which can feel super overwhelming. "The question, 'where do I begin?' paralyzes most human beings not only in organizing but in almost any life scenario," Petit explained. "As we all know taking the first step is the most challenging. Energy feeds on energy. Once you get the balling rolling though you may not be able to stop the momentum you’ve created."

9ESTP: Schedule A Decluttering Day

Because ESTPs tend to be spontaneous and prefer to live in the moment, if this is your MBTI it's important to schedule a day to declutter your life. The good news is that once you start, nothing can stop you and you'll likely have a spotless apartment and a better mindset by the end of the day. Because you're also a lover of material items, you're probably going to end up with a lot of stuff in the toss and donate piles, which is a good reminder to cull your spending habits in the future. "Decluttering is often a cathartic process, healing countless emotional struggles as you feel and integrate the benefits of lightening your load physically, mentally, energetically and emotionally," Petit noted.

10ESFP: Make It A Group Activity

If you're an ESFP, spending a day alone meditating or spring cleaning your living space is probably not your jam. That's OK because you can make it a group activity by asking your besties to support you and offering to return the favor. "You only get one life this go around," Petit noted. "The more you can laugh at your mistakes and your silly habits the more joy you can bring to your life and your home." Basically, spring cleaning doesn't have to suck. Get some rosé, order some pizza, put on your favorite Spotify playlist, and get to work. Let your friends paw through the clothes, book, and household items you no longer want. You can also end the day with a group Yoga class so it doesn't feel like you've spent the whole day cleaning.

11ENFP: Get A Cleaning Service

OK ENFPs, it's no secret that cleaning and organizing is not your forte, and you'd probably rather do anything else. You're the MBTI who most needs a personal assistant to keep your life on track, and spring cleaning is no different. If you can afford it, consider hiring a cleaning service to give your living space a much-needed spring scrub down. You can find someone affordable on Task Rabbit to clean your space so you can focus on clearing your mind of clutter. Head to a yoga or meditation class to reset your brain for spring. The best part is that when you get home you pad will be spic and span AF.

12ENTP: Try Something New

ENTP, because routine bores you to tears, the only way you're going to tackle any kind of spring cleaning is if you make it new and exciting. Consider turning your spring cleaning project into a game. Turn up the tunes, combine your cleaning with a workout routine, design a spring-cleaning relay and compete with your friends online, and make sure to reward yourself when you're finished. You can even make some homemade cleaning solutions. One of my faves is eucalyptus oil mixed with a drop of soap and some water. Not only is it antimicrobial, but it will leave your place smelling great, and it's an easy way to add a little aromatherapy to your spring-cleaning routine.

13ESTJ: Spring Clean Your Friends List

If you're an ESTJ, you are one of the most organized and orderly MBTIs out there. You're life is likely already organized AF, and your apartment beyond spotless. However, sometimes you can forget to cleanse your personal life. Use this time to cull your friends lists on all of your social media accounts, and unsubscribe to those eleventy million emails you don't want. After you're finished with that, take some time to clear the clutter from your mind. "Break up your day with an energy-restoring change of scenery. Instead of relentlessly ploughing through your day and eating lunch at your desk, determine to integrate a fast-paced walk around lunchtime every day," Marcellus suggests. "Just 10 minutes in one direction and 10 minutes back. Breath and movement combined with whatever captures your imagination — trees in bloom, the feel of the sunshine on your hair, a favorite song in your headphones — can put you in a great mood for the rest of your workday."

14ESFJ: Feng Shui Your Home

ESFJ, you love nothing more than a harmonious and beautiful living space, kind of like a Libra. For your 2018 spring cleaning, take the time to feng shui your living space to get the maximum amount of good vibrations flowing through your home. "Feng shui is a system for arranging your surroundings in harmony and balance with the natural world around you," Feng Shui for Real Life explained on its blog. "In Chinese, the words feng shui mean 'wind and water.'" Basically, you want to organize your space to get the most out of your chi, or energy. "The goal of feng shui improvements (or 'cures') is to keep the chi flowing gently throughout your environment rather than running straight through it. Chi can have a negative effect on your surroundings when it gets stuck or blocked."

15ENFJ: Treat Yourself

If you're an ENFJ, you're so busy taking care of everyone else that you often neglect your own needs. This can leave everything from your living space, to you mind, body, and spirit in disarray. For your 2018 spring cleaning it's important to take a weekend to catch up with yourself. Clean you apartment, get a massage, and do anything else that you've been neglecting because you haven't made yourself a priority. Going forward, commit to taking time each day to "reflect on the choices you’ve made throughout the day, how those choices made you feel and if there are any changes you can make to improve your day," Marcellus recommends.

16ENTJ: Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

ENJT, you've got that whole orderly life and clean apartment thing down. In fact, you might be so committed to order and routine that you avoid trying new things. To spring clean your life, commit to doing something new each week, even if it makes you uncomfortable. While it feels good to know every single thing that's going to happen, it's hard to grow as a person if you never venture outside of your safe bubble. Getting outside of your comfort zone can result in some unexpected magical transformations. Start with small things and work your way up to what you're most afraid of. Consider keeping a journal so you can check your progress. When you look back at it next year, you might just be amazed at how far you've come.