We all have closets. Cupboards, pantries, and other spaces to store our things.
Yet, many of us have a challenge getting and keeping our closet organized.
I thought I would look to CliftonStrengths to see if there are ideas that might keep us on track.
The next four sections break the themes into their domains.
Find your Top 5 (or 10) themes and see if they spark some ideas.
Executing Themes
Executing Themes focus on getting things done.
To them, organizing is about efficiency, structure, and follow-through.
So, their organization style tends to be methodical, practical, and results driven.
The goal is to create a system that is reliable, sustainable, and easy to maintain over time.
Clear categories, checklists, routines, and systems that ensure consistency and accountability.
- Achiever: Set up a structured system with clear categories. Maintain it with regular check-ins.
- Arranger: Create a dynamic layout that maximizes space and can be easily reorganized.
- Belief: Organize based on values by prioritizing sustainability, sentimentality, or minimalism.
- Consistency: Establish a routine for maintenance and ensure everything follows a set system.
- Deliberative: Thoughtfully plan every detail, ensuring a setup that prevents future clutter.
- Discipline: Use a precise system with neatly arranged sections, clear labels, and strict upkeep.
- Focus: Keep only what aligns with current goals, removing distractions or unnecessary items.
- Responsibility: Maintain a system that ensures everything is always in its proper place.
- Restorative: Identify problem areas and reorganize to fix inefficiencies in space or accessibility.
Influencing Themes
Influencing Themes focus on making things happen and inspiring others.
So, their organization is bold, purposeful, and geared toward effectiveness.
The goal is to create a system that drives action, makes a statement, or enhances performance.
Expect high-energy decisions and visually appealing spaces.
Systems will be designed to keep momentum going.
- Activator: Organize quickly by diving in and adjusting as needed rather than over-planning.
- Command: Take charge with a decisive setup that eliminates clutter and enforces order.
- Communication: Label sections clearly and make the system easy to explain to others.
- Competition: Set a goal to create the most organized or visually impressive closet.
- Maximizer: Keep only the best-quality items and arrange for both efficiency and aesthetics.
- Self-Assurance: Trust instincts to create an intuitive, personal system that just works.
- Significance: Make a standout space with a polished, well-designed appearance.
- Woo: Arrange the closet in an inviting, easy-to-navigate way for guests or shared use.
Relationship Building Themes
Relationship Building strengths focus on people and connections.
So, their organization tends to be flexible, relational, and emotionally intuitive.
Organizing is about harmony, personalization, and emotional connection.
The goal is to create a system that feels good and works well for the people using it.
Expect customized setups and sentimental items may be prioritized.
The approach will consider how the space makes people feel.
- Adaptability: Keep a flexible system that allows for easy changes as needs shift.
- Connectedness: Arrange items with flow, considering how they relate to one another.
- Developer: Organize in a way that makes it easy to evolve and refine over time.
- Empathy: Arrange items based on emotional connection, keeping what feels good to have.
- Harmony: Create a peaceful, balanced space with a calm, clutter-free aesthetic.
- Includer: Ensure the organization system works for everyone who shares the space.
- Individualization: Design the closet to match personal routines and needs.
- Positivity: Organize in a way that makes the space feel uplifting and energizing.
- Relator: Keep sentimental items visible and create an inviting space that feels personal.
Strategic Thinking Themes
Strategic Thinking themes focus on ideas and possibilities.
So, their organization is thoughtful, information-rich, and often forward-thinking.
Organizing is about insight, knowledge, and long-term vision.
The goal is to create a system that makes sense, evolves over time, and supports the big picture.
Expect well-categorized resources and adaptable systems.
They emphasize functionality over rigid structure.
- Analytical: Sort items by categories, considering frequency of use, seasonality, and function.
- Context: Keep items that hold significance and arrange them in a way that tells a personal story.
- Futuristic: Design the closet with a long-term vision in mind, planning for evolving needs.
- Ideation: Use creative solutions and unique layouts to make the space functional and inspiring.
- Input: Use labeled bins, shelves, or digital inventory to store and track a variety of useful items.
- Intellection: Create a thoughtful system that allows for reflection and refinement over time.
- Learner: Experiment with different organizing methods and adjust based on what works best.
- Strategic: Organize by grouping items based on how and when they’ll be used.
Your Turn
Do you struggle with organizing?
Were there insights about your top strengths that gave you new perspectives on your approach?
How could you take on a small project to test a new approach to the closet clean?
Note: These are my interpretations of how CliftonStrengths could be used for organization. Always refer to the Gallup CliftonStrengths website for official recommendations.