Do you find it easy to let go of things that have outlived their use? Or is it painful to even consider giving away your child's old tricycle after stashing it away for years after she left home?
This article may not be for you if you have a clutter-free home. But if you are like most of us, at least one part of your life could use a good declutter (even if it's just the dreaded junk drawer!).
Is your home technically clean, but there's so much "sentimental stuff" stored in your walk-in closet that there’s no room for clothes? Not to mention the hall closet, which has no storage space for important things.
You "know" that less stuff on your desk will help you get more done at work, but you still can’t get rid of the knick-knacks and paper clutter (you might need it one day; at least, that’s what you tell yourself)?
Clutter is a negative force in many ways.
Here’s why.
Our physical environment directly impacts our emotions, cognition, and our behaviors. As the saying goes, "A cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind." A cluttered home can make us feel stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, and even depressed.
Conversely, if we are dealing with mental health issues, a cluttered space can make it harder to cope. For example, if you are dealing with work stress, it helps if your home is a stress-free place, free from clutter.
When we realize that the things we own are not passive and that they influence our well-being, we appreciate the importance of decluttering.
If you’ve tried keeping only what you regularly use — donating or tossing unwanted items that no longer spark joy — but struggle with letting go, we have news for you.
First of all, you are not alone. Cleaning and declutter tips are not “one-size-fits-all.”
For example, adults with ADHD often have catch-all baskets in each room (which they lovingly call Doom Boxes). This strategy helps them stay focused in one room at a time, but it might drive a perfectionist bonkers (because everything needs to be in its proper place!).
What works for one person may not work for another because our personality traits play a significant role in how we deal with clutter.
Understanding your personality helps you to distinguish your decluttering strengths and weaknesses.
Armed with this personalized information, you can make positive changes related to clutter in your home. Some benefits of a decluttered home include better clarity, reduced stress, increased productivity, and improved mental health. You will also be able to manage your time better with less clutter (since you won’t be wasting time searching for things), which also means less stress.
We want to make it clear that this is not your typical "how to declutter" article.
If you are looking for specific instructions on how to declutter your home, we recommend reading something written by a professional organizer. Marie Kondo is an excellent place to start because her KonMari process breaks the decluttering task into bite-size chunks.
Instead, we will talk about possible reasons behind the clutter and why you may struggle to follow a weekly chore routine. More specifically, we'll examine the Enneagram personalities and how they handle decluttering. We'll also offer some valuable decluttering tricks aligned with your Enneagram.
If you have tried using more decluttering tips than you remember, but nothing seems to work, then this article may be just what you need!
Clutter Personality Types: Decluttering Styles
Separate from our Enneagram type, we all have a style in which we react to clutter (and whether we are more likely to have clutter-free spaces than messy ones). Your clutter personality type can be connected to things such as your personality traits and your lived experiences.
Knowing your decluttering style helps to identify how the clutter got there in the first place. When we understand the root cause, we can match a decluttering tip with the identified issue.
Your decluttering personality type likely falls into any one of the following categories:
- The Sentimentalist — They find it hard to let go of anything attached to someone they love.
- The Evader — They hate clutter, but due to work or personal commitments, they have no time to deal with it and end up resigned to living with it.
- The Materialist — They overvalue their possessions and find it hard to let go of items they paid good money for.
- The Consummate Saver — These individuals are prolific at saving everything — just in case they need it, whether that’s today or two decades later.
- The High Achiever — They can easily part with things that outlive their purpose. High achievers prefer to hold on only to things that serve a purpose or reflect their success.
- The Shopper — They love shopping and habitually stuff their choked homes with new items.
- The Hider — They present a pristine home but hide the clutter in storage spaces and never seem to find the right time to deal with it.
Please note that for this article, we will not be discussing hoarding. While extreme hoarders may fall into one of the above categories, they typically require the assistance of a mental health professional to address the underlying issues.
How to Declutter Based on Your Enneagram Personality
Now that we know the different clutter-collecting styles, we can combine that information about our individual personality traits. As discussed, we will be looking at Enneagrams. However, you can also gain insight into your organization style based on the Myers Briggs.
The Enneagram Test assigns you one of nine types based on your answers to a series of questions. The goal is to provide insight into your personality and show you how best to utilize diverse traits in making the best decisions for yourself and your loved ones.
Based on your Enneagram, let's look at how best you can declutter your home.
Enneagram Type 1 Clutter Style — The Perfectionist
The Perfectionist has a strong sense of how to get things done and, in this case, keeping everything tidy. They often spend much time sorting and organizing their items into color-coded and labeled bins and drawers.
Their super-focus helps them to declutter easily, making minimalism look easy. However, their perfectionism tends to overcomplicate the decluttering process, especially when their loved ones can't keep up with their unrealistic expectations.
Decluttering Tips for Enneagram 1
- When helping others declutter, learn to accommodate other people’s opinions before discarding items.
- Repurpose items or take on a challenging renovation project.
- Strive to develop compassion for other people’s strengths and weaknesses.
Enneagram Type 2 Clutter Style — The Giver
The Givers find fulfillment in helping others. They are ready to take on the challenging task of decluttering if it helps to create a warm and loving place for their family. They reckon that letting go will give their extra stuff a new life.
You can expect to find well-arranged family photographs and things to nurture, like plants and animals in their living spaces. And while helping a friend to declutter gives them true gratification, they often struggle with finding time to replicate the same for their homes.
Decluttering Tips for Enneagram 2
- Schedule a decluttering task within a cleaning session, especially in areas where people gather, like the kitchen and the living room.
- Learn to ask for help or involve your loved ones in decluttering for better self-care.
- Learn to set boundaries.
Enneagram Type 3 Clutter Style — The Achiever
The Type 3 personality is ambitious and works hard to gain success. Once they take on decluttering, they are highly motivated to finish the task in the best way possible.
The Achievers intend to create a clean, tidy, and well-decorated space (with status objects and other deliberate and expensive pieces) to show off their achievements. They'll let go of sentimental items only to buy more trendy things. Enneagram 3s often end up as the hamster in the decluttering wheel.
Decluttering Tips for Enneagram 3
- Hire a professional organizer to help you with all that stuff stashed in your basement, attic, closets (and yes, even that secret storage unit).
- Get rid of the items you don’t like as much anymore.
- Learn to accommodate (and appreciate) your family members’ unique styles of achieving your goals.
Enneagram Type 4 Clutter Style — The Individualist
Enneagram 4 is creative and highly expressive. They crave unique or vintage items that make a statement. Anything that's usual or conformist is not worth their time.
But in the quest to stand out, they can accumulate things and cling to mementos for longer. And since they find it hard to ask for help, Type 4s suffer deeper emotional and cognitive effects of physical clutter.
Decluttering Tips for Enneagram 4
Enneagram Type 5 Clutter Style — The Investigator
Type 5s like to work smarter, not harder. As the Investigators are natural minimalists, they can easily dispose of anything that doesn't serve a purpose. Not because they want to create a unique aesthetic but because it will take them less effort to stay clean and tidy.
However, despite their efficient decluttering prowess, they tend to gradually accumulate items that promote their self-sufficiency and can sometimes go slightly overboard.
Decluttering Tips for Enneagram 5
- When helping others, learn to accommodate their sentimentalism — don’t throw something away without asking them first.
- Find an already existing decluttering plan that flows to avoid overplanning.
- Set healthy boundaries for self-control when ordering things online to avoid hoarding.
Enneagram Type 6 Clutter Style — The Skeptic
The Skeptics long for safety and security. Their home is their haven, and they are willing to follow a decluttering system to help them downsize.
Some Enneagram 6s can commit to minimalism and stick with it. But most of them are known to stuff their belongings in drawers and closets, and they hardly attempt to clean them out.
Decluttering Tips for Enneagram 6
- Follow a decluttering checklist to avoid overthinking and just get started.
- View decluttering as a path to clearing unnecessary chaos.
- Work on small tasks and acknowledge your success for motivation.
Enneagram Type 7 Clutter Style — The Enthusiast
For these enthusiastic adventurers, decluttering is hardly a priority. They accumulate items as fast as their "five-minute" interests come and go.
But when the pain of living in the chaos overshadows a new adventure, they are willing to get it over and done with. That is if their motivation can last that long.
Decluttering Tips for Enneagram 7
- Schedule small achievable tasks.
- Listen to your favorite music to make the task fun.
- Invite a friend over or involve your family in the process to keep you accountable.
Enneagram Type 8 Clutter Style — The Challenger
The Challengers are self-confident, decisive, and assertive individuals. They are not swayed by opinions or product advertisements, which means they may have little clutter to handle.
But when it comes to cleaning and downsizing, "it's their way or the highway." They formulate the process and set out determined to complete the process efficiently and as long as it takes. Safe to say, they easily steamroll their family members during the decluttering process.
Decluttering Tips for Enneagram 8
- Allocate time to sufficiently visualize your end goal for better execution.
- Practice meditation to help you control your impulsive and confrontational responses.
- Learn to accommodate your family’s opinions on items and the decluttering process.
Enneagram Type 9 Clutter Style — The Peacemaker
The Enneagram 9s are peaceful and agreeable individuals who go out of their way to help others at their expense. Since they struggle with procrastination and distractions, they complete decluttering tasks with the help of a friend or spouse.
Type 9s are the people who are willing to help their friends declutter while their homes lie in disarray.
Decluttering Tips for Enneagram 9
- Create short decluttering to-do lists.
- Apply the Getting Things Done Technique to help you prioritize critical tasks.
- Learn to be assertive as a way to nurture your self-esteem because your needs and wants matter.
What’s Your Decluttering Style?
Now that we have explored the 9 Enneagram personalities, did any of them describe your clutter and declutter style? If so, we hope the information will help you start decluttering today.
When you make your home clutter free, it’s good for your well-being!
Want to learn more about the Enneagram and well-being? Check out these articles:
Need to know your Enneagram? Take our Enneagram test to understand more about your personality and how best you can utilize our decluttering tips to make the process beneficial for your home, family, and yourself.
