I am fascinated with understanding the psychology of our homes, it is even the title of the introduction to my book The Secret Life of Clutter.
There are many models and theories that can help us understand the subtle and complex workings of the human mind.
One that is very widely used is what is known as the ‘Big Five’ model. This scores each person on five spectra:
Openness to experience (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious)
Conscientiousness (efficient/organized vs. extravagant/careless)
Extraversion (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved)
Agreeableness (friendly/compassionate vs. critical/rational)
Neuroticism (sensitive/nervous vs. resilient/confident)
For each of these aspects of personality, you will lie somewhere on these five scales. And where you sit can help answer a lot of questions about your experience and behaviour. If you are interested in discovering your scores, there is a great free assessment here (https://bigfive-test.com). It only takes about ten minutes, and is very thorough and scientifically validated.
Please note, there is not good or bad, when it comes to these scores. Each side of each spectrum brings with it positives and negatives.
What might these mean when it comes to your home?
I’m especially interested in what the different traits can tell us about how people relate to their home. There’s a lot to cover, so I will start with the first: openness and then cover the others in future articles.
In general, I believe that if you are high in openness it is more likely you are prone to clutter and struggle to keep things organised. When we look in a little more detail, the score for openness is made up of various factors. Here are some brief thoughts on how they might affect your relationship with your home, especially when it comes to clutter and organisation.
Imagination To imaginative individuals, organised and orderly spaces may just feel too plain, boring and ordinary. While people who score low, might be more likely to see the practical benefits of being tidy.
Artistic interests This can go either way: if you are a high scorer, you may love beautifully organised spaces, but you may also be drawn to collecting lots of pretty or interesting things. People with lower scores tend care less if things look untidy, but they may also be less likely to collect things.
Adventurousness People high in openness typically find familiarity and routine boring, so may put things in unusual places. Low scorers, on the other hand tend to feel uncomfortable with change and prefer familiar routines, which may help them stay tidy and organised.
Intellect High scorers are open-minded to new and unusual ideas, so they may be too busy with ideas to spend time on getting things done. Low scorers prefer dealing with either people or things rather than ideas, which may help them be less cluttered.
Liberalism Psychological liberalism is a readiness to challenge convention and traditional values. Or at its most extreme, outright hostility toward rules, and love of disorder. Psychological conservatives prefer the security and stability brought by tradition. Good for maintaining order at home perhaps, although if you grew up in a home with a ‘tradition’ of clutter, you may conform to what you were modelled.
How to create a more clutter-free home if you are high in openness
If your personality is very much at the ‘open’ and creative end of the spectrum, perhaps surprisingly you may really benefit from creating an ordered world around you. But it’s probably not something that comes naturally. Here are some tips to work with your psychology.
- Think about and write down the benefits of being orderly. For example, knowing exactly where to find your art supplies or a specific sketchbook.
- See organising your stuff as a puzzle or game that will engage your creativity and intellect.
- Focus on the artistic benefits, such as beautifully organised space
- If you suspect your clutter is an expression of a rebellious streak, find ways to express this, for example, join a pressure group or wear unconventional clothes. Here is some reverse psychology to try: if you are someone who tends to be disorganised, the truly rebellious thing is to do the opposite and put lots of effort into being tidy!
If you are high in openness, you may find this extract from my book quite relevant:
“There is something of a myth held by – and about – creative people such as Elizabeth: a romantic notion that chaos and disorder are part and parcel of being creative. I have a different view, one I share with the composer Igor Stravinsky, who said: ‘My freedom will be … greater and more meaningful the more narrowly I limit my field of action … The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees oneself of the chains that shackle the spirit.’ There is a similar dynamic at play in our relationship with our spaces.
The less you have, the less you have to manage. So, when you create a sufficient degree of order and containment in your home – and this will vary from person to person – you liberate rather than restrict yourself. Instead of having to use your energy to battle with the consequences of entropy and disorder, you can focus on what is most important to you. With the clutter held at bay, your family, creative work, business, studies, personal development and new opportunities can take their proper place in your priorities.”
How to create a more clutter-free home if you are low in openness
If you score low on this trait, you may imagine it means that you do not have that much of a problem with clutter, but remember this is only one of the five traits. Your scores in other areas may mean you face challenges getting clear and staying organised. Here are some tips if you are lower in openness:
- Build on your orientation to facts and practicalities. A clutter-free home is much more logical and practical.
- Leverage your preference for routines by setting up systems and processes to keep your home well organised
- Set yourself some house rules. You may want to download a copy of my Home Charter
- Bear in mind that others you live with may be higher in openness, so the suggestions in the previous section may help them.
As I said at the start, the human mind is a complex thing and while models such as these can be helpful, but they may also miss out on some subtleties of your life, personality and experience. This is why when I work with someone, I take time to get to know their uniqueness and that of their home. My advice with this model is to take on what is useful and leave behind what doesn’t help.
Thank you for reading, I’d love to hear how you score and if you resonate with what I describe.
Look out for a newsletter about the second trait, conscientiousness. You may expect that highly conscientious people don’t have clutter, but the reality is more complicated and might surprise you.