I feel like “The Clutter Connection” has done more for my relationship with my "disorganised" husband than any amount of marriage counselling ever could.
Because here’s where I’ve been going wrong – thinking that everything’s black and white. I’m organised and my husband isn’t. I’m the perfectionist and he’s the messiest.
And then this book came along and gave me a swift kick in the gut.
And I’ll (grudgingly) admit that I needed it.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links to the book. For more information, visit my disclosure page.
Everyone has their own organising style. For instance, some are pilers and some are filers. And over Cassandra’s career as a professional organiser, she’s identified 4 main types of “clutterbug” - ladybug, cricket, bee, and butterfly.
Not sure what they mean or which you are? Much like Clarissa, the book explains it all.
(Didn’t get the reference? Bless your young heart.)
I’m a cricket, which means I like visual simplicity – everything behind closed doors, thank you very much – and some sort of system in place to keep track of it all.
For example, I like my papers in a filing cabinet with labelled folders.
You, on the other hand, may be more of an ‘out of sight out of mind’ organiser who likes her stuff right where she can see it.
In yo’ face, so to speak.
In “The Clutter Connection”, Cassandra breaks down the 4 types, with specific tips and advice for each.
Knowing that I’m a cricket, I thought I could cut out three quarters of the book and only read the section relevant to me.
But while I was flicking past the other sections to get to mine, I noticed that each one ends with a chapter about what to do if you live with that particular type of clutterbug.
Curiosity piqued, I quickly referenced the types in order to categorise my husband.
Lo and behold, he’s a butterfly.
I’m not exaggerating when I say "The Clutter Connection" gave me an insight into my husband’s psyche I’ve never experienced before.
All of a sudden, I understood his need for leaving piles of stuff everywhere.
It’s not out of laziness, it’s because that’s how he keeps track of everything.
Cassandra mentions specific examples in the book that I could see in my own home, like how my husband prefers to hang his coat on a hook instead of on a hanger in the coat closet.
He’s not disorganised, he’s just a different type of organiser.
Truly, this was eye opening.
She also suggests ways you can compromise on the different styles. For example, a cricket like me could be appeased by utilising more baskets.
That way my husband still gets to pile things and, as long as the basket is kept in plain sight, he won’t forget those items. And I get to maintain some semblance of the visual simplicity I crave by having all of that stuff contained.
What’s wonderful about this book (and, indeed, all of Cassandra’s books) is that her advice is always incredibly practical and actionable. It’s down to earth, for those of us who don’t have the time, enthusiasm, or budget for decanting everything into matching containers.
If you’ve ever felt disorganised, or clashed with someone in your life you believed to be disorganised, “The Clutter Connection” is the book for you. It will help you identify the different organising styles so that you can put systems in place that best match your particular brand of clutterbug.
Buy the book right here:
Do you and your partner have different organising styles?
