There are many ways to make a house a home; there are different styles for different people. What may make one person feel content and happy in their home could make another person squeamish.

Does the way you keep your home say something unique about you?

Two Types of People

As many are aware of, there are two types of people in this world... those who make their bed every morning and those who laugh at the thought.

Which one of those can you relate to?

Interestingly enough, there are probably enough people that relate to both. Whatever your answer, it may say a lot about the way you live, according to a report by OnePoll. The report found that those who make their beds are confident, sociable and high-maintenance. Those who do not are moody, curious and creative.

Both Serve a Purpose

Northwestern University researchers confirmed that people who worked in a messy room were able to let the creativity flow through when they created artwork and could more quickly solve a challenging brain teaser puzzle compared to others in a tidy room. Dorothy Breininger from the popular TV series “Hoarders”, a professional organizer and declutterer, also agrees that those who are naturally creative can deal with a bit more of an organized chaos and can even be inspired by it.

On the other hand, when there are multiple stimuli present in the visual field at the same time, they compete for neural representation, or also understood as, when there’s a lot of stuff to look at it can be difficult for the brain to focus.

Our ability to process multiple things at once is limited. Mental space is similar to physical spaces, and to some, clutter can be debilitating.

Keeping organized has positive psychological benefits, these benefits can actually become physical benefits as well. A study in 2010 found that those who described their living spaces as “cluttered” were more likely to experience depression and fatigue than those that described their home as clean and restful. NiCole Keith, of Indiana University, found that the interior condition of a home affects physical activity. Cleaning can be seen as a form of activity and keeps you moving and motivated.

Balancing these differences could help the Type-A personalities loosen up a bit and help the free spirits have a bit more structure.

Reap the Benefits

There are a few easy steps you can take to reap the many psychological and physical benefits of a clean home… yes, even for those of you who prefer not to make the bed, you know, for creative reasons.

It’s easy to walk into your home, drop your coat on the chair, keys on the table, mail on the counter, then proceed about your day. Odds are, you won’t come back to put the objects in their rightful place.

Get a dish where you always keep your keys and wallet (this will also help you not to lose them). If you are done wearing an item of clothing but it is not dirty, hang it up or put it back in the drawer. When you bring in the mail, sort through it to find what’s important. Throw the junk away and have a designated place to put the rest of the mail.

Finding the Balance

Balancing between overly neat and looking like a bomb went off can be challenging. But don’t hold yourself to a perfect standard or you’ll just grind out and give up. Yet, don’t live on without a standard at all, or you’re gonna go crazy in your own mess.

Too much desired control over what your home looks like can cause stress and anxiety. So it’s OK to have company over if you’re home is not looking perfect, because let’s face it… it only gets close to perfection when the company arrives. But if your home stays too messy, then you may never want to have company over. Creativity and organization are both important, so let’s aim for a nice balance of both.